Francis Hoenselaar
Encyclopedia
Francisca Hoenselaar (born 15 January 1965 in Rotterdam
, Zuid-Holland) is a professional darts
player from the Netherlands
. She is nicknamed The Dutch Crown.
A leading player in the women's game, Hoenselaar was the 2009 British Darts Organisation
Women's World Darts Champion, having defeated Trina Gulliver
in the final. Prior to this, she had been runner-up no fewer than five times - each time losing to Gulliver.
women's singles in 1996, 2004 and 2010, and the World Cup women's singles in 2001. She will retire from the Dutch team after the 2011 World Cup.
Gulliver has long been her main rival, and got the better of her in five World Championship finals (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). Indeed, Gulliver was unbeaten at the Women's World Championship until 2008. Hoenselaar entered the 2008 World Championship
as the number one seed, but lost in the first round to qualifier Stephanie Smee.
Hoenselaar won the World Masters in 1999, and again in 2006. She defeated Anastasia Dobromyslova
to win her third World Masters title in 2008, in what was Dobromyslova's final tournament before her defection to the Professional Darts Corporation
.
In 2009
, Hoenselaar finally won the Women's World Championship, beating Gulliver in the final to record her first World Championship title, and a winner's cheque of £6,000. This earned her a spot at the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
, and was drawn in Group D with Raymond van Barneveld
, John Part
and Kevin Painter
. Hoenselaar won four legs over her three matches, as she bowed out in the group stages.
Hoenselaar was unseeded for the 2010 Women's World Championship
and was drawn against Gulliver once more in the first round. Gulliver won by 2 sets to 0, and she went on to win her seventh world title. Hoenselaar failed to qualify for the 2011 Women's World Championship.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Zuid-Holland) is a professional darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. She is nicknamed The Dutch Crown.
A leading player in the women's game, Hoenselaar was the 2009 British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
Women's World Darts Champion, having defeated Trina Gulliver
Trina Gulliver
Trina Gulliver is an English professional darts player. She is the nine-time Women's World Professional Darts Champion of the British Darts Organisation. Her nickname is the 'Golden Girl' and has been sponsored by the leading Global Darts Brand Winmau for over 10 years...
in the final. Prior to this, she had been runner-up no fewer than five times - each time losing to Gulliver.
Achievements
A Netherlands native, Hoenselaar has won the Dutch title fifteen times. She first represented the Netherlands at the WDF World Cup in 1991. She won the Europe CupWDF Europe Cup
The WDF Europe Cup is a darts tournament held biennially since 1978. The tournament consists of a team championship, a pairs championship and a singles championship. All events have a men's competition, and a women's competition . The next Europe Cup will be held in 2012, in Antalya,...
women's singles in 1996, 2004 and 2010, and the World Cup women's singles in 2001. She will retire from the Dutch team after the 2011 World Cup.
Gulliver has long been her main rival, and got the better of her in five World Championship finals (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). Indeed, Gulliver was unbeaten at the Women's World Championship until 2008. Hoenselaar entered the 2008 World Championship
2008 BDO World Darts Championship
*Michael Rosenauer was originally drawn to face Mark Webster, but chose to withdraw from the event to compete in the 2008 PDC World Championship. Jones had won the standby play-off at Bridlington prior to the World Masters-Statistics:- Women's Championship :...
as the number one seed, but lost in the first round to qualifier Stephanie Smee.
Hoenselaar won the World Masters in 1999, and again in 2006. She defeated Anastasia Dobromyslova
Anastasia Dobromyslova
Anastasia Dobromyslova-Martin is a professional darts player. She is a former winner of the Women's World Professional Darts Champion of the British Darts Organisation, winning it in 2008...
to win her third World Masters title in 2008, in what was Dobromyslova's final tournament before her defection to the Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
.
In 2009
2009 BDO World Darts Championship
The 2009 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 32nd World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation. Mark Webster was the defending men's champion having won the title for the first time in last year's final against Simon Whitlock, but he was eliminated convincingly...
, Hoenselaar finally won the Women's World Championship, beating Gulliver in the final to record her first World Championship title, and a winner's cheque of £6,000. This earned her a spot at the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
2009 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2009 Grand Slam of Darts was the third staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 14–22 November 2009 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Television coverage of the tournament was covered by ITV Sport, with...
, and was drawn in Group D with Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
, John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
and Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
. Hoenselaar won four legs over her three matches, as she bowed out in the group stages.
Hoenselaar was unseeded for the 2010 Women's World Championship
2010 BDO World Darts Championship
The 2010 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 33rd World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation, and the 25th staging at the Lakeside Country Club at Frimley Green. Ted Hankey was the defending men's champion having won the title for the second time in the...
and was drawn against Gulliver once more in the first round. Gulliver won by 2 sets to 0, and she went on to win her seventh world title. Hoenselaar failed to qualify for the 2011 Women's World Championship.