Luke Littler has expressed amazement at a 15-year-old prodigy in darts. Mitchell Lawrie, who was born in 2010, has been making waves at the WDF World Championship held at Lakeside over the past week.
Lawrie made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest player to triumph at Lakeside after defeating Japan’s Tomoya Maruyama in a dominant performance. Following this victory, Lawrie went on to beat last year’s semi-finalist Jason Brandon 3-0, showcasing impressive skills with five maximums and sharp checkouts.
Moreover, Lawrie achieved a remarkable 97.21 average, the highest recorded at the tournament to date.
In response to Lawrie’s performance, Littler took to the WDF Darts Instagram account, commenting, “This kid is a joke.”
After his straight-sets victory over Brandon, Lawrie expressed his delight, stating, “I’m absolutely thrilled with my performance. Facing the number two seed, an experienced player who reached the semi-finals here last year, I knew it was going to be tough.”
Lawrie emphasized the importance of a strong start, noting, “I needed to come out fast, and fortunately, I was able to do just that. I was pleased with my performance, especially in the first set where I didn’t have a leg over 15 darts.”
Lawrie set a fast pace in the initial set, finishing each leg within 15 darts or less. Although he missed out on a potential nine-darter, he executed a superb 134 checkout.
Reflecting on the support from the crowd, Lawrie remarked, “The fans were fantastic right from the start. Once I hit the 180, they were all behind me, which was great. The atmosphere was amazing.”
Despite a momentary lapse as Brandon mounted a comeback, Lawrie regained his focus and secured the win, stating, “I had a strong start, but I lost a bit of momentum toward the end. When Jason started scoring well, it woke me up, and I managed to finish strong.”
When questioned about any nerves during his final darts, Lawrie admitted, “I wasn’t nervous, just missed the shot. There was some distraction in the crowd, but overall, they were supportive.”
The PDC World Darts Championship is set to commence on December 11, with fans able to catch all the action live exclusively on Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.