Luke Littler was amazed by the exceptional darting skills displayed by 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie, who has been making waves at the WDF World Championship held at the Lakeside stage recently.
Lawrie made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest player to secure a victory at Lakeside, defeating Tomoya Maruyama from Japan in a convincing manner. He then went on to defeat Jason Brandon 3-0, showcasing his talent with five maximums and impressive checkouts.
Additionally, Lawrie achieved a remarkable 97.21 average, the highest recorded at the tournament thus far.
In response to Lawrie’s performance, Littler expressed his astonishment on the WDF Darts Instagram account, stating, “This kid is a joke.”
Lawrie, filled with pride after his win against Brandon, conveyed his excitement, saying, “I’m absolutely thrilled with my performance. Facing the number two seed, who is an experienced player and reached the semi-finals last year, I knew it would be a tough match from the beginning.”
“I entered the game with the mindset to start strong, and fortunately, I was able to do just that,” Lawrie added. “I was pleased with my performance, especially with no leg taking more than 15 darts in the first set.”
Lawrie started the first set strongly, finishing each leg in under 15 darts. Although he missed out on a potential nine-darter, he impressed with a superb 134 checkout.
Reflecting on his game, Lawrie mentioned, “I had a chance for a nine-dart finish! Overall, it was fantastic. The crowd supported me right from the start, especially after hitting the 180. The atmosphere was amazing.”
Despite a slight setback as Brandon gained momentum, Lawrie elevated his performance to secure victory. Lawrie acknowledged, “I had a strong start, but I lost focus a bit in the final set. When Brandon started scoring well, I regained my composure and managed to win.”
When questioned about any nerves during his final throws, Lawrie admitted, “No nerves, just a missed shot. I don’t know what happened. It was a miss on double two. There was one spectator constantly cheering for Jason, but overall, the crowd was supportive.”
The PDC World Darts Championship is set to commence on December 11, and fans can catch all the action live exclusively on Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.