Darts superstar Luke Littler has been left in awe by the sport's newest teenage prodigy, 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie, who has taken the Lakeside stage by storm.
Record-Breaking Performance at Lakeside
Mitchell Lawrie, born in 2010, has made a sensational impact at the ongoing WDF World Darts Championship. On Sunday, the Scottish teenager eclipsed a record previously held by Luke Littler himself, becoming the youngest player ever to win a match at the Lakeside tournament. He achieved this feat with a comprehensive victory over Japan's Tomoya Maruyama.
Lawrie's remarkable run continued as he then whitewashed last year's semi-finalist, Jason Brandon, with a stunning 3-0 win. During that match, the young talent hit five maximum 180s and produced a series of impressive checkouts, finishing with a tournament-high average of 97.21.
Littler's Verdict and Lawrie's Reaction
Reacting to a post about Lawrie's performance on the WDF Darts Instagram account, Luke Littler could only express his amazement with a succinct five-word message: "This kid is a joke."
Speaking after his dominant win over Brandon, an elated Lawrie said, "I'm absolutely buzzing with myself, to be honest." He acknowledged the challenge of facing an experienced player like Brandon but revealed his strategy was to start fast. "I went in there knowing I needed to start very fast and luckily I did that," Lawrie explained. "I don't think I had a leg under 15 in the first set."
The teenager also came agonisingly close to a perfect nine-dart leg, a moment that electrified the crowd. "Yes - I could have hit the nine!" he admitted. "As soon as I hit the 180, they were all on my side. The crowd were great."
Maintaining Focus Under Pressure
Lawrie did confess to a slight dip in concentration as he neared victory, allowing Brandon to mount a brief comeback. "I kind of fell asleep a little bit in the last set," he said. "Then he started hitting scores and I woke up again, thankfully."
When asked about nerves on his match darts, the composed teen simply stated, "Again, no - I just missed." He brushed off any distraction from the crowd, praising their overall support throughout his landmark performance.
Mitchell Lawrie's extraordinary debut has firmly announced him as darts' next major talent, earning the respect of the sport's biggest names and securing his place in the next round of the championship.
