“Mitchell Lawrie is better than what Luke Littler was” – Matt Edgar makes bold claim about 15-year-old WDF number one

Former professional darter Matt Edgar has sparked plenty of discussion with a striking statement about two of the biggest teenage talents in the darts world. According to the Englishman, 15-year-old Scot Mitchell Lawrie is currently ahead of where Luke Littler was at the same age.

Lawrie is turning heads in the WDF and is the world number one in that federation. Late last year, he reached the final at Lakeside, where he ultimately lost to Jimmy van Schie.

Mitchell Lawrie, nicknamed “Wee Sox,” has been making serious strides in recent months. On the JDC Advanced Tour he recently threw a nine-darter in his 4-1 win over Ethan Hawden. In his opening match, he posted an impressive 103 average and went on to win the tournament.

As if that weren’t enough, the young Scot was also crowned WDF world number one earlier this month. He owed that to tournament victories at both the Slovak Open and the Slovak Masters. It underlined his status as one of the biggest talents on the WDF circuit.

In addition, Lawrie made history by becoming the first teenager ever to reach the WDF World Championship final. Earlier this season, he also won the Scottish Classic, further confirming his rapid development.

Matt Edgar, now active as an analyst and podcaster, closely tracks the progress of young players. He was forthright when comparing Lawrie and Littler. “Mitchell Lawrie is better than what Luke Littler was at this stage of his career. Now, does he hit the heights that Luke does?" Edgar pondered on The Mission Darts Podcast.

The Englishman immediately added an important caveat. “I doubt it because Luke is a unique talent that will, for me, now break the world’s top five players of all time already. But at this stage of their careers, Mitchell is performing to a higher level than Luke did, which is exciting to see where he goes.”

That Luke Littler is now the benchmark for young darts talents is no surprise. Since his breakthrough on the big stage he has broken records worldwide. Even before his 20th birthday he had collected no fewer than ten major titles and was crowned world champion twice.

Edgar stressed that he had Littler on his radar from an early age. “I literally highlighted him all the way from his debut at the World Championship. I was called crazy because I said he’ll make at least the quarter-finals and he made the final," recalls 'PrimeTime'.

He also kept a close eye on Littler at his first UK Open appearances, his performances within the JDC, and his stint in Gibraltar. “To his debut at the UK Open, to his JDC stuff, to his time in Gibraltar. I followed that journey so intensely that I am very clued in with Luke Littler’s journey."

"At this stage of their careers, when Luke was 15 doing the WDF, when he went back-to-back at Bridlington. Unbelievable, by the way to win back-to-back titles at Bridlington, where you’ve got the England Classic and probably one of the strongest fields of players," Edgar concludes. “Because you get all your best players in the UK travelling, plus all your ex-pros and your top county players. There’s good ranking points, and he went back-to-back there.”