15-year-old 'next Luke Littler' Mitchell Lawrie shines on WDF World Championship Lakeside debut as Shane McGuirk keeps title defence alive
WDF
It was a very youth heavy night at the WDF World Championship at the Lakeside with four of the top talents on the circuit in action. In particular Mitchell Lawrie who shone as well as defending champion Shane McGuirk.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the opening set at Lakeside, Lawrie had a tentative start while his opponent Tomoya Maruyama came flying out of the gates but he settled down to break hitting a 180 and double four for 2-0 before taking the set on double 10.
Maruyama did get given chances throughout the match but didn't take them and Lawrie flew ahead after losing the opening leg of the second set going 140, 140, 136 missing the bull for 161 but returning for 25. He was taken to a decider though and he pinned 64 after a prior 13-darter to take the second.
But this is when the true quality shone as he produced two epic 145 checkouts including one to win to show his true talent on the stage. Called the next Luke Littler in some quarters, he will be certainly one to watch this week.
Defending champion McGuirk averts early trouble as Jenson Walker sets up Fatum clash
While Shane McGuirk kept his Lakeside title defence alive as he averted early trouble against ninth seed Stefan Schroder.
The Dutchman jumped out of the blocks as he hit a 180 to leave 36 and with McGuirk unable to take out 112, he returned to hit double 18 to lead. He held with a 180 and double 20 for a 13-darter for the set.
ADVERTISEMENT
But back came McGuirk with a 126 checkout en route to a clean sweep set two. He led for the first time with another clean sweep as he hit a 14-darter to break and then did so again albeit a 16-darter as Schroder spurned chance after chance to hold.
He hit a 15-darter to lead set four and broke to throw for the contest at 2-0 up with Schroder's race seemingly run. He was on a bogey number as Schroder missed 118 for a break back. But McGuirk wasn't in the mood to mess around as he hit 106 for a superb win. Still the man to beat.
Shane McGuirk the defending champion at Lakeside.
Jenson Walker at 19 opened the show. He has previously reached the final of the boys tournament and faced Czech ace Jiri Brejcha in what could have been a battle of the Scorpions given both him and David Fatum who faces Walker now have that nickname.
But it was Walker who earned the win in a straight sets triumph. He produced one of the best scoring displays so far averaging 84 in sealing the win. After losing the opening leg, he swept the opening set. He finished with a 17-darter on double 16.
ADVERTISEMENT
The second set saw him open with a 16-darter on throw hitting double 10 but after busting his score, Brejcha managed to hold. Walker again had trouble finishing the leg but finally did so to hold before breaking with a 16-darter to head two sets up.
A 12-darter saw him turn the turbo on as he opened with a break and then held for 2-0. He fell over the line missing multiple match darts but managing to complete the feat.
It was the turn of two players who reached the youth finals last year and the victor of the girls title in Paige Pauling. The 17-year-old is one of the latest talents to be able to do it at both youth and senior and will aim to retain her girls title this week.
Sophie McKinlay famously reached the final last year while also playing in the youth event so the designs on the end of Pauling will be to do the same. She opened up against Lisa Zollikofer winning in straight sets.
She broke throw immediately albeit in a shaky start from both with a 23 and 25 dart leg en route to a 2-0 lead but a better 18-darter settled her down with a 110 checkout. A 68 checkout for a 14-darter saw her hold to begin set two and in reality she should've won it without losing a leg. Zollikofer though confounded Pauling's frustrations at missing match darts and sent it to a decider. She finally fell over the line with Zollikofer missing set darts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Retiring Wajer quells American talent as Springer Jr shines against Kirk
Albeit it was mixed fortunes for those starlets as Aaja Jalbert, the talented 21-year-old American was facing a player at the other end of her career. The Final Chapter adorned the shirt of British Classic winner, Aletta Wajer with the Dutchwoman bowing out after this year's tournament. But it looks like the chapters in her book are still to be written.
Wajer came out of the traps superbly on Jalbert's throw who is one of the most promising talents out of the US system. But it was the retiring player with the flourish as she opened with 140, 134, 100 before eventually pinning double 20 for the lead.
She held from there with a 72 checkout before Jalbert finally got on the board. Both throughout the contest averaged around the 70 mark which in most cases would be enough to win a game but saw Wajer away and Jalbert not able to muster much resistance.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Wajer took the set and held to begin set two. She broke with chances going begging for Jalbert and it was all she wrote from there as Wajer took out 56 for the win.
Jeff Springer Jr took out a former youth prodigy in Bradley Kirk who impressed in the infancy of the Youth Tour in the PDC but also like Wajer has supposedly stated his intention to step back. He will from this tournament as unlike Jalbert, it was an American win for Springer Jr as he took out a showreel 160 checkout to open the fourth set and went on to take the win 3-1.
He survived five set darts in the opener before Kirk finally took a set back in the second but a 148 checkout from Springer Jr was the stinger as he went on to lead 2-1 and then produced that sumptuous shot en route to claiming the win. He now faces Andy Davidson next week.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
