15-year-old 'next Luke Littler' Mitchell Lawrie shines on WDF World Championship Lakeside debut as Shane McGuirk keeps title defence alive
WDFMonday, 01 December 2025 at 11:36
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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- Need to see her take part in the womens tour. She'll break the inernet.medinabello08-09-2026
- If he can be bothered? He won't play darts in Germany yet he'll go over and get an award!??rick6702-09-2026
- Why is this the main story? He chose not to compete in loads of tournaments,yes he's number 1 in the world,but he does have to turn up at tournaments! Play the next world championship in Dortmund and see if he turns up!!rick6727-08-2026
- This is exactly what I mean,littler survives the 1st round,I think you'll find a lot of other players did. Can you just report on the real sport,and not just 1 person. I like Luke,but this is getting boring now,as Kevin painter once said to Taylor!! The sport is about every player,not 1 who everyone seems to have put the sport on the map.,which he hasn't,he's just got in when the money is massive. Great as he is,it seems like what's the point in anyone trying,he's going to win everything,unless it's in Germany or Australia!!!rick6726-08-2026
- I mean look, Littler's picture is first,wattimena is second and he won! Level it up. I know littler is fantastic,but the sport was here before him,and will be when he's retired. Any player in the top 64/128 can beat each other,it's not big news. Poor Jermaine,wins it,and not even the headline!!rick6726-08-2026
- I appreciate that littler is a fantastic player,but the top 3 articles are about him. Before he'd thrown a dart in the tournament. Level it out a bit, Taylor and van gerwen soon got disliked as the media could only see them,and nobody else seemed to matterrick6725-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
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