“He tried to slow me down – it put himself off more than me”: Mitchell Lawrie calls out opponent’s gamesmanship as 15-year-old reaches Lakeside semi-finals

Mitchell Lawrie’s remarkable charge at the 2025 WDF World Championship rolled on at Lakeside on Friday night as the 15-year-old sensation stormed into the semi-finals with a 4–0 win over Belgian, Francois Schweyen — and didn’t mince his words afterwards when asked about the pace-of-play tactics he faced on stage.

Lawrie delivered another breakout performance under the lights, opening the match with a 111 checkout and settling into the contest with a tidy 16-darter to secure the first set. He then shifted up a gear, taking the second set 3–0 with legs of 17, 15 and 15 darts as the crowd began to sense another statement victory.

But while the scoreline was one-sided, the Scot revealed that Schweyen had tried to disrupt his rhythm.

“Do you know what? I wasn’t even frustrated. I think I let his pace get to me, and then as soon as I stopped letting his pace get to me, it was easy to be honest,” Lawrie said in his post-match interview afterwards. “He tried to slow me down. I think it’s because he thinks I’m not as experienced as him and maybe because I’m only 15. But I get people everywhere that try and do that to me. It doesn’t affect me at all.”

Despite a brief dip where he “let his pace get to me for maybe one or two legs”, Lawrie quickly adapted — and believes the tactic ultimately backfired.

“110%. He put himself off more than what he put me off, to be honest,” he said. “If he started going faster, I would have been fine, because I’m fine with both to be honest.”

Once settled though, Lawrie powered through a period of scrappy scoring with what was potentially the moment of the match: an outstanding 124 checkout to move 3–0 up and within touching distance of the semi-finals. The final set was equally composed, highlighted by a 92 checkout to break and a 14-dart hold to complete a superb victory.

Afterwards, the pair shared a respectful moment at the oche. “He’s a great guy off the board,” Lawrie noted. “He just said good luck for the rest of the competition and stuff. He is a really nice guy off the board.”

Lawrie now prepares for a semi-final against fellow teenager Jenson Walker — a meeting between two players who have risen rapidly through the WDF youth system.

“I know it’ll be a great game because we’re both big power scorers,” Lawrie said. “Jensen is really one of the best players in this building. I believe he will get a Tour Card when he’s older and he will go on to do more stuff.”

The 15-year-old becomes the youngest semi-finalist in Lakeside history, and judging by his composure — both in his darts and in how he handled the gamesmanship he faced — his story this week may still have a long way to run.