“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
WDF
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.
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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.”
Lawrie refuses to be rattled as checkout power carries him through
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.”
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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.”
Mitchell Lawrie on the oche at the Lakeside.
Teenagers take centre stage at Lakeside
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.
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“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.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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