WDF World Championship 2025 Roundup | Magical Mitchell Lawrie does it again at Lakeside as 15-year-old averages just shy of 100 in 3-0 rout of former semi-finalist

Fifteen-year-old sensation Mitchell Lawrie delivered one of the most astonishing performances ever seen on the Lakeside stage on Wednesday night, whitewashing last year’s semi-finalist Jason Brandon 3–0 with a blistering 97.21 average — the highest of the 2025 WDF World Championship so far.

Already touted by bookmakers as the tournament favourite after his opening-round win over Tomoya Maruyama, Lawrie more than justified the hype with a display of relentless scoring, fearless combination finishing and remarkable composure for a player of any age, let alone someone still months away from his sixteenth birthday.

The teenager set the tone instantly, hammering a 180 with his first three darts of the match before narrowly missing the bull for a 170 checkout. He returned to mop up 25 for a 14-darter and only accelerated from there. In the second leg he opened with six perfect darts, the third followed with a ruthless scoring barrage, and he completed a flawless opening set with a superb 134 checkout. Brandon, ever the sportsman, could only smile in appreciation as Lawrie ended the set averaging over 115.

Set two brought Lawrie’s first real wobble — three missed darts to hold throw in the opening leg — but Brandon’s brief foothold was extinguished almost immediately. Lawrie responded by taking the next three legs, maintaining a standard above 103 and tightening his grip on the match.

He continued to impress in the third set, kicking off leg two with five perfect darts and pinning 100 in two darts for an 11-darter. Even when eight match darts slipped away in leg three, allowing Brandon to keep the contest alive, Lawrie reset immediately. After Brandon twice pressured him with perfectly timed 180s, the young Scot stepped forward and sealed victory with a composed 117 checkout, adding yet another highlight to an extraordinary performance.

Earlier in the evening, third seed Deta Hedman battled back from a set down to defeat two-time world champion Mikuru Suzuki 2–1 in one of the standout matches of the round. Suzuki swept the opening set 3–0 and began set two with four perfect darts, but Hedman steadied herself, levelled the contest and then produced the defining moments in the decider.

A classy 105 checkout in the third leg put her within touching distance of victory, and when Suzuki missed six darts to force a last-leg shootout, Hedman stepped in with a clean 80 finish to progress. She now faces teenage contender Sophie McKinlay in a fascinating quarter-final.

McKinlay reached the last eight earlier in the night with a gritty 2–1 win over 17-year-old Paige Pauling, surviving prolonged double trouble and a chaotic deciding set. Pauling swept the opening set 3–0 before McKinlay responded in kind to level the match.

The final set descended into drama as Pauling fired the first 180 of the match, McKinlay missed 16 darts at double in a marathon second leg, and Pauling celebrated sarcastically when she finally dragged herself over the line. But McKinlay composed herself instantly, took the next two legs, and eventually pinned double 10 with her eighth match dart to seal victory and secure a quarter-final showdown with Hedman.

Elsewhere in the session, Jenson Walker defeated sixth seed David Fatum 3–1, emerging through a real battle with the colourful American. Walker produced timely scoring bursts, including several 180s, and sealed the win on double 5 to book a last-16 meeting with Raymond Smith.

Stephen Rosney continued his strong run as well, sweeping past Thomas Junghans 3–0. Rosney averaged 89.65 and won the final eight legs of the match, adding to the momentum he built in Monday’s victory over Jim McEwan.