Darts sensation, 15, misses out on Luke Littler file however lands life-changing winnings
Darts sensation Mitchell Lawrie, 15, missed out on eclipsing Luke Littler’s sporting record when he was beaten in the final of the WDF World Championship
Mitchell Lawrie, 15, missed out on sporting history when he was beaten in the final of the WDF World Championship.
The Scottish teenage sensation was vying to become the youngest winner of a senior world crown in history, attempting to take the record off Luke Littler, a year on from when ‘The Nuke’ beat Luke Humphries to win the PDC World Championship at the age of 17.
Heartbreakingly for Lawrie, he led 32-year-old Dutchman Jimmy van Schie 3-0, only to fall to defeat after losing six sets in a row, with experience telling in the 6-3 WDF final.
Van Schie, ranked the No.1 seed in the tournament, rallied after a devastating start to land the title and £50,000, and even hit back at a heckler in the crowd as he had to withstand the pressure of the spectators.
‘Wee Sox’ still took home a life-changing £19,000 prize for reaching the final, and has made a name for themselves that the sport won’t soon forget.
Speaking after his defeat, Lawrie was damning of his performance and collapse: “What’s the main emotion? That was rubbish. I went 3-0 sets up and then couldn’t hit a thing. Terrible.
“Getting here in the first place means a lot. I am not happy but it is what it is. I wasn’t good enough at the end. There are a lot of positives to take. I came up short.”
However, his opponent was much more complimentary of him, as Van Schie raved: “Oh my god. He’s such a phenomenal player. A power scorer. Shows he is mature for his age.
“The sky is the limit for him. I had a tough battle. I had to keep fighting and believing in myself. I am very happy with the win. He is the future of darts. He is such a talent. The crowd was a little bit in Mitchell’s favour and I get that.”
Lawrie’s incredible run to the final also caught the eye of PDC star Stephen Bunting. The former BDO world champion and current world No.4 reacted to the final on X.
He wrote: “Mitchell is a class act and at just 15 years of age, the world is his lobster.”
Lawrie’s rise from a young age has been likened to Littler’s sensational run to stardom, but the Renfrew prodigy isn’t interested in being likened to the world No.1 and reigning Ally Pally king.
“I’ll never be him. I’ll always be Mitchell Lawrie at the end of the day,” the 15-year-old told Tungsten Tales darts.
“What he’s (Littler) done is unbelievable. He’s made this sport what it is. There’s so much attention to it because of him but I’ll never be him, I’ll always be me and that’s just how it’s going to be.”
