Mitchell Lawrie, 15, has narrowly missed making sporting history after he was defeated in the final of the WDF World Championship. The Scottish teenage prodigy was aiming to become the youngest ever winner of a senior world title, hoping to snatch the record from Luke Littler, who won the PDC World Championship at the tender age of 17 just a year ago.
In a heartbreaking turn of events for Lawrie, he initially led 32-year-old Dutchman Jimmy van Schie 3-0, only to suffer defeat after losing six consecutive sets, with experience proving decisive in the WDF final that ended 6-3 to the older man. Van Schie, the tournament’s top seed, managed to recover from a disastrous start to claim the title and £50,000 prize money, even responding to a heckler in the crowd as he battled the pressure from spectators.
Despite the loss, ‘Wee Sox’ still walked away with a big £19,000 prize for reaching the final, and has certainly made a lasting impression on the sport.
Reflecting on his defeat, Lawrie was critical of his performance: “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.”
His opponent, however, had nothing but praise for him, with Van Schie exclaiming: “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 remarkable journey to the final also attracted attention from PDC star Stephen Bunting. The former BDO world champion and current world No. 4 responded to the final on X.
He posted: “Mitchell is a class act and at just 15 years of age, the world is his lobster.”
Lawrie’s emergence at such a tender age has drawn comparisons to Littler’s meteoric rise to prominence, but the Renfrew youngster has no interest in being compared to the world No. 1 and reigning Ally Pally champion.
“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.”