Rising star Mitchell Lawrie fell short in his bid for darting history as Jimmy Van Schie fought back from three sets down to claim a 6-3 victory in the WDF World Darts Championship final.
The 15-year-old had beaten Luke Littler’s record as the youngest player to ever compete at the event, with the Scot then looking to draw further comparisons with ‘The Nuke’ by becoming a teenage world champion at Lakeside.
Lawrie took the opening set in a final-leg decider then won five of the next six to race into a three-set cushion, only for Van Schie to battle back in an absorbing contest where both players averaged over 93 and fired 21 maximums between them.
Van Schie took out an 86 finish to claim the fourth set in a final-leg shootout before coming agonisingly close to a nine-darter on his way to closing out the fifth, shaving the D18 wire after eight perfect darts.
The Dutchman continued to build momentum after the interval and broke Lawrie on his way to winning the next two sets, before racing through the eighth in straight legs to open a two-set buffer.
Lawrie – who won the youth title earlier in the day – saw his hopes ended in another final-leg decider, where he found the wrong bed when having a set dart and allowing Van Schie to secure victory on double five.
Mitchell Lawrie opened up a three-set lead during an impressive display
“He is such a phenomenal player,” Van Schie told S4C. “He’s a power scorer, so mature for his age and the sky is the limit for him. I had to keep fighting (from 3-0 down), I had to keep believing in myself. He’s such a phenomenal player and he’s the future of darts.
“I was 3-0 down and I know the crowd was a little bit in Mitchell’s favour, and I understand that because he’s such a great talent. I had to believe in myself because I know I can do it, and I’ve just proved it. I’m very happy with the win.”
Lawrie had beaten Florian Preis 4-2 in the WDF World Youth Championship final earlier in the afternoon but was left disappointed not to convert his lead against Van Schie into a second title of the day.
“I went three sets up and then just couldn’t hit anything,” Lawrie told S4C. “It was terrible, to be honest. Getting here in the first place was a lot. I’m not happy, but it is what it is.
Lawrie has generated huge his headlines for his run to the world final
“He [Van Schie] hit everything. I just couldn’t hit a thing. Hitting a big 11 going for a double (in final set) is just unbelievable, to be honest. It’s a great achievement to have got here, the crowd were great, but I just wasn’t good enough in the end.”
Hedman claims elusive maiden world title
Deta Hedman, 66, won her first WDF Women’s World Championship after beating Lerena Rietbergen 4-1 in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Hedman avenged three previous losses in world finals by battling back from a set down to beat the top seed and an opponent 43 years her junior.
Rietbergen took out finishes of 72 and 64 on her way to taking the opening set before Hedman levelled in the second, with the veteran winning five straight legs before closing out the third set with a 112 checkout.
The Dutchwoman recorded four maximums in the final but couldn’t keep up with Hedman, who won the next two sets and posted a 72.01 average as she became the oldest-ever World Champion on the iconic Lakeside stage.
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