Success for Team England at the 2025 JDC Nations Cup – and on a weekend where darts’ future was the real winner (cue the cheesy promotional tagline).
Wales played host to the young darting hopefuls of the UK and Ireland, and after a couple of days filled with 180s, nervy doubles, and more hormones than a secondary school disco, it all boiled down to the inevitable: England v Scotland. A clash steeped in history, rivalry, and enough darting clichés to fill a Sky Sports montage.
England booked their spot by cruising past Northern Ireland. Scotland, however, required added drama – Mitchell Lawrie having to squeak past Ireland’s Rebecca Allen in a best-of-three sudden death. Yes, you read that right. The original 6-6 contest match was so tight they basically had to call upon a tie-breaker to separate them. Lawrie eventually got it done, but the tension was at a premium.
The final? Well, it was over before the bagpipes had even warmed up. England stormed into a 6-0 lead, leaving Scotland needing a miracle, divine intervention, or at the very least a catastrophic power cut. To their credit, Adam Craik briefly delayed the inevitable by nicking a 13-darter against Dan Stephenson, trimming the deficit to 6-3. Suddenly, whispers of a comeback began to circulate – until Macy Gibbons calmly walked up, slammed the door shut, locked it, and threw the key away. England then sealed it 9-3, just to rub in the salt.
The day before had been about individual and pairs glory, and this is where Scotland’s Wee Sox Mitchell Lawrie hoovered up trophies like a magpie in a jewellery shop. The 14-year-old starlet swept away all comers in the Boys Singles, kicking his campaign of by averaging a ton to dismantle Aiden Ballantyne. He then politely removed Thomas Elliott, Jack Courtney, and Owen Bryceland en route to the final – where poor Eoin Roach barely laid a finger on him in a 5-1 pasting. Job done. Another trophy. Try finding shelf space, Mitchell.
And because just one wasn’t enough, he teamed up with his semi-final victim Bryceland to dominate the Boys Doubles. The Irish duo of Scott Doyle and Callum Coade were handed a 4-0 lesson, and the Lawrie household presumably started bulk-buying Brasso for all the polishing required.
Not to be outshone, England’s Lucy Shepherd – also just 14 – decided to copy Mitchell’s blueprint. Stumble early, recover, then mop up trophies like she’s on commission. After narrow escapes against Taylor Field and Natalie Baxter, she dispatched Macy Gibbons to make the Girls Singles final. There, Rebecca Allen launched a heroic fightback from 4-1 down to force a decider, but Lucy held her nerve and nicked it. Title number one in the bag.
Then she doubled up in the Girls Doubles alongside Gibbons, brushing aside Welsh and Irish opposition before swatting away another Irish pairing in the final. Two trophies on Saturday, three by Sunday thanks to England’s team triumph. Shepherd by name, shepherd by nature – except instead of sheep, it’s shiny silverware she’s rounding up.
All told, another hugely successful weekend for youth darts. If anyone was worried about who might take the reins when Luke Littler and the rest of the teenage phenoms hit their mid-20s (and finally look old enough to be asked for ID), rest easy. The future looks dazzlingly bright.
—–ENDS—–
Images: JDC
