Talented tungsten teenagers, Lewis Cook and Ellis Hadfield are heading to Wolverhampton later this month to battle it out for the JDC Super 16 crown – and a £1,000 top prize. Oh, and the small matter of playing in front of the cameras on the PDC stage. No pressure, lads.
At 16-years old, the duo might not have driver’s licences yet, but they’ve already earned something far cooler – a date under the bright lights of the Grand Slam of Darts stage.
The pair came through a fiercely competitive weekend in Aylesbury, where talent levels were so high you’d have forgiven Phil Taylor for checking his diary. These are no ordinary youngsters flinging small metalic missiles – these are the next generation, already firing out averages most pub champions could only dream of after six pints and a prayer.
Cook – cool by name, cool by nature – was in sensational touch. The Essex thrower dropped just one group game (and even then his opponent averaged nearly 93). From there, he stormed through the knockouts with ruthless precision, taking down Jase Green, Jack Johnson, Alfie O’Brien and finally the dangerous Tergel Khurelkhuu to book his spot in the final.
His semi-final win was pure theatre – a 5–1 masterclass laced with fireworks. The lad reeled off legs in 18, 17, 16, 15 and 15 darts, splashing checkouts of 117, 87, 123, and even a cheeky 161 to wrap things up. The finishing was so clinical you half expected him to pull out a clipboard and start giving tutorials.
Over in the other semi, Hadfield the Hammer was showing similar swagger. Representing South Yorkshire Darts Academy, he brushed aside Arthur Allston 5–2 with an average pushing 90. The youngster’s combination play was electric – 72 out, 98 out, and everything in between hit with the confidence of a man twice his age.
But here’s the thing about Hadfield – when he’s hot, he’s volcanic. The day before, he’d smashed a ton-plus average (100.20 if you’re counting) that featured checkouts of 145 and a perfect 170. Not bad for a teenager whose biggest worry a year ago was probably maths homework.
It wasn’t all plain sailing – three group losses nearly derailed him – but like all good darting stories, he found his rhythm when it mattered most. In the last 16, he took out 108 and 150 finishes for fun, and when the pressure came calling, he answered with the poise of a seasoned pro.
The wider field was stacked too. Four players – Tergel, Louis Jones, Jack Nankervis and Harley Glycos – cruised through the groups unbeaten, while Hadfield and Kyle Gilding both notched up averages north of 100. The standard? Simply ridiculous.
So, as the dust settles on an Aylesbury weekend that looked more like a PDC audition, it’s Cook and Hadfield who’ll step up next – teenagers with tungsten dreams and the talent to make them real.
Two lads. One stage. Bright lights. Big chance.
And if this is what the future of darts looks like, the sport’s in very safe – and very young – hands.
RESULTS
Semi-finals
Lewis Cook (Eng) 5-1 Tergel Khurelkhuu (Mng)
Ellis Hadfield (Eng) 5-2 Arthur Allston (Eng)
Quarter-finals
Ellis Hadfield (Eng) 4-1 Bobby Vickors (Eng)
Lewis Cook (Eng) 4-2 Alfie O’Brien (Wal)
Tergel Khurelkhuu (Mng) 4-0 Louis Jones (Eng)
Arthur Allston (Eng) 4-3 Jack Nankervis (Eng)
—–ENDS—–
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