Shane McGuirk, thundered one step closer to defending his crown with a performance so polished it could have been carved from emerald and fire. His 3–1 triumph over the formidable Finn Jonas Masalin wasn’t just good — it was a darting opera, a masterclass, quite possibly the finest spectacle the 2026 WDF World Championships have served up so far.
The early stages were a knife fight in a phone box; one set apiece, tension humming through Frimley Green like electricity in wet air. But then — as great champions so often do — McGuirk found that secret chamber inside himself where the elite keep their ruthlessness.
From that moment, the Irishman (main image) did not so much win as devour the match, surrendering just a single leg as he turned the screws and walked Masalin to the edge of the cliff. Now, fate may steer him straight into the path of the tournament’s apex predator, Jimmy van Schie, the top seed, the Dutch juggernaut poised for battle… assuming he can fend off Germany’s flaring talent Paul Krohne in the night’s opening salvo.
But McGuirk was far from the only man igniting fireworks.
Fourth seed James Beeton – the Chester chucker with lungs of steel and the nerve of a cathedral gargoyle – survived the kind of thriller that sends heart monitors into meltdown. From two sets up, he watched in alarm as Kiwi comet Caleb Hope blazed through the arena, dragged the match into a winner-takes-all decider, and threatened to rewrite destiny.
But Beeton, unblinking, unshaken, tightened his grip on the wheel and steered himself over the line. Tested? Absolutely. Broken? Never. Standing in his path next is Belgium’s newly anointed giant slayer, Sybren Gijbels – a man who wasn’t even meant to be here until the darting gods summoned him as a late replacement. And yet, he has swaggered into Lakeside as though he were born beneath these lights. Against Benjamin Pratnemer he averaged less, scored less, but finished like a man chiselled from tungsten, walking away with a 3–1 victory and a reputation growing by the minute.
And the Belgian storm didn’t stop there. François Schweyen made it double delight for Flanders, overpowering veteran Matt Clark 3–1 and booking a potential showdown with teenage earthquake Mitchell Lawrie or North America’s last standing warrior, Jeff Springer. Schweyen will know before bedtime exactly which challenger stands in his path — but for now, the Belgian challenge continues to bloom.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Scotland’s prodigy Mitchell Lawrie was busy terrorising the Open Youth field, dismantling Hungary’s Adam Sepsi with the cold, terrifying efficiency only a 15-year-old darting prodigy can possess.
And it wasn’t just the boys lighting up the stage. Wales’ rising star Eve Watson delivered a level of serenity usually reserved for monks and assassins, sweeping aside Dutch veteran Aileen De Graaf in straight sets. Her prize for slaying a darting goddess?
A collision course with the ruthless Dutch top seed Lerena Rietbergen — a test that will measure exactly how high the Welsh dragon can soar.
Lakeside action returns at 6pm, and if the tungsten theatrics continue at this blistering pace, strap yourselves in.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION RESULTS
Open Round 3: James Beeton 3-2 Caleb Hope
Open Round 3: Matt Clark 1-3 Francois Schweyen
Youth Quarter-Final: Mitchell Lawrie 2-0 Adam Sepsi
Open Round 3: Benjamin Pratnemer 1-3 Sybren Gijbels
Women’s Round 2: Aileen de Graaf 0-2 Eve Watson
Open Round 3: Jonas Masalin 1-3 Shane McGuirk
——ENDS—–
Images: Chrsi Sargent / WDF
