The reigning monarch of the WDF kingdom, Shane McGuirk, continues his iron-fisted march toward yet more tungsten immortality, bulldozing ninth seed Stefan Schroder 3-1 in sets to plant his emerald-green flag firmly in round three.
Across the seas, thousands of Irish faithful huddled around screens, pints in hand, chanting their hero’s name — and McGuirk answered the call like a warrior forged in myth. After dropping the opening set to the dangerous Dutchman, the champion flicked some internal cosmic switch and transformed before our very eyes. Panic? Never. Champions are sculpted from rarer minerals, and The Arrow is carved from granite the colour of County Monaghan soil.
What followed was pure carnage: nine unanswered legs, a hurricane of precision tungsten so violent it left Schroder spinning helplessly, like a windmill in a storm. The defending king didn’t just steady the ship — he detonated every cannon on board. His next assignment: either Dutch eighth seed Corne Groeneveld or the icy Finn Jonas Masalin, as McGuirk prowls one step closer to the quarter-final pantheon.
But the night belonged not just to royalty — it was a coronation rehearsal for the new blood of global darts. In the red-and-white corner came Jenson Walker, the Coventry comet, already a WDF major winner and MODUS Champions Week conqueror. Walker barely needed to release the handbrake as he dispatched Czech hopeful Jiri Brejcha with a relaxed, almost casual 84 average. It looked less like a match and more like a warm-up jog before the main event — and that main event arrives soon in the towering form of North American stalwart David Fatum.
And then, from the blue-and-white corner, entered the boy wonder himself — Mitchell Lawrie, the 15-year-old phenomenon tearing through this Lakeside like he owns every inch of its carpet. Wee Sox obliterated Japan’s Tomoya Maruyama in a merciless whitewash, though the scoreline barely reflects the courage shown by the Japanese star. But destiny cares little for nobility — Lawrie marches on to a mouthwatering duel with number two seed Jason Brandon. Brace for volcanic impact.
Elsewhere on this cinematic Sunday, Jeff Springer delivered a blistering 3-1 triumph over England’s Bradley Kirk. After splitting the opening two sets, The Stinger unleashed pure tungsten venom, claiming the next two without surrendering a single leg. Scotland’s Andy Davidson now stands in his crosshairs.
The Women’s Championship offered its own symphony of brilliance. English sensation Paige Pauling strolled majestically into round two, swatting aside Germany’s Lisa Zollikofer in straight sets. A showdown with Sophie McKinlay looms — a duel destined for fireworks. Joining her is Aletter Wajer, who dropped just one leg against American hopeful Aaja Jalbert to book a daunting all-Dutch clash with top seed Lerena Rietbergen.
And with that, the curtain falls on a roaring, breathless opening weekend in Surrey. The players rest. The stage sleeps. But on Monday at 6pm, Lakeside awakens again.
Sunday 30th November – Evening Session Results
Open Round 1: Jenson Walker 3-0 Jiri Brejcha
Women’s Round 1: Aletta Wajer 2-0 Aaja Jalbert
Open Round 1: Bradley Kirk 1-3 Jeff Springer Jr
Women’s Round 1: Paige Pauling 2-0 Lisa Zollikofer
Open Round 1: Mitchell Lawrie 3-0 Tomoya Maruyama
Open Round 2: Stefan Schroder 1 v 3 Shane McGuirk
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Images: Chris Sargeant / WDF
