Once more, the script bends toward destiny as yet another prodigy announces himself beneath the chandeliers of Alexandra Palace. Mitchell Lawrie stands aloft as the 2025 JDC World Champion, having defeated Kaya Baysal by five legs to two, in front of a packed house that sensed – perhaps even recognised – the birth of something significant.
This was not an overnight miracle. The road to this afternoon began last month beneath the sun of Gibraltar, where hundreds of young hopefuls arrived armed with dreams, darts and defiance. One by one they were filtered out, the field mercilessly reduced, until only two names remained. Then came the final ascent – the iconic PDC World Championship stage, the very altar of the sport – where Scotland’s Lawrie and England’s Baysal were summoned to decide who would leave with silverware, and who with only resolve.
Known afectionately as Wee Sox, Lawrie struck first and struck hard. A 2–0 lead carved out with authority, composure far beyond his years. Baysal, to his credit, refused to wilt. The Burnley teenager surged back with conviction, levelling the contest and lighting the fuse with a blistering 12-dart leg that rippled through the Palace. But that, as it turned out, was the last real foothold.
The 15-year old then reclaimed control, steadied the tempo, and from that moment the tide was unmistakable. He reeled off the required sets with the calm of someone already comfortable on this stage, closing the deal and crowning himself champion without a backward glance. And so, the baton is passed.
Belgium’s Lex Paeshuyse, who rewrote the record books at just 13 as the youngest ever winner, now hands the crown to a Scottish prodigy two years his senior – a fitting transition from one generation’s spark to the next’s flame. History, too, whispers encouragement. In 2022 and 2023, the JDC trophy was lifted by a certain Luke Littler – a name that has since become inseparable from Ally Pally folklore. The precedent is enticing. The pathway, illuminated.
For Baysal, this was no tale of defeat alone. The Lancashire youngster departs with his stock rising sharply, having been snapped up by The Sportsman Management Company, custodians of former PDC World Youth Champions Dimitri Van den Bergh and Ted Evetts. Opportunity knocks loudly.
But this afternoon belongs to Lawrie. The recent WDF World Championship runner-up, already whispered about in reverent tones, now stands firmly in the spotlight. Comparisons to Littler have been inevitable. Lawrie has politely but firmly waved them away. Admiration, yes. Imitation, no. The Scot has made it abundantly clear – he is carving his own lane. And judging by what unfolded beneath the Palace lights today, it is a lane that leads somewhere very serious indeed.
Watch this space. The future has not merely arrived – it has taken centre stage.
—–ENDS—–
Images: JDC / PDC
