Another riotously entertaining afternoon in Frimley Green, where two titans of completely different eras — one a wide-eyed prodigy, the other a queen forged in darting folklore — marched imperiously into their respective Lakeside finals.
If ever a session showcased darts’ glorious generational sweep, this was it. Fifty-plus years separate 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie and 66-year-old Deta Hedman, yet both produced the kind of performances that made the Lakeside faithful rise to their feet and roar in approval. The future. The past. The present. All colliding under one famous roof.
Hedman: The everlasting queen continues her hunt for the crown
Ladies first — because when the lady is Deta Hedman, that’s simply the correct order of things. Sixty-six years young. Thirty years of dominance. Yet unbelievably, still chasing that elusive world title. A sentence that feels impossible to write, and one that Hedman seems determined to erase forever in the next 24 hours.
The Caribbean Queen delivered the tournament’s first 80+ women’s average, coolly navigating a gritty, high-level scrap with Priscilla Steenbergen. The Dutch contender pushed her every inch of the way, but Hedman — as she has done for decades — found the right moments, the right doubles, the right answers. She is now one match from completing the one achievement missing from her astonishing résumé. If she pulls it off, it will be one of the great moments in Lakeside history.
Mitchell Lawrie: the teenage storm rolls on
Then came the boy wonder. Mitchell Lawrie — a teenager who plays like he’s been doing this for decades — overcame Coventry’s Jenson Walker in a gripping, high-class semi-final that felt like a preview of the sport’s next great rivalry. Scotland versus England. Youth versus youth. Raw talent versus raw talent.
This wasn’t just a match — it was a statement.
Walker struck first, taking the opening set. But Lawrie simply recalibrated, shifted up a gear, and surged ahead 3–1 in sets with the kind of poise that belies his age. The Interceptor threatened a comeback, winning the first two legs of the sixth set to suggest parity was incoming. But that was when Wee Sox detonated. Five unanswered legs. All in five visits or fewer. The turbo button slammed down. The Lakeside crowd roaring as the 15-year-old stormed into yet another final. He now awaits either top seed Jimmy van Schie or Belgian revelation Sybren Gijbels. Whoever emerges will be facing a phenomenon.
Youth event drama: Fantastic Florian
If Lawrie can get past his JDC World Final rival, Kaya Baysal, later this evening, he’ll meet Germany’s Florian Preis in the Youth final. Preis was superb, averaging in the mid-80s as he edged out Mason Teese in a cracking semi-final. A Lawrie double — Open and Youth — feels increasingly not just possible, but plausible.
Rebecca Allen strikes the first blow
The first upset of the Girls tournament arrived swiftly. Only four competitors, but fireworks from the off as second seed Ruby Grey was swept aside in straight sets by Ireland’s Rebecca Allen, who played with confidence, clarity and complete authority. A small field, perhaps — but not a small performance. Allen has blown the bracket wide open.
Four of the eight finals are now locked in.By Saturday night, we will know the full roll call of players stepping onto the famous Lakeside stage for championship Sunday. If the remaining sessions deliver even half the drama of today, Frimley Green may need reinforcement beams.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION RESULTS
Open Youth SF – Florian Preis 3-2 Mason Teese
Women SF – Priscilla Steenbergen 1-3 Deta Hedman
Girls SF – Ruby Grey 0-2 Rebecca Allen
Open SF – Mitchell Lawrie 5-2 Jenson Walker
—–ENDS—-
Images: WDF / Chris Sargeant
