Baysal and Lawrie Claim Junior Darts Advanced Tour Events 1 and 2

The tungsten stars of tomorrow convened in Bristol this afternoon as the curtain rose on the season’s opening weekend of the JDC Advanced Tour. Anticipation crackled around Hanger 61, and what followed was a sequence of ferocious, technically sumptuous encounters befitting the next generation of elite talent.

When the dust eventually settled on Saturday’s twin events, the identity of the champions felt reassuringly predictable.Fresh from sealing the WDF Slovak Masters Youth crown, Kaya Baysal continued his prolific accumulation of silverware by capturing the opening title of the weekend.

The Burnley teenager navigated his route to the final with composed authority, dispatching four fellow English hopefuls and a Belgian adversary while conceding a mere six legs.The final, however, proved anything but routine.

Opposed by Lewis Cook, Baysal found himself submerged early, trailing 3-0. Though he began to recalibrate, the scoreboard soon read 5-2 in Cook’s favour – an ominous predicament. Yet the 15-year-old Lancastrian responded with admirable audacity, stringing together four consecutive legs to snatch victory in a contest that oscillated dramatically to its conclusion.Cook, for his part, can extract considerable encouragement.

His run was underpinned by the tournament’s solitary ton-plus average, delivered in a commanding semi-final triumph over Kyle Gilding – and we are reasonably confident there is no familial linkage to Andrew Gilding, the UK Open champion affectionately dubbed Goldfinger.

The second event unfolded with a similarly compelling narrative arc, culminating in Mitchell Lawrie standing alone at the summit after edging Belgium’s Aaron De Ridder in a taut and absorbing finale.Recently installed as the WDF’s number one ranked player, Wee Sox was required to demonstrate both composure and escapology in the latter stages.

Unlike the opening tournament – where only Scotland’s Owen Bryceland disrupted English dominance in the quarter-finals – the second instalment boasted five different nationalities in the last eight, underscoring the tour’s growing international breadth.After progressing serenely into the last 16, Lawrie produced a statement performance to terminate Baysal’s unbeaten afternoon. He subsequently accounted for Mongolia’s Tergal Khurelkhuu before entering a semi-final of escalating tension against Jayden Walker.

The Devon sensation, just 12 and brimming with precocity, surged into a 4-3 lead after a spirited recovery. Yet the recent Lakeside World Championship runner-up reasserted control with back-to-back five-visit legs of clinical precision to secure his berth in the final.Against De Ridder, Lawrie endured an inauspicious opening spell, trailing 3-1. Undeterred, he marshalled his resources with characteristic tenacity, surged ahead, and, after a sequence of traded legs, sealed yet another accolade.

The Belgian, like Lewis Cook, can take consolation from being the sole ton plus average merchant in the event. Yet it’s likely De Ridder would happily swap that for grabbing the deciding leg in the final.Two titles dispensed, two still to contest as the youthful congregation reconvenes in Bristol tomorrow, ambition undimmed, and tungsten poised.

2026 JDC ADVANCED TOUR 1

Bristol, England (Sat 28th Feb)

Quarter-Finals

Lewis Cook (ENG) 4-2 Jack Johnson (ENG)

Kyle Gilding (ENG) 4-1 Owen Bryceland (SCO)

Ben Townley (ENG) 4-1 Christian Ennis (ENG)

Kaya Baysal (ENG) 4-1 Junior Howard (ENG)

Semi-FinalsLewis Cook (ENG) 5-2 Kyle Gilding (ENG) Kaya Baysal (ENG) 5-2 Ben Townley Final

Kaya Baysal (ENG) 6-5 Lewis Cook

2026 JDC ADVANCED TOUR 2

Bristol, England (Sat 28th Feb)

Quarter-Finals