Mitchell Lawrie produced a near-perfect weekend on the JDC Advanced Tour as he won three of the four events – and hit a nine-darter – to underline his status as one of the darting world’s most exciting young talents.
The 15-year-old Scot, the reigning JDC world champion, has opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Advanced Tour rankings table after the opening weekend.
After Kaya Baysal won the first event of the season, Lawrie rattled off three event wins in a row to cap a stunning start to the 2026 Advanced Tour for the star from West of Scotland Darts Academy.
His remarkable weekend was made even more special when he hit a nine-darter – the first at the JDC’s new venue of Hangar61 in Bristol – in his Event 3 last-64 win over Ethan Hawden.
EVENT 1
Kaya Baysal kicked off the new Advanced Tour season in style, winning the opening event as he fought back from 5-2 down to beat Lewis Cook 6-5 in a thrilling final.
The 15-year-old from Burnley, the JDC Winmau World Youth Masters champion, was consistent throughout the event, his average never dropping below 83.
He beat Caden Morris 4-1 and Ilyano Snoeys 4-0 in his opening two matches, averaging 93.94 in the second of those, before throwing a 95.54 average in a 4-2 win over Toby Clements. Baysal had trailed 2-0 before eventually sealing victory with a 13-darter.
After a 4-1 win over Junior Howard, Baysal beat Ben Townley 5-2 in the semis, before edging an 11-leg thriller against Cook to seal the event win.
Baysal trailed 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2 against 15-year-old Cook, winning his first leg with a 120 checkout and his second with a 13-darter as he battled to stay in the final.
He turned things around by winning four legs in a row, breaking throw in the deciding leg with Cook waiting on tops.
Cook enjoyed an excellent run to the final, missing Double 12 for a nine-darter in his 5-2 semi-final win over Kyle Gilding, in which he averaged 102.69.
RESULTS
Final:
Kaya Baysal (Eng) 6-5 Lewis Cook (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Kaya Baysal (Eng) 5-2 Ben Townley (Eng)
Lewis Cook (Eng) 5-2 Kyle Gilding (Eng)
EVENT 2
Mitchell Lawrie kicked off his winning spree by beating Belgium’s Aaron De Ridder 6-5 in the Event 2 final.
The world champion trailed 3-1 when De Ridder took out 103 to win the fourth leg, but he won the next three – including a 15-dart break – to lead 4-3. From there, the match went with throw, Lawrie clinching the win by taking out 60.
He had been taken to a deciding leg in his semi-final, too, beating Jayden Walker 5-4. Lawrie averaged 94.11 as he fought back from 4-3 down to reach the final.
Having left 87 after nine darts, Lawrie broke in the opening leg and held with a 114 checkout for a 2-0 lead. After Walker and Lawrie both held throw, the Englishman held again with a 90 checkout, before breaking and holding for a 4-3 lead. Back-to-back 14-darters saw Lawrie over the line and into the final.
Lawrie had earlier beaten both Kaya Baysal and Tergel Khurelkhuu with 90-plus averages as he negotiated a tough path to the final.
De Ridder played some excellent darts on his way to the final, notably in his 4-0 last-16 win over Joseph Westby, averaging 101.90 in the process.
RESULTS
Final:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 6-5 Aaron De Ridder (Bel)
Semi-finals:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 5-4 Jayden Walker (Eng)
Aaron De Ridder (Bel) 5-4 Archie Self (Eng)
EVENT 3
Mitchell Lawrie picked up on Sunday where he had left off on Saturday, bagging the Event 3 title to make it back-to-back wins – hitting a nine-darter on the way.
He beat Archie Self 6-1 in the final, averaging a shade under 100 as all seven legs in the match were won in 16 darts or fewer.
Self won the opening leg with a 14-dart break but Lawrie broke back in 15 darts, taking out 104. He then held in 15 darts and broke in 14 to lead 3-1, before hitting double 19 at the first time of asking to lead 4-1. A 15-dart break put the world champion within one leg of the title – which he secured with a magnificent 149 checkout.
Lawrie was superb throughout the event, setting the tone with a nine-darter and 103 average in his opening match against Ethan Hawden. Lawrie’s perfect leg (180, 180, 141) sealed the win and was the first nine-darter at the JDC’s new Hangar61 venue in Bristol.
He threw another ton average in his win over Jack Johnson in the last 16 and was the standout player throughout the event.
RESULTS
Final:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 6-1 Archie Self (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 5-2 Alfie Cook (Eng)
Archie Self (Eng) 5-1 Jayden Walker (Eng)
EVENT 4
Mitchell Lawrie rounded off a hugely impressive weekend by claiming a third straight Advanced Tour win by winning Event 4 with a 6-1 victory over Tergel Khurelkhuu.
Lawrie broke in 14 darts in the opening leg and barely looked back. After holding throw with a 70 checkout, then breaking with a wonderful 147, he held for a 4-0 lead.
Tergel stopped the rot in the fifth leg but Lawrie held in 12 darts (140, 180, 131, 50) and closed out the win with a break in the next leg.
It capped a remarkable weekend for a rare talent, who had earlier shown real grit to win his last-16 match against Archie Self 4-3. The match went with throw throughout, Lawrie sealing the win in 13 darts as he showed his enormous ability and character.
Tergel, the 2025 champion, will surely get other opportunities to win events in 2026, and showed glimpses of the form that won him the title last year. He beat Event 1 winner Kaya Baysal 4-3 in the quarter-finals, holding his nerve to take out 24 as his opponent waited on tops in the decider.
RESULTS
Final:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 6-1 Tergel Khurelkhuu (Mng)
Semi-finals:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 5-1 Arthur Allston (Eng)
Tergel Khurelkhuu (Mng) 5-2 Ben Townley (Eng)
Add comment
Comments