Mitchell Lawrie booked his place on the 2025 JDC Advanced Tour as he won his second event of the weekend and his sixth of the Foundation Tour season – while there was also a first event win for Joshua Machin.
Lawrie claimed the Event 16 title by beating his fierce rival for top spot in the rankings, Jack Howarth, 5-4 in the final in Coventry, as he drew level with the six event wins Jack Nankervis achieved last year.
That was enough to confirm his spot on next year’s Advanced Tour – with four events still to play.
Earlier, Machin had won his first Foundation Tour event title when he beat Cori Wiltshire 5-4 in the final.
EVENT 15 SUMMARY
Machin’s best performance on the 2024 Foundation Tour going into Sunday was a semi-final appearance in Event 10 and a handful of last 16s – but he edged a thrilling final against Wiltshire to celebrate his first event win.
The 14-year-old from Kent went into the final as the underdog – but he quickly built a 4-1 lead against Wiltshire, who had reached a final and a semi-final the day before.
When Wiltshire fought his way back to draw level at 4-4, Machin could have been forgiven for having a few nerves. Instead, he displayed composure beyond his years and experience level when he took out 79 for the title with Wiltshire waiting on 32.
Machin ventured into previously uncharted territory by beating Lewis Cook 4-0 in the semi-final, completing the whitewash with a 100 checkout to clinch a 15-dart leg.
He had earlier shown his mettle by coming through three matches by a scoreline of 3-2, meaning he won four last-leg deciders during the event.
The first of those came in the opening round when he won a scrappy game against Jack Tarrant, before seeing off Jack McSpadden by the same scoreline.
He then overcame Jake Robinson 3-1, despite his opponent winning the opening leg with a 93 checkout for a 15-darter, before beating Riley Pinhorne 3-2 in the last 16.
Machin booked his spot in the semi-final with a 3-1 win against Freddie Haden, before going on to ensure a memorable weekend by beating Cook and then the in-form Wiltshire to seal his first visit to the winner’s enclosure.
One of the biggest surprises in the event came when Howarth bowed out 3-2 in the last 128 against Haden, while Lawrie was stopped in the last 32 by Wiltshire – as he gained some revenge for defeat in Saturday’s Event 13 final.
Quarter-finals:
Lewis Mayes (Eng) 3-1 Jake Hobbs (Eng)
Cori Wiltshire (Eng) 3-0 Ethan Pulham (Gib)
Lewis Cook (Eng) 3-2 Fabian Tapner (Wal)
Joshua Machin (Eng) 3-1 Freddie Haden (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Cori Wiltshire (Eng) 4-1 Lewis Mayes (Eng)
Joshua Machin (Eng) 4-0 Lewis Cook (Eng)
Final:
Joshua Machin (Eng) 5-4 Cori Wiltshire (Eng)
EVENT 16 SUMMARY
Arguably the most absorbing storyline of the 2024 Foundation Tour has been Lawrie’s tussle with Howarth for top spot in the overall rankings – so it was fitting they served up another thriller in the Event 16 final.
Lawrie’s deciding-leg win saw the 13-year-old from Renfrew guarantee his place among the elite on next year’s Advanced Tour with four events to spare – with the match itself typical of their battle for dominance so far in 2024.
Lawrie stormed into a 3-0 lead, breaking Howarth’s throw in the second leg with a sublime 11-darter, but Howarth rattled off three successive legs of his own to draw level.
Lawrie held for a 4-3 lead as Howarth hit 96, 174 and 134 to open the leg but somehow couldn’t get rid of double 1, before the 17-year-old from Sunderland held in 14 darts to force a deciding leg. The young Scotsman kept his composure with the darts, taking out 60 to win the title.
Lawrie was the outstanding player during the weekend and again played some excellent darts throughout Event 16.
After beating Jenson Macey 3-1, Bobby Whyte 3-0 and Blake Stone 3-0, he stepped up his performance in a 3-1 last-16 win over Lewis Cook, who had beaten him from 2-0 down on Saturday. Lawrie averaged 88.75, sealing the win with a 15-darter.
He then beat Kai Williams 3-0, before a 4-1 semi-final win over Ireland’s Jayden Fitzgerald, who had not previously gone past the quarters on this year’s Foundation Tour.
Had Howarth been eligible for next year’s Advanced Tour, he too would have booked his spot, but he will be 18 before then. However, he continues to show his talent at this level, and before he ran into Lawrie in the final he had not dropped a leg in the event – winning his first six matches by a combined score of 19-0.
Among those wins included back-to-back 85.08 averages as he saw off Kyle Davis and then Drake Porter, before a commanding semi-final win against Jayden Betteridge, who had not got past the last 16 coming into the weekend – but sealed two semi-final places, signalling a huge step forward for him.
Quarter-finals:
Jayden Fitzgerald (Ire) 3-2 Jack Peet (Eng)
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 3-0 Kai Williams (Eng)
Jack Howarth (Eng) 3-0 Drake Porter (Eng)
Jayden Betteridge (Eng) 3-2 Jake Hobbs (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 4-1 Jayden Fitzgerald (Ire)
Jack Howarth (Eng) 4-0 Jayden Betteridge (Eng)
Final:
Mitchell Lawrie (Sco) 5-4 Jack Howarth (Eng)
