While Luke Littler prepares to go the distance in the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, a record of his – which once looked impossible to beat – has been smashed
Mitchell Lawrie has become the youngest player to win three senior men’s titles, smashing Luke Littler’s record. The Scottish teenage darts sensation won the WDF Irish Classic in Killarney on Saturday night, just four days after his 15th birthday.
He defeated Ronan McDonagh in the final, throwing four 180s while averaging 98.60 in a 5-1 victory. An hour or so prior to the showdown, Mitchell claimed the Irish Classic Youths title with a 4-1 win against Kaya Basal with an average of 90.95.
The youngster’s father, Fraser, and grandfather, Dougie, were in the crowd at the INEC Arena in Kerry, Ireland. They cheered him on as he clinched another title.
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Littler was 15 years, five months and four days old when he achieved the feat, meaning Mitchell beat his record by five months. The Scot will compete at the men’s and youth WDF world championships in Lakeside later this month.
Meanwhile, the reigning PDC World Champion will be looking to defend his title at Alexandra Palace. Lawrie, who won the British Open and Welsh Open earlier this year, has plenty of time to prepare for a potential clash against his predecessor.
He won’t be eligible to lock horns with Littler on the oche in PDC competitions until he turns 16. Nevertheless, Lawrie’s family have been relishing the teen’s journey. In an interview with The Sun, his grandfather downplayed comparisons to Littler.
“Mitchell is a great kid and we are so proud of him,” said Dougie. “But we don’t want him to be the next Luke Littler, we just want him to be our Mitchell.
“Him and Luke are great friends and have played each other a lot over the years. Luke is now a superstar, but we just want Mitchell to be happy playing darts.”
Dougie claimed he taught Mitchel how to play darts.
He said: “I’ve played darts all my life, and I’ve had Mitchell playing from when he was a very young boy. I always taught him to play with aggression, even from when he was little.
“I make no apologies for that as it has turned him into a great player.”
