DARTS wonderkid Mitchell Lawrie admitted he could have made a WDF World Championship nine-darter in his clash with Jason Brandon – after beating the No2 seed.
The 15-year-old cruised to a 3-0 victory over Brandon at Lakeside to book his place in the third round.
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Mitchell Lawrie cruised to the WDF World Championship quarter-finals with a win over Jason BrandonCredit: Mitchell Lawrie
Lawrie had the best possible start, completing every leg with under 15 darts in the first set.
And despite a brief mid-match slump he managed to recover to secure the win.
After the game, he said: “I’m absolutely buzzing with myself, to be honest. Obviously the number two seed — he’s a very good, experienced player as well.
“He got to the semi-finals here last year, so I knew I was up against it from the start.
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“I went in there knowing I needed to start very fast and luckily I did that. I don’t think I had a leg under 15 in the first set, but no, I was very happy with the way I played.”
Lawrie came close to hitting a nine-darter during the match before stunning the audience with a 134 finish.
The Scot later admitted that he could have completed the tricky nine-dart finish, saying: “Yes — I could have hit the nine
“No, honestly, it was great. I think the crowd were with me from the start.
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“As soon as I hit the 180, they were all on my side. So yes, it was great. The crowd were great as well.”
On his ability to remain composed for the high finishes – which involved him stepping away for a moment on some occasions – he added: “I’m a big fan of it. I love doing it.
“My mental coach helped me with that — shout-out to Stuart at 360 Performance Academy. He’s helped me with my game a lot in the past few months.
“Some commentators say I’ve suited it; some have said that Kaya Baysal doesn’t suit it, but apart from that, yes, it’s really helped me out.”
Lawrie next faces Jeff Springer in the last-16 of the competition.
