Darts is in very safe hands. 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie secured the Welsh Open Youth title after a blistering display against 16-year-old talent Kaya Baysal, who averaged 101.38 in a brilliant final display. Following his triumph in the Welsh Classic, Baysal was determined to go back-to-back. He did not drop a leg en route to the final with wins over Aaron Lewis, Jenson Ellaway, Kyle Gilding and Ben Townley, setting himself up with a clash against the reigning WDF World Youth Championship winner.
The Scot has been touted for a bright future and continues to make good progress through the ranks. Following a whitewash win over Lewis Unsworth, he averaged 102.94 to take down Lloyd Sterio 4-1. Mason Gleave failed to pinch a leg off Lawrie, who reached another final by taking down Jack Nankervis 4-1, averaging just off a ton. The two players competed in a high-class final with only two of the seven legs being won with more than 15 darts. A 13-darter by Baysal set the standards high as he sailed into a 2-0 lead.
The Englishman was halfway to victory, but Lawrie came charging back. A 14 and two 15-darters put him in the lead before Baysal sent the tie the distance. Lawrie prevailed and sealed another title to add to his growing collection. The pair both deserve their flowers, finding seven 180s between them while Lawrie himself averaged a commendable 96.44 to win the event.
Lawrie could not do the double in the senior event, with it being dominated by the Scottish contingent. Ryan Hogarth was the one to come out on top in a 6-3 win over Ross Montgomery. 'Wee Sox' impressed through the round, averaging 103.38 in his last-32 match, but ultimately came up short in the semi-finals against Montgomery, who in turn averaged 97.34 to send the young man tumbling out in a 5-2 result. He would fall short for the title with 34-year-old Hogarth clinching his first ever WDF ranking title after seven years of persistent waiting. He did not drop more than two legs in any of his matches ahead of the final, which included a quarter-final triumph against Baysal, before romping 2-0 ahead in the early stages of the final. It would not be disappointment this time for Hogarth, who kept a firm grip of his lead, sealing it at the end with a two-leg burst in 32 darts to finally flick off a massive burden.
Over on the women's side, Deta Hedman got back to winning ways after losing in the semi-finals of the Welsh Classic, taking the title after defeating Fallon Sherrock 5-3 in the final. The reigning WDF World women's champion almost stumbled at the first hurdle, narrowly defeating Hannah Meek 4-3 before getting into her stride on the oche. Chris Savvery was taken down 4-1 before an impressive 4-0 win against Chelsea Campbell was backed up with a 4-3 quarter-final win versus Steph Clark. Vicky Pruim, the Welsh Classic victor, could not repeat her success as Hedman blasted into the final with a 5-2 triumph. Sherrock was waiting for her after having averaged in the 90s her past two matches, but a 77.98 average was the best she could produce in the final. The 66-year-old won three legs on the spin to clinch a 3-1 lead before getting the job done with an eye-catching 13-darter.