Archie Self, the 16-year-old sensation, has been making waves on the oche, proving he can challenge the more experienced names in darts. His latest triumph came at the MODUS Super Series, where he claimed the title during Champions Week of the fifteenth edition after an impressive week. The young Englishman's performances have got many talking, and he adds his name to the plethora of up-and-coming superstars in the sport.
Self's week was highlighted by a historic nine-dart finish, becoming the youngest player to produce a televised nine-darter, superior to the likes of Luke Littler in this category. He went on to win the entire event, taking down former WDF world champion Andy Baetens 4-2 in the final. It was not a blistering performance by either player, with the Belgian averaging just over 80 while missing 18 darts on the outer ring in those six legs. Self was also not at his best with an 84.51 average but dug deep and produced the goods on a very memorable night.
An overjoyed Self found it hard to contain his happiness and excitement following the win. "I just can’t find the words," he said on stage. "I was so nervous the whole way through. In my eyes, I couldn’t hit anything. Then I turned up towards the end." He also spoke about a practice session with Jordan on Friday that helped him reset: "That break just made me reset again. It meant I wasn’t playing like I was this week. I had another practice session with Jordan on Friday, and it went a lot better this time. That got my confidence back again this week."
Self was critical of his final display, saying: "It was rubbish, personally, for me. I know that. I was too nervous. I just couldn’t find anything. Everything was going high, and I had to find something and change a tiny bit. I just changed where I was throwing towards the stem, and it worked." He also mentioned the support he received: "Oh, they’re special to me. All of them, every single one of them. They’re all special to me. I did get a bit annoyed with them towards the end of that final because I didn’t want them shouting at me as I was going for a double. So I did make a couple of gestures to calm them down, but, you know, that’s darts, unfortunately."
Looking ahead, Self is set for a debut at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. He qualified via the Challenge Tour, finishing fifth, but a late surge by Tommy Morris in Players Championship 32 got him in. He will turn 17 when he makes his debut at the World Championship. The hype around him is already growing, and Self believes the bookmakers are going over the top a bit with their estimations. "I got told I was about 21st favourite the other day, and I was like, 'How?' because I’ve only played four Pro Tours, and that’s it. But, you know, I’m looking forward to Ally Pally, and hopefully I can take this into that."
