Jimmy van Schie and Deta Hedman clinch maiden WDF World Championship titles

Jimmy van Schie and Deta Hedman secured their first WDF World Championship titles at Lakeside on Sunday.

The duo etched their names into the Lakeside history books by becoming the latest new names on the men’s and women’s trophies at Frimley Green.

Van Schie produced a terrific comeback from three sets down to reel off six on the spin and deny teenage sensation Mitchell Lawrie.

The number one seed recovered from a nervy start to produce a barrage of power-scoring and crush the 15-year-old’s hopes of a fairy-tale debut triumph.

Lawrie looked on course to become the youngest champion in Lakeside history as he raced into a 3-0 lead with a 98 average.

Van Schie, however, agonisingly missed double 12 for a nine-darter during a rampant spell which saw him wrestle control of the contest and go on to clinch the £50,000 top prize.

“Mitchell is such a phenomenal player, oh my god,” said Van Schie. “He shows such maturity for his age.

“The sky is the limit for him. He’s the future of darts.

“I know I had a tough battle, 3-0 down I had to keep fighting and keep believing in myself.

“I know I can do it and this proves it, I’m very happy with the win.

“First my goal was to win the World Masters, I happily did that, the next goal was to win this – I’m so happy, I’ve got no words.”

Van Schie was left to rue two missed darts for the opening set as Lawrie took out 74 in the decider to hit the front, before landing a 12-darter and a brace of 180s on his way to sealing the second set to double his advantage.

The Scottish starlet then swept through the third set without reply, before Van Schie got off the mark with a crucial 86 checkout on the bull in set four.

The 32-year-old then narrowly missed double 18 for what would have been the first nine-darter at Lakeside since Paul Lim back in 1990, but went on to seal the fifth set nonetheless to close the gap.

Van Schie then claimed six of the next eight legs to turn the match on its head and go in front for the first time at 4-3 before adding a fifth consecutive set to continue the procession.

Lawrie established a 2-1 lead in set nine as he battled to stop the rot, but Van Schie forced a decider before pinning double five to become the fourth Dutchman to claim Lakeside glory.

Lawrie admitted: “I went three sets up then I just couldn’t hit a thing.

“It was terrible to be honest, but getting here in the first place was a lot. I’m not happy but it is what it is.”

A ground-breaking week for the 15-year-old saw him scoop £16,000 in prize money, as well as a further £3,000 for winning the boys’ competition earlier in the day.

Lawrie overcame Germany’s Florian Preis 4-2 to seal the title but fell narrowly short of completing an unprecedented double on the day.

Hedman, meanwhile, finally realised her destiny on the iconic Lakeside stage by becoming the sport’s oldest Women’s World Champion at 66.

A three-time former runner-up, Hedman went on better as she defeated top seed Lerena Rietbergen 4-1 to scoop the £25,000 top prize.

Rietbergen took the opening set 3-1 before Hedman hit back in kind to level the match and edged a crucial third set in a deciding leg with a 112 checkout.

She then reeled off six of the next eight legs to close out an emotional triumph, and admitted: “I’ve lost in three finals, I’ve never been this nervous in my life!

“All week my heartbeat was going and I was fine until that last set and suddenly it decided it’s going to wake up.

“Every little bit, it was worth the wait.”

Meanwhile, Zehra Gemi became the first Turkish player to claim silverware at Lakeside as she defeated Ireland’s Rebecca Allen in three straight sets with a 77 average to clinch the girls’ title.

WDF World Championship 2025 Finals Results

Sunday December 7

Boys’ Final – Mitchell Lawrie 4-2 Florian Preis
Girls’ Final – Rebecca Allen 0-3 Zehra Gemi
Women’s Final – Lerena Rietbergen 1-4 Deta Hedman
Men’s Final – Jimmy van Schie 6-3 Mitchell Lawrie