Top 10 Darts Wonderkids: 10 of the best young talents in world darts

Alex Moss

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Time to read 16 min

Top 10 Darts Wonderkids

From world youth champions to record-breaking title winners, the Darts Corner team has selected some of the most talented darts players born in 2010 and beyond.


Darts Corner’s Next Generation 2026 list features established youth internationals, title winners and names to watch out for in the coming years!

A look back at our 2025 list

In August last year, Darts Corner released its first Next Generation list, highlighting 10 players born no earlier than 2009. Twelve months on, the top performer from our class of 2025 was undoubtedly Mitchell Lawrie.


The Scottish teenager grabbed almost all of the headlines at the WDF World Championships in December, reaching two finals on his Lakeside debut. ‘Wee Sox’ triumphed in the open youth tournament and finished runner-up in the open competition. At 15 years of age, Lawrie was the youngest player to reach a senior World Championship final, eclipsing Luke Littler’s record when he made the final of the 2023/24 PDC World Darts Championship at the age of 16.


Lawrie’s meteoric rise has seen him win eight WDF senior ranking events, helping him to become the youngest #1 in the WDF open rankings, still at only 15 years old. The Scot has also dominated on the youth circuit, claiming the JDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace last December, and in 2026 he topped the JDC Advanced Tour rankings with an incredible 12 title wins from 20 events.

Another standout campaign from our 2025 Next Generation list of players came from Kaya Baysal. The youngest winner of a WDF open ranking event has followed up his history-making success at the 2025 Budapest Classic by collecting even more silverware. In February this year, Baysal defeated Lawrie in the final of the inaugural JDC Junior World Masters, which was played on stage during the PDC World Masters.


The 16-year-old also competed on some of the sport’s most iconic stages at the end of 2025, contesting the final of the JDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace, and also making the semi-finals of the WDF Open Youth World Championship at Lakeside. Baysal has climbed to #2 on the WDF open youth rankings, having won a bunch of titles around Europe, and finished third on the JDC Advanced Tour rankings with a title and three runners-up finishes in 2026.

 Kaya Baysal

Born: July 2010

Biggest achievements (so far): 2025 WDF Budapest Classic open singles champion, 2026 JDC Junior World Masters champion, 2026 PDC Development Tour event 16 runner-up


It has been an impressive last 12 months on the oche for Kaya Baysal, who featured on our 2025 Next Generation list after winning the WDF Budapest Classic in April last year. That victory in the Hungarian capital saw Baysal break Luke Littler’s record as the youngest player to win a WDF open ranking event by 13 days, at just 14 years and 284 days old.


Since then, Baysal has continued to flourish in both the senior and youth ranks, doubling his title tally in WDF open ranking events with a triumph at the Riga Open last October. The Blackburn Youth Darts Academy member has racked up more ranking points with a final and semi-final in Romania, along with five quarter-finals, putting him in contention for a spot in the WDF Open World Championships at Lakeside at the end of this year.


The Burnley-based teen has also played on the Lakeside and Alexandra Palace stages, making the final of the JDC World Championship and the semi-finals of the WDF Open Youth World Championships at the back end of 2025. Baysal’s 2026 got off to a flyer when he won the first staging of the JDC Junior World Masters in February, defeating the highly fancied Mitchell Lawrie 2-0 in sets in the final that was played on stage before the final day of the PDC World Masters.


Having turned 16 in July this year, Baysal has just made his PDC bow on the Development Tour, reaching the final in his first event, along with a pair of quarter-finals. Now representing Türkiye, Baysal is on track to qualify for both the open and open youth events at Lakeside in November, a feat that his friend and rival Lawrie achieved last year.

Kaya Baysal

 Mitchell Lawrie

Born: November 2010

Biggest achievements (so far): 2025 WDF World Open Championship runner-up, 2025 WDF World Open Youth Championship winner, 2026 JDC World Championship winner


“I’ll never be Luke Littler, I’m Mitchell Lawrie!” Those were the words of Mitchell Lawrie during his record-breaking run to the final of the WDF Open World Championship last December. ‘Wee Sox’ made history as the youngest player to reach the final of a senior World Championship, racking up wins over Tomoya Maruyama, Jason Brandon, Jeff Springer, Francois Schweyen and Jenson Walker, before losing out 6-3 to the top seed Jimmy van Schie in the decider.


At just 15 years old, Lawrie became the headline name during his debut at Lakeside, as he also won the WDF Open Youth World Championship, beating Germany’s Florian Preis 4-2 in the final. The Scot landed more big silverware to cap off a memorable 2025, seeing off Kaya Baysal in the JDC World Championship final which was played on the Alexandra Palace stage a few weeks later.


Lawrie’s remarkable rise has continued into 2026, with a further five WDF senior ranking titles, including the gold-ranked Denmark Open, helping him become the youngest player ever to top the WDF open rankings. Amongst his peers in the JDC system, Lawrie has dominated this year’s Advanced Tour, winning an unprecedented 12 titles to finish top of the rankings.


With his spot already secured in two WDF World Championship events at Lakeside again in November, the Renfrew schoolboy will be looking to go one better this time round and clinch both the open and open youth titles at the home of world darts. Lawrie does not turn 16 until November, but many expect him to make the jump over to the PDC at the start of 2027 and claim a tour card at Q-School, where he would come up against the likes of Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and his hero Gary Anderson.

Mitchell Lawrie

 Jack Johnson

Born: January 2012

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 UKDA men’s singles champion, 2025 JDC Super 16 champion, 2025 JDC National Volts champion, 2026 JDC Advanced Tour event 13 winner


Jack Johnson wrote his name into the record books again when he won the UKDA men’s singles title in Bolton last month. At just 14 years of age, the Orpington teen became the youngest winner of the county singles title, and beat two current PDC tour card holders Martin Lukeman and Owen Bates, and former PDC world youth champion James Hubbard, on his way to the title.


‘Jacky Boy’ averaged 95.24 in the final against Bates, taking out a trio of big finishes in a 6-4 victory over the PDC professional. After checking out 160 in the early stages, Johnson then produced 126 and 145 finishes in the last two legs to close out an historic win.


A memorable 2025 on the oche saw Johnson pick up two JDC stage titles, with a triumph in the JDC Super 16 final in Milton Keynes followed up by a dramatic victory in the JDC National Volts in Leicester last October. The latter of those events saw Johnson, then still only 13, defeat Alfie Hutton 5-4 in the final, which was played on the Mattioli Arena stage during the World Grand Prix.


‘Jacky Boy’ finished fifth on the JDC Advanced Tour rankings this year, helped by a maiden title on the JDC’s top circuit in event 13 back in May. Before that first event win, Johnson reached three Advanced Tour finals in a row, which included an eye-catching 4-0 triumph over the #1 ranked player Mitchell Lawrie during one of those runs.

Jack Johnson

 Arthur Allston

Born: January 2010

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 JDC Advanced Tour 4x event semi-finalist, 2025 JDC Foundation Tour Phase 1 ranking winner, 2026 JDC European Open event 3 winner


Arthur Allston has made a seamless transition onto the JDC Advanced Tour in 2026, with a top 10 finish on the rankings in his debut season competing on the JDC’s premier circuit. ‘King Arthur’ earned a tour card to compete on the Advanced Tour after topping Phase 1 of the 2025 JDC Foundation Tour, winning four titles during the season to finish 12 points clear at the top of the rankings.


The Bradfield teenager has honed his skills while practicing at the Sudbury Youth Darts Academy and Stowmarket Youth Darts Development School, while also becoming a key part of Suffolk’s youth county team. The 16-year-old has won numerous local titles in East Anglia, including on the Suffolk Super Series and the Target Junior Darts Series in 2026.


In his debut campaign on the Advanced Tour, Allston reached four semi-finals and five quarter-finals across the 20 events, to finish 10th in the final rankings with 36 points. During his maiden Advanced Tour season, ‘King Arthur’ claimed a number of high-profile wins over the likes of Kaya Baysal, Mitchell Lawrie and Jack Johnson.


Allston followed that up with a title on the JDC European Open weekend, picking up top honours in event 3. Away from the JDC, ‘King Arthur’ made his bow on the PDC Development Tour this summer, catching the eye with a last 16 and two last 32 runs over the five-event block held in Germany.

Arthur Allston

 Jayden Walker

Born: August 2012

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 JDC Advanced Tour event 7 winner, 2025 JDC Super 16 runner-up, 2025 IDSL champion, 2026 England National singles open quarter-finalist


Once described by former world number one Luke Humphries as ‘the best 12-year-old (player) I’ve ever seen in my life’, Jayden Walker’s emergence as the one of the most exciting young darts prospects has continued into his early teenage years. ‘The Young Gun’ capped off his 2025 by winning the first ever International Darts School League (IDSL) Championship Finals, dropping just one leg in the knockout stages on his way to lifting the title.


That tournament was held at the MODUS Live Lounge in Portsmouth, a venue where Walker first caught the eye while partnering Angry Ginge to the MODUS Super Series Influencer Pairs title. The Dorset youngster has already had plenty of big-stage experience, reaching the final of the JDC Super 16 in early 2025, where he was edged out 5-3 by Jack Johnson on the Arena MK stage.


Walker avenged that defeat with a victory over Johnson in the final of JDC Advanced Tour event 7 in March this year. ‘The Young Gun’ triumphed 5-3 to claim his maiden title on the JDC’s leading circuit, with another two finals, five semi-finals and four quarter-finals during an impressive campaign helping him to finish fourth in the final rankings.


The 13-year-old has also caught the eye in WDF competitions in 2026, with a quarter-final run in the England National Singles, alongside a last 16 in the England Selsey Open, showcasing what the teenager can do in the senior ranks. A pair of recent finals on the England Youth Grand Prix circuit has also propelled Walker into the top 20 of the WDF open youth rankings.

Jayden Walker

 Addison Hefferon

Born: June 2014

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 England National Singles open quarter-finalist, 2026 WDF Open Youth World Championship qualifier winner, 2025 JDC Foundation Tour event winner


Addison Hefferon is set to make history later this year when he makes his debut in the WDF Open Youth World Championship at just 12 years old! ‘The Assassin’ clinched one of two spots in the tournament at Lakeside after winning through the first set of qualifiers held in Las Vegas last month.


Hefferon’s qualifying success capped off an impressive week in the States, with the Milton Keynes schoolboy also reaching the semi-finals of the WDF World Open youth and last 16 of the WDF World Masters open youth events. The 12-year-old will be part of an expanded 12-player field for the open youth event at Lakeside, which will be headlined by the defending champion Mitchell Lawrie.


Away from the WDF system, Hefferon has been producing some eye-catching performances in the ADC and JDC circuits. In March last year, ‘The Assassin’ became the youngest ever winner of an ADC Vault event, winning a competition at Kempston Conservative Club at just 10 years of age.


The youngest player on our list, Hefferon had an encouraging first season on the JDC Advanced Tour in 2026. Four quarter-final runs represented his personal best over the 20-event campaign, which included victories over former JDC world champion Lex Paeshuyse and the highly-rated Kaya Baysal. In the senior ranks, Hefferon recently enjoyed a standout run to the quarter-finals of the WDF-ranked England National Singles open event, where he defeated former PDC tour card holder Jason Heaver 4-1 in the last 16.

Addison Hefferon

 Jack Nankervis

Born: December 2010

Biggest achievements (so far): 2025 JDC Junior Power League champion, 2023 JDC Super 16 champion, 2025 JDC Advanced Tour 3x event wins


Jack Nankervis is one of England’s bright young prospects with a trophy cabinet already full of silverware. The 15-year-old, from Saint Buryan, in Cornwall, started playing darts at just 18 months old, before joining the JDC Paignton Academy and representing Devon’s county youth team at eight years old.


Nankervis bagged his first JDC Foundation Tour title at the age of 12, during a 2023 season which saw him win six of the 20 events to top the final rankings that year. More titles followed in his debut year on the JDC Advanced Tour, with a trio of event wins helping him finish second in the 2024 rankings, just five points behind the table topper Archie Self.


A trophy-laden 2025 saw Nankervis pick up a further three Advanced Tour titles, along with the inaugural JDC Junior Power League, as well as several tournament wins on the WDF circuit, including the WDF Europe Youth Cup pairs with Mason Teese. The pair then retained their crown in Limerick last month, defeating the Scottish duo of Mitchell Lawrie and Owen Bryceland 5-4 in a dramatic final.


In the WDF open youth singles ranks, Nankervis has continued to climb the rankings with a trio of titles in the last 12 months, at the England Classic, England Open and England Youth Grand Prix, seeing him rise to #5. The England youth international has also caught the eye in senior events too, making the last 16 in several WDF open ranking tournaments, including the Welsh Open and British Open.

Jack Nankervis

 Owen Bryceland

Born: February 2014

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 JDC Advanced Tour event 14 winner, 2025 WDF British Open quarter-finals, Nine-dart leg in the 2026 IDSL Scotland qualifier


Owen Bryceland has quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the youth darts scene, with a stack of titles and a nine-dart finish already on his CV. ‘The Bandit’ first picked up a dart at just 18 months old and after turning eight years old was competing in local tournaments. A record-breaking season on the JDC Foundation Tour followed in 2024, with the Cumbernauld youngster winning three of the eight events he took part in to finish fifth on the final rankings.


Bryceland won back-to-back titles in events 11 and 12, defeating his fellow Scot Mitchell Lawrie 5-1 in the first final, before posting an incredible 104.86 in his last 16 match in the second event - a record for the highest match average on the Foundation Tour, and at just 10 years old.


In 2025, Bryceland’s maiden season on the JDC Advanced Tour saw him reach a final and a further three quarter-finals to finish 14th in the rankings. This season, the 12-year-old won his first Advanced Tour title in event 12, and made the final of event 19, to earn a sixth-place finish in the 2026 rankings. ‘The Bandit’ also currently sits second in the JDC Junior Power League, having won three and drawn two of his five matches so far this year.


The Scottish youth international grabbed the headlines again in May, throwing a nine-dart leg on his way to winning the International Darts School League (IDSL) Scotland qualifier. Bryceland will be a part of the expanded 64-player field for the IDSL Finals, which are set to take place at Lakeside at the end of the year.

Owen Bryceland

 Jed Wakinshaw

Born: 2013

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 WDF England Youth Grand Prix open youth winner, 2026 JDC England North Foundation Tour event 10 winner, 2026 JDC England B Team Play-Off winner


It has been an impressive 2026 already for Barton-upon-Humber teenager Jed Wakinshaw, winning titles on the JDC and WDF circuits and qualifying to represent England’s B team in the JDC World Cup of Darts in Gibraltar later this year.


The 13-year-old, who is nicknamed ‘The Jedi’, booked his spot in the World Cup after winning through the JDC England B Team Play-Offs last month, defeating Aaron Hustwaite 5-0 in the final round of qualifying.


Wakinshaw caught the eye on the JDC England North Foundation Tour earlier this year, reaching three consecutive finals in one weekend. The soon to be England youth international won event 10 before finishing runner-up in events 11 and 12, which helped him secure a seventh-place finish in the Phase 1 rankings.


‘The Jedi’ has also been racking up the titles on the ADC system, winning a number of Vaults in the Yorkshire & Humber region, along with several titles in the JDC Volts North East area. Wakinshaw’s first WDF open youth title also came in April this year, with a victory in the England Youth Grand Prix, where he edged out Arthur Allston 5-4 in the final. It was the first time Wakinshaw has picked up WDF ranking points at an event and saw him climb into the world’s top 50 in the WDF open youth rankings.

Jed Wakinshaw

 Abbi Ettridge

Born: November 2011

Biggest achievements (so far): 2026 WDF England Open women’s semi-finals, 2026 England Youth Grand Prix open girls runner-up, 2026 JDC Girls Series event 5 winner


Abbi Ettridge is the first girl to feature on our list of Darts Wonderkids, but certainly won’t be the last. The 14-year-old has impressed on various circuits over the last 12 months, and just last month earned a spot in the England girls team for the JDC World Cup later this year. Ettridge edged out Lilly Wheeler 4-3 in the final round of qualifying at the JDC Girls Nations Cup Team Qualifier to secure her an international call up.


The Sussex youth county player also caught the eye in Selsey earlier this summer, reaching the semi-finals of the England Open women’s event. Ettridge posted a 75 average in a 4-1 defeat in the last four to Gemma Hayter, a player who competed in the most recent PDC World Darts Championship.


In April, Ettridge opened her title account on the JDC Girls Series, picking up the event 5 title, and beating the 2025 WDF Girls World Championship runner-up Rebecca Allen 4-3 in the final. The deciding leg saw Ettridge produce her best leg of the final, throwing a 16 darter against the throw and kicking off the leg with scores of 137 and 180 with her first two visits.


A runner-up in event 6 and a pair of semi-finals in events 8 and 10 saw her finish fourth in the final JDC Girls Series rankings for 2026. In the WDF girls rankings, Ettridge sits in 11th place having made a pair of finals in the England Classic and England Youth Grand Prix, along with a semi-final in the Scottish Open.

Abbi Ettridge

Who are the next darts stars of the future?

What do you think of our list? Is there anyone we missed out who should be included? Get in touch with the Darts Corner team on our social media channels or use #DartsCornerWonderkids in your posts to let us know your thoughts.


Has your child got the darts bug? Read our 'Learning To Play Darts With Children' and 'Darts Maths' blogs for some expert tips and advice on how to get your son or daughter started playing darts at home.


Pictures: JDC/PDC/WDF

Alex Moss

Alex Moss

Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 450+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts.


Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides .

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