Seven JDC Stars to watch

Luke Littler

Phenomenon or just the tip of the junior darts iceberg?

LUKE Littler has turned the darting world on its head since exploding onto the scene by reaching the PDC World Championship Final on his Alexandra Palace Debut.
 
From winning a second straight JDC World Championship to becoming the most famous 16-year-old in the UK in a matter of days, his progress has showed no sign of slowing.  Now the most famous 17-year-old in his homeland, Littler is the Premier League champion and has won titles on his World Series, Players Championship and European Tour debuts.

But is he a one-off or is there plenty more talent waiting to explode from the junior ranks?  While there may not be many players in their final year of JDC eligibility likely to make a huge immediate impact in the PDC, there is an array of talent in the younger age groups who could be on their own paths to greatness.

We take a look at seven of the best who are making waves, listed in no particular order.

Archie Self (England)

At 14, Self is the new JDC world number one, having starred on the Advanced Tour this year.

Self finished top of the rankings after winning four of the 16 events, setting the tone by winning the first event of the tour – and not looking back. He also reached three further finals.

While Self’s talent is evident (he reached the World Championship semi-final in Gibraltar last year) he has also shown plenty of resilience in his young career. Having lost his Advanced Tour card in 2022, he won it back at Q-School, and this year was crowned the overall champion.

He will head into the second half of 2024 brimming with confidence and will travel to Gibraltar a few weeks after his 15th birthday looking to make a real impact.

Jack Nankervis (England)

Nankervis was only 12 when he won the Foundation Tour last year, winning six events in the process to catch plenty of eyes in the darting world.

Now 13, he has followed up his breakthrough year by making a huge impression on the Advanced Tour, winning three events and finishing second in the table. Had he beaten Self in their quarter-final on the final day of competition, there is every chance he would have gone on to claim the title.

Nankervis is one of many talented young stars who will have an eye on Gibraltar at the end of the year, having made waves there in 2023. He led Littler 2-0 in the MVG Masters final before eventually losing 6-3, as well as throwing a 101 average in the Winmau Junior Darts Open.

Tergel Khurelkhuu (Mongolia)

Those in the know feel 13-year-old Tergel could be the first Asian darts superstar.
Had he not run into a certain Littler (who averaged 107) in the second round of last year’s JDC World Championship, Tergel may have turned more heads than he already has. Tergel averaged 94 in his first-round match at the worlds, not long after turning 13, and produced a string of 90+ averages during the four-day end-of-year showpiece on the Rock.

He then justified his decision to travel to England for the JDC’s Advanced Tour Q-School, becoming the first player to book their spot on the tour. Missing an entire weekend of Advanced Tour action in April (it’s a long way from Mongolia to Coventry) cost him a chance of pushing for the title, having reached a final, a semi-final and two quarters on the opening weekend.

But Tergel is definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming years – and is only the tip of the iceberg as far as Mongolian darts talent is concerned.

Owen Bryceland (Scotland)

The 10-year-old Scot produced one of 2024’s “are you being serious?” moments when he averaged 104.86 on the JDC Foundation Tour in April.

That led to inevitable comparisons with Littler – and drew commentary from players such as Michael van Gerwen and James Wade, the latter writing in his newspaper column: “I have recently thought that a 10-year-old could beat me – and that would literally be the case if that was Owen Bryceland.”

Bryceland has qualified for next year’s Advanced Tour – an incredible achievement for one so young.

 

Mitchell Lawrie (Scotland)

Another up-and-coming star from Scotland is Lawrie, who won the Foundation Tour this year, winning a record-breaking seven events in the process.

For a 13-year-old, Lawrie has plenty of big moments under his belt already, hitting the winning dart for Scotland in the JDC World Cup last year, qualifying for next year’s Advanced Tour and surpassing compatriot Bryceland’s 104.86 average with a 107.36 on the Foundation Tour.

Scottish darts is making huge strides at junior level – and Lawrie is at the forefront of their charge.

Jack Marshall (England)

The 13-year-old has caught the eye in recent weeks, becoming the first player to win three successive events on the JDC Advanced Tour since 2022.

For a player who did not get past the quarter-finals of any event on the Foundation Tour last year, this is incredible progress – and goes to show not all players develop at the same age or speed.

Marshall finished fifth in the Advanced Tour rankings and will be looking to challenge for the title in 2025.

 

Paige Pauling (England)

To say the 16-year-old was the outstanding performer on the inaugural JDC Girls Series would be an understatement.

Not only did Pauling win the title, she did so despite missing three of the eight events. In the five events in which she did play, she not only won them all but went undefeated, winning all 29 of her matches on the tour.

She has since gone on to reach two quarter-finals in a day on the PDC Women’s Series, beaten by Mikuru Suzuki and Beau Greaves, respectively.

Written by Steve Cotton