Mission Recap - Archie Crowned Boys World Champion

Mission Recap - Archie Crowned Boys World Champion

Mission Academy star Archie Self is now a world champion after winning the Mission WDF Boys World Championship at Lakeside.

The 15-year-old defeated the top seed Jenson Walker 3-2 in sets to taste glory on the iconic Lakeside stage last night.

After dropping the opening set, ‘The Archer’ took control in the final by taking the next two sets to move a set away from the title.

Walker rallied with 137 and 131 checkouts to pinch the fourth set in a deciding leg, but Self proved too strong in the final set as he swept the set 3-0 to wrap up a memorable victory.

Self was one of three players from the Mission Academy in the boys field at Lakeside, with 13-year-old Lex Paeshuyse enjoying a winning debut as he beat Ralfs Laumanis 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

An all-Mission Academy semi-final saw Self prevail against Paeshuyse in straight sets, whilst Hungary’s Balázs Szoták was beaten 2-0 on his World Championship debut against Florian Preis.

Meanwhile, new Mission signing Thomas Junghans reached his first World Championship quarter-final with a run to the last eight in the men’s event.

‘TJ’ battled through two last-set deciders against James Beeton and Carl Wilkinson (both 3-2), before bowing out to Francois Schweyen 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

Dennis Nilsson’s Lakeside return ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Gary Stone in the last 32, after the 2023 semi-finalist had started his campaign with a 2-0 win over Howard Jones in the first round.

Elsewhere, Matthew Edgar lost 2-0 in his opener against Jarno Bottenberg and Rhian O’Sullivan was beaten in straight sets by Lerena Rietbergen in her first contest in the women’s event.

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Archie Self and Kieran Thompson helped lead England A to glory in the JDC World Cup in Gibraltar.

The Mission Academy duo teamed up with Ryan Branley and Jack Nankervis to beat Netherlands B 4-0 in the final.

Daniel Stephenson was part of the England B team that reached the quarter-finals, whilst Kyle Davidson featured in the Scotland A side that also made the last eight.

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The PDC World Darts Championship gets under way this Sunday with a record 13 players from Team Mission set to compete in the sport’s biggest tournament at Alexandra Palace.

Alan Soutar is first up for Team Mission when he takes on German qualifier Kai Gotthardt on Monday December 16, with Challenge Tour champion Connor Scutt playing later that day against New Zealand’s Ben Robb.

James Hurrell, Ryan Joyce and Xiaochen Zong all start their campaigns the next day on December 17, with Madars Razma and Martin Lukeman stepping up onto the Ally Pally stage over the following two days.

Stephen Burton, Wessel Nijman and Dylan Slevin all feature on the line up on December 20, before Rhys Griffin makes his World Championship debut the next day.

Ritchie Edhouse and Josh Rock enter the action in the second round, with the European champion Edhouse facing Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing on December 22, before Rock takes on either Karel Sedlacek or Griffin a day later.

The JDC World Championship final will also be contested on the Ally Pally stage, with Daniel Stephenson and Lex Paeshuyse set to face off in an all-Mission Academy final on December 21.

Picture: Chris Sargeant/Tip Top Pics

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