Fans convinced 'insane' 12-year-old will be the next sporting superstar
12/02/2024 08:25 AM
Less than a year after Luke Littler’s rise to stardom, another young prodigy is taking the darts world by storm: 12-year-old Jayden Walker.
Fans are convinced Walker will be the sport’s next superstar after witnessing him beat world No.1 Luke Humphries in an exhibition match on Saturday.
And to prove that he is the real deal, the young man then won the Pairs tournament at the MODUS Super Series event on Sunday, alongside YouTuber AngryGinge.
Walker left the crowd, his teammate and rivals in awe with his performances which included taking out a 145 finish – by pinning treble 20, treble 15 and double top – during a quarter-final win over Fallon Sherrock and podcaster Jaackmaate.
AngryGinge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, and Sherrock were visibly stunned by the finish, but Walker just calmly took the applause and took a sip of water afterward, totally unfazed by the occasion.
In the final against content creator Charlie Murphy and three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant, Walker began the deciding leg with a 180 before going onto lift the trophy.
‘Amazing, I wasn’t expecting to win it,’ the 12-year-old, who was significantly younger and smaller than his opponents, said.
‘But I also know how good my partner is on the practice board, so I thought we had a great chance. It’s the best thing I’ve ever achieved.’
24 hours earlier, Walker beat ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries in an exhibition in Portsmouth 2-1, averaging 102 against the reigning world champion.
‘I didn’t even know who Jayden was when I invited up [onto stage at the last event],’ AngryGinge said.
‘I thought he was just someone who had come down to watch. And then he nearly checked out 76 or something and I thought, “I’ve got a player here.”
‘To be partnered with him, I was buzzing. And then obviously I heard the news last night that he beat Luke Humphries and averaged 102, so he’s absolutely amazing.’
Naturally, comparisons were quickly made between Walker and Littler who burst onto the scene a year ago when he reached the final of the World Darts Championship on debut aged 16.
‘The kid is insane,’ one fan on Twitter wrote, while another added: ‘Absolutely unreal player. He has no fear whatsoever.’
Another posted: ‘Stick a tenner on him to win the worlds in 4 years,’ and ‘That kid is on fire—future champ in the making!’
Luke ‘the Nuke’ Littler made his name in the MODUS Super Series as well, and has already won 10 PDC titles including the Premier League Darts, Grand Slam and World Series Finals in 2024.
The now 17-year-old is looking to go one better at Alexandra Palace, with the World Darts Championship getting underway on December 15.
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