LEX Paeshuyse is the new JDC world champion after producing a stunning performance on the Alexandra Palace stage to defeat Daniel Stephenson 5-1 and become the youngest player to lift the crown.
The 13-year-old Belgian averaged 90.85 as he produced legs of 20, 17, 14, 14 and 15 to take the Holiday Inn Express Junior World Darts Finals title won by Luke Littler in 2022 and 2023.
Littler was in the crowd, as was Belgian star Dimitri Van den Bergh, to watch Paeshuyse become a deserving world champion. He broke throw in the fourth leg for a 3-1 lead and did not look back against his more experienced opponent.
Paeshuyse threw a 177, three 140s and four further scores of 130-plus, while Englishman Stephenson, 16, hit a 180, 177 and eight more tons as he more than played his part in a high-quality final, averaging 82.55 in defeat.
Paeshuyse went 1-0 up on throw, hitting 96, back-to-back tons and a 97 en route to holding throw, before Stephenson responded with a hold of his own for 1-1, kicking off the leg with a maximum, before a visit of 122 left 38 which he took out.
Paeshuyse restored his lead with the third successive hold of the final, hitting a 140 on the way to a 17-dart leg – and then produced the first break of the match to take a 3-1 lead.
Despite Stephenson opening the leg with a 177 and 134, successive visits of 134, 137 and 140 put Paeshuyse in command, and he took out 43 for a brilliant 14-dart leg with Stephenson waiting on 12.
Paeshuyse held again – with another outstanding 14-dart leg – to move within one leg of the title. Stephenson was slightly ahead after two visits, having hit a 128, before visits of 135 and 177 left Paeshuyse needing 8, which he cleared in two darts.
And the young Belgian capped an outstanding performance by wrapping up victory with a third successive five-visit leg and another break. Again Stephenson laid down the challenge by opening with 100 and 99, but Paeshuyse reeled off visits of 96, 137 and 140, before producing the highest finish of the match – 86 – to be crowned world champion.
He follows in the footsteps of Joshua Richardson, Maikel Verberk, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Jurjen van der Velde, Keane Barry, Bradly Roes and Littler (twice) in winning the JDC world title – and is the first Belgian to lift the trophy.
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