AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy from Christchurch has made his professional darts debut against a World Darts Championship semi-finalist.
Jayden Walker debuted in his first professional darts game against 2024 PDC World Darts Championship semi-finalist, Scott Williams, for Dorset County.
Despite losing 4-0, Scott was hugely complimentary of the young darts player whose mum, Jamie-Louise Walker, 36, said is 'naturally talented' in the sport.
She said: "He was really complimentary and he kept saying to Jayden 'I kept looking at the floor and all I could hear was click, click, click and I kept thinking that's got to be somewhere close. I looked up and thought, oh it's only 60 or 100, he's let me off'.
"Jayden seems to just be able to pick up anyone's darts and throw on 180."
Both from a darts family, both Jamie-Louise and her mum, Wendy Lamb, 61, also play for county level and have done so for many years.
In his blood, Jamie-Louise has been blown away by his pure talent and quick rise to a professional darts career.
She said: "Around our local area, everyone is like 'have you seen that eleven-year-old play darts?'.
"Both me and my mum played this weekend so we had three generations playing in the same team which was nice but I don't think the team look at him as an eleven-year-old, they just see him as a darts player."
In current wave of popularity due to the attention given to 16-year-old darts extraordinaire, Luke Littler, Jamie-Louise believes perspective of the sport as an old man's game has changed.
Only just starting, she hopes he can enter the Junior Darts Championship to earn a fully-fledged career in the sport.
She said: "He has enjoyed watching Luke Littler because I think its given younger people the opportunity to play. I think the talent is more looked at as opposed to the age.
"He would love to play for England but he is looking to go into the JDC."
Jayden has also been inspired by former world champion Scott Mitchell who captains England and on the Dorset team.
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