19-year-old hits nine-darter against two-time world champ Adrian Lewis but loses

Nathan Girvan hit the jackpot in his showdown against darts great Adrian Lewis on Wednesday when he recorded a rare nine-dart finish in Wigan.

The pair clashed during the 15th event of this year's Players Championship at the Robin Park Sports Centre. And while two-time world champion Lewis was the star name on the billing, it was Girvan whose performance garnered much of the gallery's attention.

That's after the 19-year-old celebrated a pinpoint parade of scores that read 180-180-141, marking the first perfect leg of his PDC career. His was the third nine-darter to be witnessed at the Players Championship event after Ross Smith and Damon Heta each mirrored the feat on Tuesday.

Not even a nine-darter was enough to avoid defeat as Girvan fell 6-3 to far more experienced opposition, however. The youngster was unfortunate to face such an esteemed foe in the first round but has time on his hands as he looks to level the field.

Girvan is a two-time runner-up in the BDO World Youth Darts Championship and reached the final of the World Youth Masters in 2017. The Forfar native is a product of the Angus Darts Academy in Arbroath, which is run by another PDC pro, Alan Soutar.

The teen talent told BBC Sport Scotland in 2019 of his ambition to one day be crowned world champion. Facing off against opposition of Lewis' calibre at such an early stage in his development will help in that regard.

Where's does Girvan's rank among the best nine-darters you've seen? Let us know in the comments section.

It's also worth noting Girvan maintained a 100.6 average despite losing the match by three legs. The Scot joined the PDC for the 2021 season and hasn't looked far short of some high-class competition during his first year or so on their books.

While Girvan's nine-dart accomplishment may have attracted the most attention in Wigan, it was by no means the last of its kind. Michael Smith celebrated a second victory in as many days after beating Callan Rydz in Wednesday's finale..

'Bully Boy' produced a nine-dart finish of his own when he beat Florian Hempel in the quarter-finals. Girvan's ability to replicate the feat at such a young age, however, will send alarm bells that one of the sport's biggest prospects is gaining in momentum.

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