Who is Archie Self? The 16-year-old darts prospect who followed a nine-darter with a £25,000 MODUS title

Archie Self has given darts supporters two reasons to remember his name: a televised nine-darter and a £25,000 title secured against former world champion Andy Baetens.

The 16-year-old won the MODUS Super Series Season 15 Champions Week final 4–2 in Portsmouth on Saturday 31 October, completing a week in which his scoring attracted comparisons with Luke Littler.

But Self’s progress began well before that perfect leg. His results across youth competitions and the PDC Challenge Tour show a player who has been building towards a senior breakthrough.

Who is Archie Self?

Self is from Thatcham in Berkshire and plays under the nickname “The Archer”. According to his Target Darts profile, he first picked up darts aged two, with his father among his early influences.

He is a former WDF world youth champion and JDC Advanced Tour champion, and has represented England in youth competition.

His development has taken him across several circuits, including the JDC, PDC, ADC and MODUS. That has provided opportunities to face experienced senior players alongside opponents of his own age.

A nine-darter followed by the MODUS title

Self produced his perfect leg against Danny Ayres on Wednesday 28 October. He finished the Group A phase with 13 wins from 15 matches, earning his place in the weekend’s deciding session.

Saturday brought a setback before the title. Baetens beat him 4–3 in their group match, but both players progressed to the semi-finals.

Self then averaged 107.92 in a 4–2 victory over Scott Robertson, setting up another meeting with the Belgian.

This time, Self took a 3–1 lead. Baetens reduced the deficit, but a 16-dart leg secured the trophy and £25,000 prize, as detailed in Darts World’s finals report.

Recovering from the earlier defeat was an important part of the achievement. The nine-darter supplied the standout moment of the week; winning the final showed he could also respond when a match had gone against him.

Challenge Tour success came before Portsmouth

Self had already demonstrated his ability against senior opposition in September, when he won his second PDC Challenge Tour title of the year.

He beat Tommy Morris 5–1 in the Event 21 final in Wigan, averaging 104.49. His eight-match winning run also included victories over Derek Coulson, Michele Turetta and Daniel Klose.

That followed an earlier success at Event 18. The Portsmouth title therefore added to an established run of results rather than marking his first significant senior achievement.

Has Archie Self qualified for the PDC World Championship?

His Alexandra Palace prospects have attracted attention, but the MODUS title itself should not be presented as confirmation of a PDC World Championship place.

Reports have linked his chances to the allocation of places through other qualification routes. An official PDC confirmation is needed before describing his debut as secured.

For now, his confirmed achievements are substantial enough: youth titles, Challenge Tour victories and a MODUS Champions Week trophy at 16. Our darts calendar carries the upcoming tournaments as the season moves towards Alexandra Palace.

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