13-year-old darts prodigy Jayden Walker stole the show at a MODUS exhibition in Epsom on Saturday, April 11, 2026, securing a stunning 3-2 victory over Stephen Bunting and pushing both Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen to the limit. The exhibition took place during a weekend break before ProTours resume early next week and the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen next weekend.
Walker, who previously hit headlines for a 145 checkout during the MODUS Super Series Influencer Exhibition tournament, faced a star-studded lineup. Van Gerwen, who had defeated both Ricky Evans and Nathan Aspinall in Purfleet the day before, opened his night in Epsom with a 3-1 win over Walker. Van Gerwen praised the youngster from the microphone, joking that there's already "a little guy" making his life difficult on tour—a clear reference to Luke Littler—and he doesn't want another one.
Walker then pulled off his headline result, beating Stephen Bunting 3-2. Bunting had earlier started the evening with a 3-2 win over Nathan Aspinall. Walker couldn't overcome Aspinall, however, losing 4-2 in another close match, with Aspinall also praising him to the crowd. Bunting ended the night on a high, defeating Michael van Gerwen 5-1 to become the final winner of the evening.
The rising talent has drawn admiration from top players, including world champion Luke Humphries. Speaking to Sky Sports last year about Walker when he was 12, Humphries said: "That was the first time I've ever met him but I'm pretty sure that's the best 12-year-old darts player I've ever seen in my life. The things he was doing on the practice board was quite impressive and when he went up on the stage during his first walk-on, you could see he was a bit nervous, but he still whacked in a 102 average. If he can do that under pressure, I can't imagine what he's going to be like in five or six years." Humphries added a note of caution, saying: "You've got a new star on your hands now, but it's important the media don't push him too much because he's still very young and he needs to be nurtured."
