![Letrell Allen showed he's a young master of his craft at the recent Australian Junior Darts Championships. Picture by Peter Hardin Letrell Allen showed he's a young master of his craft at the recent Australian Junior Darts Championships. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/f47c5aa3-6e27-4beb-a0b5-8574eb97d165.jpg/r0_0_7935_5290_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Like many younger siblings, Letrell Allen idolises his older brother Desean.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
And like a typical younger sibling, he loves to beat him.
But until the recent Australian Junior Darts Championships, the honours, at least as far as darts are concerned, had sat squarely with Desean.
Played at Murray Bridge, Letrell had his eyes sharply on the target, winning the boys singles and mixed doubles titles - the latter with fellow Tamworth local Sophie Spence.
He also won his first World Darts Federation (WDF) Youth Title in taking out the Pacific Masters tournament played preceding the national championships.
The biggest win of his young career, before then he hadn't even won a NSW title.
Overcoming rivals, in some instances up to five years older than him, and often bigger than him - a photo of the top six from the singles shows Letrell barely coming up to their shoulders - the 13-year-old's charge to the singles silverware included a milestone win over Desean in the semi-final.
"It was pretty scary," he admitted.
"Everyone was cheering for him, only a few people were cheering for me."
It was a close battle, but he prevailed 3-nil to claim his first win over his older brother.
The final was then a repeat of the Masters final with Letrell taking on good mate Mitchell Galby (Western Australia).
![Allen and Sophie Spence made a dynamic duo in the mixed doubles. Allen and Sophie Spence made a dynamic duo in the mixed doubles.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/247c3a4b-73fb-48b6-8233-a54bb82ebee0.jpeg/r0_0_646_720_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It was quite a show with the finals all live streamed and the players all having their own walk out song, a la as the pros do.
Letrell's was 'Pump It Up'.
Pump it up he did, as he claimed his third shield for the week.
In the immediate celebrations, he said, it felt like he'd won the World Cup.
Everyone got around him, and Desean and Spence's sister, Gemma, hoisted him up on their shoulders.
It was his second time pulling on the NSW blue after qualifying for the team in 2023.
He admittedly "didn't do too well", but learned from the experience to come back better in 2024.
Not that he had anywhere near the expectations of the lofty heights he achieved.
![Gemma Spence (right) made the final of the girls singles. Picture Darts Australia. Gemma Spence (right) made the final of the girls singles. Picture Darts Australia.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/fa684c51-c416-43b5-b926-fb0c4232f746.jpg/r0_0_2048_1456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He dropped just one match across the two singles events, and in the Masters final came back from 2-1 down to win 5-2, clinching the victory with a match-best 16-darter.
Playing for about three years after following his father Matt, mum Noni, and Desean, into the sport, locally he plays Tuesdays in the Liverpool Plains competition and at Oxley Bowling club of a Wednesday.
Inbetween that and competitions of a weekend, he also plays lawn bowls with Kootingal and rugby league.
Desean was also among the winners taking out the mystery mixed doubles with Taini Hoffman (Victoria).
Gemma Spence meanwhile finished runner-up in the girls singles while Maddison Mabbott reached the semi-finals.
All up Tamworth players comprised seven of the 10-strong NSW team.