Modus Super Series Week 1

Following Q School, the Modus Series returns in earnest. Although I have enjoyed the Women's and Legend's weeks. 

And it is a week, where there is pretty much a case for all of these players, such is the depth of talent. 

Bookmakers' favourite is Scott Taylor. He always performs well here and is a consistent player. On his day, he can be unstoppable, but does have his lapses, which may be the difference here. The same can also be said of Gary Stone. Another player, that at his best, is quite brilliant, but has the odd slip up, at the wrong time. If either player keeps their consistency, then they will go a long way.

A player, I'm particularly interested to see is Adam Sevada. This American player has been fantastic on the CDC Tour and has been given his deserved place. I would say he is as good as any American player currently, and if he avoids the stage nerves, he could spring a surprise. Jacob Womack also represents the CDC and finished 8th on the tour last year. I think he will be the second strongest of the Ameicans, but no reason why he can't do well here. 

Two players that have been here several times before are Jack Tweddell and Joe Croft. Tweddell had a good Q School and Challenge Tour weekend. He is a very heavy scorer and this could be his time to shine. If his end game is good, then he may well claim the title. Croft is not a stranger to winning, particularly in ADC events. He is a consistent Challenge Tour player and has been around for a while now. He seems to be improving each year and I think he will make finals night.

Richard Rowlands and Ross Montgomery represent the experience here. Both will be comfortable on the stage and both will not be overawed by the other players. Rowlands has won a Series before and will use that, to get himself to finals night.Montgomery can compete with anyone on his day, and will not give in easily.

Neil Meneer could be a real surprise package here. Another ADC specialist, he has also played on the Challenge Tour. He is a player of real quality and has beaten a lot of his counterparts, especially in the South West. If he keeps his nerve, he could be one to look out for. Welshman, Alec Small also appears and has been here on many occasions. A solid player, he may need to up his game a little, but is a capable type, so can't be ruled out. 

Finally two Europeans, Bradley Roes and Arne Spee. Roes is another that has played here several times and is a young player still looking for his big break. He can compete here, but must remain consistent. Dutchman Spee is a bit of an unknown, with limited big stage experience. He has played here before though, so that will certainly help.

So, in summary, it will be a very close week, with no clear favourite, as far as I can tell. I think due to his power scoring, Jack Tweddell just takes it for me. He will need to keep strong at the end of games though. After that, I would probably give Joe Croft the nod due to his consistent play. But as I said at the beginning, this could literally be anyone's. 

JDC Q School

Saturday 18th January begins another season of the very beginning of a darts career. This is the JDC Q School. Players from various countries such as Belgium, Slovakia and India - will compete for a place on the prestigious JDC Advanced Tour. Players on the Advanced Tour are already at a very good standard and anyone qualifying from this Q-School will most definitely have deserved it. As well as the best junior players going head to head, the Advanced Tour also unlocks other opportunities, such as representing your country, or competing at the JDC World Championships - the final of which, is held during the PDC World Championships on the Alexandra Palace stage, in front of a packed audience. This is a huge inspiration, as players aim to emulate players that have gone before them, such as Keane Barry, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and Luke Littler.

Speaking of Luke Littler. His rapid rise to the top of the darts world has been of huge benefit to the JDC, as numbers are growing all the time. Q School numbers are on the up again. And as more Junior Academies open up, I'm sure this growing trend will continue.

The event runs very similar to the PDC Q School. There are four events played over two days. The winners of each event automatically qualify for the Advanced score. The remaining nine qualifying spots go to the players based on an Order of Merit table, so each win and each leg is crucial. 

Having a glance at the field, there are two stand out names, both of which have received a fair amount of media attention. Firstly, is Lex Paeshuyse. This 13 year old won the 2024 JDC World Championship, with a 90+ average. He should find this level comfortable, and qualifying will be a must. Strange things happen in darts, but I think he is a very strong candidate. The second is 12 year old Jayden Walker. He came to the for, whilst playing at a Modus Super Series exhibition. He beat Luke Humphries 2-1. And to cement that, he hit a 100+ average in doing so. Both players have a very bright future in the game and will be interesting to see how they perform.

The standard of emerging young talent seems to be improving each year, so I will certainly be trying to spot more names that could be the game's stars of the future. 

Challenge Tour 1-5 - Names to look out for

 The new season has already begun, with the PDC World Championship and Q-School already done and dusted. WDF will start shortly and Modus is in its second week, so we turn to the first Challenge Tour weekend, incorporating events 1-5. 

Which names will show early promise? Will any of the players that have just lost their Tour card,bounce straight back? And will any newcomers and/or youngsters come flying through?

Here's a list of 10 players to follow this weekend:

Andreas Harrysson

Harrysson narrowly missed out at Q-School, despite being one of the favourites to qualify. Hopefully he won't let this get to him and can get off to a strong start in 2025. He has the ability to challenge at the top end of the Challenge Tour. Occasionally he falls short just at the end of tournaments, but some consistent performances over the weekend could see him in a solid position. 

Jimmy van Schie

Another player that was heavily tipped to qualify from Q-School. He was also favourite for the WDF World Championship, but fell short. I believe these near misses will only make him stronger. He will be determined to make the Pro Tour in 2026 and definitely has the ability. This could be a good year for the Dutchman

Daniel Klose

Klose made a late run for a qualifying place at Q-School, but just fell short. He is a player that has just dropped off the Main Tour, but is more than capable or bouncing straight back. He will want to be performing well this weekend to get high up on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, to earn Pro Tour spots as and when they arise. Sometimes underrated among the large wave of German players, but he is right up there with any of them 

Jeroen Mioch

Mioch has been around for quite some time, without really breaking through. Looking at his performance stats at the recent Q School, he was among the best. In particular with his scoring. If he can gain some early wins, this could set him up for a successful start.  He could be the surprise package this year. 

Anton Ostlund

There appears to be a resurgence in Swedish darts currently, with Viktor Tingstrom and Oskar Lukasiak making the Pro Tour and Andreas Harrysson not far behind .Anton Ostlund can also be added to the list. He was another that came so close to making it through Q-School, with leg difference costing him. He is an up and coming player and played well on the Development Tour last year. If he keeps improving, he will be a tough opponent. I expect him to go well this weekend. 

Jamie Atkins

One of the best UK players not to qualify from Q School, Jamie Atkins will be one of the front runners on the Challenge Tour in 2025. Ultra consistent and improving all the time. He has also been one of the top performers on the county scene and has the ability to make the pro Tour. 

Tom Sykes

Another quality player that was very unlucky not to make it through Q School. Sykes had a good 2024, in particular in the Modus Super Series. Q School may just have been a blip, and he has enough in his armoury to position himself at the top end of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit. Another very consistent player. 

Lee Evans

Evans recently dropped off the Pro Tour, but he has the ability and game to bounce straight back. He has been in this position before and will know all about the Challenge Tour. A very experienced player, he will not be overawed by the Challenge Tour and I can see a very consistent year ahead. I expect to see him at the top end of the Order of Merit, come November.

Graham Hall

Like Lee Evans, Graham Hall has just dropped outside of the Pro Tour. He played well in his two years on the Tour and is definitely still good enough to make a quick return. Ideally Hall will want to perform well in these first few events to gain confidence and put the pressure on the others. 

Henry Coates

Coates has been improving steadily year on year. He has had some good results in the Modus Super Series and performed very well on the Development Tour in 2024, finishing in 12th position. He also had a good Q School, showing that he is in good form. If he plays enough Challenge Tour events, he could finish well on the Order of Merit. 

Modus Legends Week

Modus continues to innovate and mix things up with their Super Series. 

Last week was a successful Women's tournament, won by Kirsi Viinikainen .

This week is the turn of some former legends of the game. And it's a tough field. 

The two favourites are Steve Beaton and Vincent van der Voort. This is no surprise as they have been at the top for so many years. This year both have dropped off the Main Tour, but want to still remain competitive. Here is our first chance to see how they perform. Both players have an outstanding chance of winning this week.

Devon Petersen, has shown some of his old form of late, by winning the ADC Global title. If he continues this run, then he will be a tough opponent to beat. 

World Seniors and Modus stalwarts, Martin Adams and Robert Thornton will also provide tough opposition. Both players are very familiar with the venue and format. Thornton, in particular is still playing to a very high standard. 

World Seniors specialist, Richie Howson is yet another to consider in this tight field. Anything that incorporates Senior's darts will see Howson there or thereabouts. 

Hard to know how Chris Mason and Darryl Fitton will get on. Obviously they are still good players, but there's not much data to go on. I think this could be too strong a field, but if they are consistent, they could cause a surprise or two. 

Former World Champions Richie Burnett and Neil Duff cannot be discounted. Both still playing top level darts and both familiar with the Modus stage. It's whether they can keep in touch with the likes of Beaton and Van der Voort. If they can make the final stage, then they will have as good a chance as anyone. 

Finally there is Wes Newton and Trina Gulliver. Gulliver showed moments of brilliance in the Womens field, last week. However, she does need to be more consistent. Wes Newton is an unknown quantity. He will need a good start, otherwise he may fall away. Worth keeping an eye on. 

So in summary, the favourites Van der Voort and Beaton seem to be the main contenders. I think they will be the finalists, but Devon Petersen will be waiting in the wings if either slip up. 

Q School Top Performers 2025

 

Q School is over, so here is an overview of the top performers. 

I have created my own Performance Model called PDB. This gives scores to performance in various areas. It aims to show who is playing well, and in time, who is likely to win or improve. (Maximum score is 800)

The PDB scores for Q School are as follows:

UK

Bradley Brooks       500

Jim Long                 400

Shane McGuirk      320

David Pallett           240

Paul Rowley            220

Mervyn King          220

Beau Greaves         220

Scott Waites           200

EU

Viktor Tingstrom                 740

Kai Gotthardt                      420

Maik Kuivenhoven              400

Jeffrey de Zwaan                 380

Stefaan Henderyck              320

Karel Sedlacek                     260

Gilbert van der Meijden     160

Stefan Bellmont                   140

Daniel Bauerdick                140

In terms of qualifying for Q School, there were two stand out performers in the UK with Bradley Brooks and Jim Long performing well across all areas.  The rest of the field was quite even. There doesn't seem a particular area that would help a player qualify. The best 180 hitters were not the best checkout players for example. This is why the top end of the UK Order of Merit was so close. Bradley Brooks seemed a cut above, but after that, it really was a lottery. Other factors such as nerves or feeling on the day seemed to be a bigger factor. 

This bodes well for the Challenge Tour, as there doesn't seem to be a clear favourite, especially from a UK point of view

In the EU Q School, things seemed a little different. Viktor Tingstrom was the stand out player. He came top in several categories. Then came 3 other qualifiers, suggesting there were more stand out players in the EU tournament at the top end. Jeffrey de Zwaan performed well across the board, so maybe he will have a good Challenge Tour season. 

It will be interesting to see how the year goes on the Main Tour and whether the players will play according to their early promise. Will Bradley Brooks and Viktor Tingstrom perform better than other qualifiers? 

Qualifiers:

UK: Day Winners

Tom Bissell

Justin Hood

Tavis Dudeney

Jim Long

Order of Merit Qualifiers

Bradley Brooks

Darryl Pilgrim

Greg Ritchie

Adam Lipscombe

Adam Paxton

Cam Crabtree

Adam Warner

Andy Boulton

Thomas Lovely

EU:Day Winners

Viktor Tingstrom

Kai Gotthardt

Dennie Olde Kalter

Maik Kuivenhoven

Order of Merit Qualifiers

Cor Dekker

Pero Ljubic

Karel Sedlacek

Oskar Lukasiak

Tytus Kanik

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Dominik Gruellich

Stefaan Henderyck

Maximilian Czerwinski

Max Hopp

Leon Weber

Marvin van Velzen

Highest Average UK                                                   Highest Average EU

Bradley Brooks                                                           Maik Kuivenhoven

Jim Long                                                                      Jeffrey de Zwaan

Paul Rowley                                                                Kai Gotthardt

180%  UK                                                                   180% EU

Shane McGuirk                                                          Viktor Tingstrom

David Davies                                                               Maik Kuivenhoven

Jim Long                                                                     Jeroen Mioch

Check Out % UK                                                      Check Out % EU

Christian Perez                                                          Viktor Tingstrom

Carl Wilson                                                                 Kai Gotthardt

Mervyn King                                                              Gilbert van der Meijden

Legs Won % UK                                                          Legs Won % EU

David Pallett                                                                 Viktor Tingstrom

Bradley Brooks                                                             Daniel Bauerdick

Scott Waites                                                                  Stefaan Henderyck

My thoughts on a different way to allocate automatic Pro Tour spots.

With Q School nearly finished, it got me thinking about the spots that are automatically given to players on the Pro Tour. For the last decade, at least, it has been a case of going through Q School, or getting an automatic spot by finishing in the top 2 of the Challenge and Development Tours. However I think there could be better ways of doing this, Only my opinion, of course, but darts is an ever expanding sport and there may be room for change, which would expand the game globally, as well as making the secondary tours more relevant. I also feel that the PDC would benefit from this, as the numbers of participants across all tours should increase. 

I would definitely keep Q School in its current format, however, the number of qualifiers would be slightly less. 

Currently the top 2 in the Challenge Tour and Development Tour gain a place. I agree with that. the best players over a whole year should get a card. However to make these tours more relevant, I would have a final qualifier at the end of the year. I would also include the Women's Series in this too. 

So, I would say positions 3-30 on the Challenge and Development Tours, along with the top 8 on the Womens Series play a final one-off tournament of 64 players. The finalists of this would get a card. It would be like a pre-Q School, for those that have played particularly well, an extra chance if you like. 

This, I think, would create much more interest in the secondary tours. For example, the numbers dwindle significantly as the year progresses on these tours. In particular the last couple of events. From a PDC point of view, there's extra entry money that can be made. Players lower down the rankings would now have a chance at a card, without having to go to Q School, so more likely to attend more events.  It also gives a chance for the Womens game to progress, with 8 women given a chance for a tour card, rather than 1 or 2.

The PDC is growing more and more global, and I think this could also be reflected with automatic Tour cards. The standard of the Asian, North American and Oceania darts tours is increasing - in particular in Asia, where they showed what they can do at the 2025 PDC World Championships. With Q School operating in Europe, it makes it so difficult for those further afield to qualify. The World Series helps with highlighting these parts of the world, but doesn't help in terms of getting players from these areas on the Main Tour.  

I would suggest that the winners of the Asian and North American (CDC) Tours get an automatic card. If that was this year, then Alexis Toylo and Leonard Gates would represent. They would both be a welcome addition, and more than capable of competing .

Then in Oceania, the winners of the DPA Australian Tour and DP New Zealand Tour have a play-off for another automatic card. This would have been Joe Comito or Mark Cleaver

The need for more automatic global places on the Pro Tour can only improve the event and create interest. Areas like South America are pretty much untouched. Africa is growing and needs more exposure, as does the Middle East, with countries like Bahrain,Egypt and UAE all developing. 

The PDC is the World lead in an every increasing sport and would be great if they could see beyond the UK and Europe. Fingers crossed they will. 

So, I would like to see five automatic spots added. It wouldn't make that much of difference to the amount of overall qualifiers from Q School. What it would add is more interest all season on the secondary tours, and also bring the Main Tour to the rest of the world. 

Special Discount Offer!

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Simply quote Q-School10 on any product for a 10% discount on any product. 

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Hopefully I will have more offers and giveaways in the near future!