Vault 19 – Strongest Venues After Three Weeks

 

Rank	Venue	Highest Tournament Strength
1	Pinches Cue Club, Norwich	1.350
2	Faringdon Football Club	1.329
3	Tipton Sports Academy	1.297
4	Bedlinog Rugby Club	1.285
5	Bagley Sports & Social Club	1.280
6	The Brookside, Syston	1.278
7	The Gardeners Arms, Ipswich	1.270
8	Sartan Club	1.265
9	Hethersett Social Club	1.260
10	Clacton Sports Bar	1.256

One entry per venue, using its highest Tournament Strength recorded through the week ending 3 October.

Pinches Is Still the Benchmark

Three weeks ago, Pinches opened with 1.350.

That immediately became the number everyone else had to chase.

What has made Pinches particularly interesting hasn't simply been that nobody has beaten 1.350. It's what happened afterwards.

Its next two Tournament Strength figures were:

1.340

1.331

So this isn't a venue sitting at the top because of one extraordinary tournament followed by much weaker fields.

Pinches has repeatedly produced Tournament Strength scores above 1.330.

That remains some of the strongest evidence we've seen so far of a genuinely difficult regular Vault 19 venue.

The 1.350 remains the headline number.

The repeat performances are the more interesting story.

Faringdon Is Still the Closest Challenger

Faringdon Football Club remains second with its best Tournament Strength of 1.329.

Originally, I put an important caveat alongside that figure because it came from only eight players.

Since then, Faringdon has provided some useful supporting evidence.

Its subsequent 1.275 from a 24-player field showed that the venue can produce strong numbers with a much bigger entry as well.

That makes Faringdon's second place more interesting than it looked when the 1.329 first appeared.

Pinches remains clear at the top, but Faringdon is still the closest anyone has come.

Tipton Remains Third

Tipton Sports Academy's 1.297 continues to hold third place.

That was one of the figures that particularly caught my attention in an earlier update because it came from a substantial field.

It hasn't been overtaken during the latest week, but there is now a new name immediately behind it.

Bedlinog Arrives in Fourth

The biggest addition to the leading group this week is Bedlinog Rugby Club.

A Tournament Strength of 1.285 puts it straight into fourth place.

That takes it above Bagley's 1.280 and The Brookside's 1.278.

As always, one big Tournament Strength score gives me a reason to notice a venue.

What happens next will tell me considerably more.

Pinches is the perfect example of that.

So Bedlinog now becomes another venue worth watching as Vault 19 continues.

The Established Venues Are Still Hanging Around

The arrival of new challengers hasn't removed many of the venues we've been following throughout the series.

Bagley Sports & Social Club remains fifth with 1.280.

The Brookside in Syston is sixth at 1.278.

The Gardeners Arms in Ipswich, which entered the leading group last week, remains seventh at 1.270.

Then comes a familiar South West name.

Sartan Club remains in the Top 10 with a best of 1.265.

Sartan's individual Tournament Strength has moved around from week to week, but it continues to feature towards the stronger end of the Vault 19 data.

Hethersett Social Club is ninth with 1.260 after the steady improvement I highlighted previously, while Clacton Sports Bar completes this week's Top 10 at 1.256.

The Table Is Becoming Harder to Break Into

That's another thing beginning to emerge after three weeks.

The standard required simply to reach the Top 10 is becoming pretty high.

A venue now needs a Tournament Strength above 1.250 just to get into this particular group.

And there are other established strong venues sitting around that mark.

That means one good tournament can move a venue dramatically, but maintaining a place near the top is becoming more difficult as more results are added.

That's exactly what I hoped would happen with these updates.

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WADC Vault 3.0 – Wales Still Controls the Top

The WADC Tournament Strength story has developed considerably over the past three weeks.

Initially, The 9 Darter in Port Talbot led the way at 0.997.

Then Briton Ferry surged to 1.151, while Penybanc joined the leading group.

The latest picture still has a very strong Welsh look.

WADC Vault 3.0 – Strongest Venues After Three Weeks

Rank	Venue	Highest Tournament Strength
1	Briton Ferry Workies	1.151
2	Penybanc RFC, Ammanford	1.077
3	The 9 Darter, Port Talbot	0.997
4	Arrows Darts Venue #2, Resolven	0.986
5	Dereham Cricket Club	0.980
6	Walton WMC	0.941

One entry per venue, using its highest WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength. Penybanc RFC #1 and #2 are treated as one venue.

Briton Ferry Remains No.1

Briton Ferry Workies remains the WADC benchmark at 1.151.

Its progression has been one of the most interesting things I've found during these updates.

Earlier in Vault 3.0 it recorded 0.961, then 0.989, before producing the 1.151 that took it to the top.

That is exactly the sort of development I want to find by revisiting Tournament Strength rather than publishing one table and forgetting about it.

Briton Ferry isn't at the top because of the first tournament I happened to analyse.

Its numbers developed as the series progressed.

Penybanc Strengthens Its Position

Penybanc is another venue where looking beyond a single result helps.

I'm treating the Penybanc RFC #1 and #2 entries as one venue for these rankings.

Its best score is now 1.077, which puts it second overall.

It has also produced 1.049.

So, like Briton Ferry, there is supporting evidence behind the headline figure.

Penybanc hasn't simply appeared in second place through one isolated strong tournament.

It has produced two fields above 1.000.

Wales Holds the Top Four

Behind Briton Ferry and Penybanc come two more Welsh venues.

The 9 Darter, Port Talbot — 0.997

Arrows Darts Venue #2, Resolven — 0.986

Then comes England's strongest venue:

Dereham Cricket Club — 0.980

That means Wales currently occupies the top four positions in the WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength ranking.

Dereham isn't far behind Resolven, so the England-Wales story isn't finished.

But three weeks into the series, Wales unquestionably has the advantage at the top.

A Very Different Picture From Week One

This is why I like revisiting these numbers.

After the opening tournaments, The 9 Darter led the WADC standings.

After two weeks, Briton Ferry had jumped to 1.151.

Now Penybanc has strengthened further to 1.077.

The venues haven't necessarily become weaker when they've dropped positions.

Other venues have simply produced stronger fields.

And we're beginning to get enough repeat events to distinguish between a big one-off number and a venue regularly attracting competitive fields.

Three Weeks In – What Do We Know?

There is still plenty of Vault 19 to come, so I'm not declaring any of these rankings final.

But after three weeks, some trends are becoming difficult to ignore.

In the main Vault 19 series, Pinches remains the benchmark.

Its 1.350 is still the highest Tournament Strength recorded, but the 1.340 and 1.331 that followed are what really make it stand out.

Faringdon remains the closest challenger and has backed up its eight-player 1.329 with evidence from a much larger field.

Tipton remains third.

Bedlinog is this week's big arrival.

And familiar venues including Bagley, Sartan and Hethersett continue to appear towards the top.

In WADC Vault 3.0, the story remains Welsh dominance.

Briton Ferry leads at 1.151, Penybanc has strengthened to 1.077 and Welsh venues occupy the first four positions.

Three weeks ago, I was looking for the biggest Tournament Strength scores.

Now I'm increasingly looking for something more important.

Which venues keep producing them?

That's where the toughest venues of Vault 19 and WADC Vault 3.0 should eventually reveal themselves.

2026 PDC World Youth Championship Preview: What Do the Q4QS Numbers Tell Us?

 

The PDC World Youth Championship takes place today, and on paper there is one name that inevitably dominates the conversation.

Luke Littler.

But rather than simply looking at reputation or the Development Tour Order of Merit, I have put the World Youth Championship field through the Q4QS database.

And it throws up a few interesting names.

The database covers darts from a wide range of levels, from the PDC and Development Tour through to ADC, WDF, Vault and other competitive events. That gives us an opportunity to look beyond prize money and ask a slightly different question:

Who is actually playing well coming into this tournament?

There is an important caveat. Not every player has played the same number or standard of events, and international qualifiers in particular may have much less Q4QS data behind them. Q4QS ranking should therefore be treated as another piece of evidence rather than a prediction of the finishing order.

But there are some fascinating numbers.

Littler is in a different statistical world

It isn't exactly a shock to discover Luke Littler at the top of the World Youth field.

Littler is No.2 in the overall Q4QS rankings, with a Q4QS average of 100.32.

His recent record in the database includes winning the World Matchplay with an event average of 111.04, and victories over Gerwyn Price, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Josh Rock and Nathan Aspinall.

Even when playing against the very best players in the world, his numbers are extraordinary.

If Littler plays anywhere near that level in Wigan, everybody else has a problem.

But youth darts – particularly short-format group and knockout matches – doesn't always follow the script.

And there are players here capable of making things uncomfortable.

Sebastian Bialecki looks the clearest challenger

If I were looking for the player whose Q4QS numbers most obviously say "challenger", it would be Sebastian Bialecki.

Bialecki is an astonishing sixth in the entire Q4QS ranking, not sixth among the World Youth field.

His Q4QS average is 93.13, and he recently won Players Championship 26 with a 94.55 tournament average.

That run included wins over Gian van Veen and Damon Heta before beating Mario Vandenbogaerde in the final.

Bialecki also finished comfortably top of the 2026 Development Tour Order of Merit.

Littler remains the player to beat, but Bialecki's numbers deserve considerable respect.

Owen Bates might be coming at exactly the right time

Another player who jumps off the Q4QS list is Owen Bates.

He is 18th overall in Q4QS, averaging 89.66, and has won nine of his last ten recorded matches.

More importantly, his most recent Development Tour event produced a run all the way to the final.

Bates averaged 90.79 across Development Tour 23, including a 96.76 average in beating Jamai van den Herik.

He eventually ran into Henry Coates in the final.

Which brings us neatly to perhaps the hottest player arriving in Wigan.

Henry Coates – don't ignore the timing

Regular readers will know Henry Coates has featured quite a bit on Q4QS recently.

There is a reason.

Coates comes into this tournament 10-0 across his last ten matches in the database after winning Development Tour 23.

He went 9-0 during that tournament and beat Bates 5-1 in the final with a 97.41 average.

His overall Q4QS ranking is 42, which already puts him in some very good company.

There are players with bigger reputations in this field.

There may not be many arriving with better momentum.

Archie Self is my first Q4QS wild card

This is where things start getting particularly interesting.

Archie Self sits only ninth on the final Development Tour Order of Merit, and 126th in Q4QS.

Neither number immediately screams tournament winner.

Look closer.

Self won Development Tour 22 with a 91.79 tournament average.

Then he reached the quarter-finals of Development Tour 23 averaging 94.32.

His recent wins include Nathan Potter with a 98.92 average and Dominik Gruellich with 97.83.

And Q4QS has him at 10 wins from his last ten recorded matches.

That's precisely the sort of player I wanted this exercise to uncover.

Archie Self is firmly on my watch list.

Sam Jackson is another

Sam Jackson is even further down the overall Q4QS rankings at 143.

Again, look underneath that number.

Jackson reached the Development Tour 22 final with a 93.63 tournament average.

During that run he beat Dylan Slevin averaging 98.35 and Owen Bates in the semi-final.

He has also subsequently reached a Challenge Tour semi-final.

His Q4QS recent record?

9-1.

Jackson is exactly the sort of player who could be overlooked in a field containing Tour Card holders and much more familiar names.

I wouldn't overlook him.

Tyler Thorpe could be hiding in plain sight

Here's another.

Tyler Thorpe is only 182nd in Q4QS, but his Q4QS average of 87.88 is considerably more interesting than that ranking might initially suggest.

He reached the Development Tour 23 semi-final, winning seven matches before eventually losing to Coates.

Immediately before that he had reached the quarter-finals of DT21 and Last 32 of DT22.

Thorpe's recent Q4QS record is 9-1.

Again, perhaps not one of the first five names most people would select.

But definitely one I'd rather avoid in the draw.

Don't forget Kaya Baysal

Kaya Baysal is another whose numbers have been moving in the right direction.

He's 95th in Q4QS, with a recent record of 9-1.

His database history includes winning the Welsh Open/Masters/Classic event with an 89.64 tournament average, while his latest Development Tour results include successive quarter-finals.

He averaged 92.67 at DT22 and 89.47 at DT23.

Baysal has also demonstrated the ability to produce considerably more, including a 96.48 tournament average in his DT21 appearance.

Another dangerous player.

Dominik Gruellich has a ceiling worth watching

Dominik Gruellich is 74th in Q4QS and 9-1 across his latest ten matches.

The German has already shown that his top level can move into serious numbers.

At Development Tour 22 he reached the quarter-finals averaging 93.32, with individual wins recorded at 98.31 and 98.15.

That's significant in short-format darts.

If that Gruellich turns up, he can hurt people.

And then there is Nathan Potter

Potter is 55th in Q4QS, another extremely high position considering the thousands of players in the wider database.

He reached the DT22 semi-final averaging 88.68 and produced a 99.62 average against Kaya Baysal.

His recent Q4QS record is 8-2.

Another player who probably deserves more attention than he'll receive in many previews.

A few more Q4QS names to watch

There are several others I wouldn't want to dismiss.

Charlie Manby is 49th in Q4QS with a 90.79 Q4QS average and an 8-2 recent record.

Cam Crabtree is 46th, with recent victories over established PDC players Stefan Bellmont and Krzysztof Ratajski.

James Beeton is 54th and 8-2.

Dylan Slevin is 84th, also 8-2, and reached the DT22 semi-final.

Jamai van den Herik is 110th but comes in at 9-1, having reached the semi-finals of both DT21 and DT23.

And Lenny Schlueter deserves a mention. He's 175th in Q4QS, but won DT20 and recently averaged 89.94 on his way to the Last 32 of DT23.

Those aren't predictions that all of them will go deep.

They're warning signs.

The Q4QS five to watch

Leaving Littler and Bialecki aside, if I had to select five players from the numbers who particularly interest me, I'd go with:

Owen Bates – Q4QS No.18 and 9-1 recently.

Henry Coates – Q4QS No.42, DT23 champion and 10-0.

Archie Self – DT22 champion, huge recent numbers and 10-0.

Sam Jackson – DT22 finalist with a 93.63 event average and 9-1.

Tyler Thorpe – DT23 semi-finalist and 9-1.

And if I'm allowed a sixth, Kaya Baysal gets it.

That isn't necessarily my predicted top six. It's the group whose current numbers make me particularly interested to see what happens today.

That's why I built Q4QS

This tournament is actually a very good example of what I want Q4QS to do.

We all know Luke Littler.

Most darts followers know Sebastian Bialecki, Keane Barry and many of the leading Development Tour players.

But a ranking based purely on prize money doesn't always tell us who is playing best right now.

Archie Self at 10-0.

Sam Jackson at 9-1.

Tyler Thorpe at 9-1.

Henry Coates coming directly from a Development Tour title.

Those are the little clues I'm interested in.

Perhaps Littler steamrollers everybody and makes all of this irrelevant.

But somewhere among 128 young players there will almost certainly be someone who goes much further than most people expect.

Hopefully Q4QS has just given us a few clues as to who it might be.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Callum Page Hits 115.62 as 104 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 4 October 2026

Sunday was a big one for the Q4QS database, with 104 tournaments added from across the grassroots game.

The graphic picked out Andy Steed's 100.20 in Plymouth, but digging through the full results uncovered several even bigger numbers. Callum Page topped the lot with 115.62 in Ipswich, Liam Cook hit 111.33 at Blaenavon, and Richie Howson, Kurt Parry, Kevin Edwards and Jack Clements all reached 107.36.

There was also plenty to talk about closer to home, with Andy Steed winning in Plymouth, Lee Andrews taking the Tuffley title, Shaun Vernall winning the Rob Beswick 'Bez' Memorial in Evesham and another substantial programme of junior darts.

And there were ten WADC Vault 3.0 events, so women's darts certainly wasn't short of representation either.

Callum Page hits 115.62 in Ipswich

The biggest average I found from Sunday came at the Gardeners Arms in Ipswich.

Callum Page averaged a tremendous 115.62 in a 2-0 victory over Lewis Nicholson and finished the tournament with six wins.

Interestingly, though, Page didn't win the event.

That went to Josh Sinkovits, who collected seven victories and beat Curtis Hammond 3-1 in the final. Hammond had a strong day himself, recording 100.20 and 93.94.

It is another example of why I like digging beyond both the winner and the highest average. They quite often tell two different stories.

Liam Cook reaches 111.33 in Blaenavon

There was another enormous number at Blaenavon Constitutional Club.

Liam Cook hit 111.33, but again the player producing the huge average wasn't the eventual winner.

Kevin Mills put together the most complete tournament, recording 91.10, 91.09 and 88.41 on his way to eight victories and the title, beating Jose Van Angeles 3-0 in the final.

Three very different 107.36 stories

There was no shortage of 107.36 averages on Sunday.

At The Big Fish in Leigh-on-Sea, Richie Howson produced one and then went on to win the tournament, finishing with seven victories and beating Tony Cole 3-0 in the final.

At The Q-ube in Briton Ferry, Kurt Parry hit 107.36 and backed it up with 100.20, 96.97 and 91.09. Parry finished with six wins, but William Thomas took the title with eight victories, including a 92.02 in the final against Timothy Jones.

Jack Clements also hit 107.36 at Murphy's Sports Bar in Worksop. The title there went to Rob Batty, who beat Steve Meek 3-2 in the final.

Kevin Edwards produces 107.36 in the final

One of my favourite performances of the day came at Clacton Sports Bar.

Kevin Edwards averaged 107.36 in the final itself, beating Max Haley 3-0 to take the title.

Edwards had already produced 103.66 earlier in the tournament, while Ash Ling also reached 103.66 and Haley twice averaged 93.94.

That combination of a big average and producing it in the match that actually won the tournament makes Edwards' performance stand out.

Andy Steed wins a strong Plymouth Vault

There was plenty of quality at Legends Lounge in Plymouth.

Andy Steed and Simon Stevenson both hit 100.20, with Stevenson also recording 96.97 and 91.09. Logan Symons Jnr reached 90.97.

But Steed was the man who finished with the title, beating Stevenson 3-2 in the final and ending the tournament with eight victories.

A 100-plus average, eight wins and the title makes that a very good Sunday.

Lee Andrews takes the Tuffley title

At Tuffley Community Association in Gloucester, Lee Andrews finished with seven wins and beat Chris Wintle 3-0 in the final.

Andrews also produced the best average of the tournament with 88.41, as well as an 85.89.

Rich Griffee reached 87.58 and finished with five victories, while Cameron Oram also collected five wins.

Shaun Vernall wins the Bez Memorial

The Rob Beswick 'Bez' Memorial at Evesham Darts Competitions produced another good field and some strong numbers.

Shaun Vernall led the averages with 92.18 and also hit 88.41 before going on to win the tournament.

He beat Darrel Williams 4-3 in the final and finished with eight victories.

Joe Quiney was another who caught the eye, producing 91.09, 87.24 and 86.74. Williams actually finished with the most wins on the day with nine, but Vernall took the title.

PDC Development Tour 23

Sunday's results also included a major youth-development event, with Henry Coates winning PDC Development Tour 23.

Coates won nine matches and beat Owen Bates 5-1 in the final.

The highest average came from Ansh Sood at 101.90, while Asa Cansdale hit 100.94. Killian Heffernan and Archie Self both reached 100.20, with Self also recording 100.17.

Junior darts everywhere

The Junior Volts programme alone produced events from Penarth and Carmarthen in Wales to Exeter, Minehead, Waterlooville, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Bolton, Leeds and numerous other venues.

One of the standout performances came from Jenson Macey at Waterlooville. He averaged 92.02 in the final, beat Joshua Price 3-0 and finished with seven victories.

At Selby, Jed Wakinshaw reached 86.71 and went on to win the event, while Oscar Yeaman collected eight wins to take the Junior Volts title at The Kings Pub in Exeter.

There was also another title for Charlie Lowin, who won the Junior Volts event at Halesowen before also winning the KDS Under-13 knockout.

There is an enormous amount of junior darts now flowing into Q4QS, which should become increasingly useful as those player histories build.

Ten WADC events

It was an especially busy Sunday for the WADC Vault 3.0, with ten tournaments in the results.

They were won by Becca Kay in Bodmin, Sue Davies in Caernarfon, Rebecca Edwards in Eastleigh, Kayleigh Brown in Colchester, Jane Price in Stroud, Gracie Willmitt in Preston, Celia Allen in Oldham, Susan Ramsay in Waterlooville, Elizabeth Moss in Bognor Regis and Jackie Brighton in Dyserth.

The performance that really jumped out was Jackie Brighton's 81.24 in Dyserth. She also hit 71.57, 62.63, 58.94 and 57.81 and won all five of her matches, beating Kelly Leishman 3-0 in the final.

Gracie Willmitt reached 73.32 during her title-winning run in Preston, while Lisa Hughes hit 71.57 at Caernarfon.

Ten WADC events going into the database from one day, spread across England and Wales, gives Q4QS another useful block of women's results.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Callum Page – 115.62, Ipswich
The biggest average in Sunday's export and the obvious number-one performance.

2. Liam Cook – 111.33, Blaenavon
Another enormous Vault average, even though Kevin Mills eventually took the title.

3. Kevin Edwards – 107.36, Clacton
There were several 107.36s, but Edwards produced his in a 3-0 final victory and also hit 103.66.

4. Richie Howson – 107.36, Leigh-on-Sea
Seven wins, a 107.36 and the tournament title.

5. Kurt Parry – 107.36, Briton Ferry
Perhaps the deepest set of numbers of the lot: 107.36, 100.20, 96.97 and 91.09.

Another 104 tournaments into Q4QS

There is almost too much to fit into one roundup when 104 tournaments arrive on the same day.

The big averages inevitably grab attention, but there were stories everywhere: Steed winning a strong Plymouth event, Andrews taking the Tuffley title, Vernall winning the Bez Memorial, Coates winning on the Development Tour, a huge Junior Volts programme and ten separate WADC competitions.

All of those results now add another layer to the Q4QS rankings, player histories, venue records, form and head-to-head data.

MODUS Super Series Week 10 Preview: Ayres and Lennon Head a Fascinating 12-Player Field

 

Another MODUS Super Series week begins in Portsmouth, and Week 10 brings together a fascinating mixture of established names, Challenge Tour players, international talent and players arriving in excellent form.

Daniel Ayres and Steve Lennon are the two highest-profile names on paper, and both sit comfortably inside the Q4QS Top 50.

But once I put the 12-player field through the Q4QS database, this started to look much less straightforward.

Oliver Mitchell is 8–2 across his latest ten recorded matches, Alex Spellman arrives from America having just won on the Championship Darts Circuit, Harrison Leigh has been making deep runs, and Danny Lauby has been collecting titles and finals on the UK amateur circuit.

There could be plenty of competition for the places later in the week.

Ayres brings the strongest Q4QS ranking

Daniel Ayres begins Week 10 at No.31 in the Q4QS rankings, with a Q4QS average of 89.89.

His recent results have largely come against strong PDC and Challenge Tour opposition.

Ayres reached the last 32 of Players Championship 28 with a 92.93 tournament average, beating Cameron Menzies 6–4 with a 94.92 average along the way.

Other recent victories include Niels Zonneveld and Ritchie Edhouse.

Even in defeat at the recent UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder and Amateur World Championship Qualifier, Ayres averaged 94.11.

The results haven't always gone his way recently, but the scoring numbers remain extremely strong.

Steve Lennon brings consistency

Steve Lennon is only a few places behind at Q4QS No.44, and his 89.97 Q4QS average is actually marginally higher than Ayres.

Lennon comes into Week 10 after reaching the semi-finals of the UK & Ireland qualifier, winning five matches and averaging 90.20 across the tournament.

That followed consecutive Challenge Tour quarter-finals in which he averaged 91.52 and 90.93.

His recent wins include Aden Kirk, Shaun Griffiths and Gary Jackson.

If consistency around the 90-average mark is what is required to survive a MODUS week, Lennon certainly brings plenty of it.

Oliver Mitchell could be dangerous

Oliver Mitchell is actually the second-highest ranked player in the Week 10 field according to Q4QS.

He's No.39 with an 86.64 Q4QS average and is 8–2 across his latest ten recorded matches.

His recent Challenge Tour run included a 90.62 tournament average and victories over Scott Waites, Lewis Pride and Jamie Hughes.

There's also a 98.09 match average sitting in his recent data.

Mitchell may not have quite the profile of Ayres or Lennon, but the Q4QS numbers suggest he deserves to be taken very seriously this week.

Spellman arrives with a title

One of the most interesting players for me is Alex Spellman.

The American is Q4QS No.231 with an 83.32 average, but it's his current form that really catches the eye.

Spellman is 9–1 across his latest ten recorded matches and comes into MODUS having won Championship Darts Circuit Main Event 13 unbeaten.

He went 6–0 and averaged 89.92 across the event.

That run included match averages of 90.14, 95.96 and 90.99.

Immediately before that, Spellman had reached another CDC final.

He's travelling to Portsmouth with some serious form behind him.

Harrison Leigh continues to impress

Harrison Leigh is another player whose recent results deserve attention.

He's Q4QS No.223 and 8–2 from his latest ten.

Leigh reached a Challenge Tour semi-final and has also been runner-up at the British Open & Classic, where he averaged 84.17 across seven victories.

One performance in particular stands out: a 97.79 average in beating Callum Francis 4–2.

His most recent tournament brought another semi-final.

That's a lot of deep runs heading into Week 10.

Danny Lauby brings winning form

Danny Lauby is another familiar MODUS name and his recent amateur results make interesting reading.

He's 7–3 across his latest ten and recently won a Vault 19 at Bengeworth unbeaten, going 8–0 with an 81.42 tournament average.

His last five recorded tournaments also contain another victory, a final, a semi-final and a quarter-final.

Lauby reached the Bretforton final averaging 81.38 before losing to Joe Quiney and then averaged 80.86 in reaching another Bengeworth quarter-final.

That's consistent winning form.

Plenty of depth beyond the obvious names

Danny Trueman sits at Q4QS No.159 with an 84.47 average and recently averaged 89.72 at the UK & Ireland qualifier.

William Borland has an 83.53 Q4QS average and remains capable of producing very strong scoring numbers, although his recent results have been less consistent.

Lee Cocks is 7–3 recently and has recorded a 99.54 match average on the Challenge Tour. His recent victories include Aden Kirk and Jack Main.

Andreas Harrysson brings the Scandinavian element to the field, while Conor Heneghan has an 80.73 Q4QS average and plenty of Challenge Tour experience.

Niek Tijk completes the 12-player line-up. He isn't currently matched to enough information in my Q4QS export for me to make a meaningful statistical comparison, so he's the unknown quantity in this particular preview.

Q4QS Six to Follow

Daniel Ayres – Q4QS No.31 with an 89.89 average and still producing mid-90s match averages against strong opposition.

Steve Lennon – Q4QS No.44 with an 89.97 average and comes straight from a semi-final where he averaged 90.20 across the event.

Oliver Mitchell – Q4QS No.39, 8–2 recently and capable of pushing towards a 100 match average.

Alex Spellman – 9–1 and arrives in Portsmouth having just won a CDC title unbeaten with an 89.92 tournament average.

Harrison Leigh – 8–2 with a Challenge Tour semi-final and British Open & Classic final among his recent results.

Danny Lauby – 7–3 and regularly reaching finals and latter stages on the Vault circuit.

A difficult Week 10 to call

Ayres and Lennon may be the two names many people immediately recognise at the top of this field, but I don't think Week 10 looks anything like a two-player contest.

Mitchell's recent Challenge Tour numbers are strong. Spellman is arriving in arguably the best pure win/loss form in the field. Leigh continues to make deep runs, while Lauby has been winning regularly.

Then there are players such as Trueman, Borland and Cocks who certainly have the scoring ability to get involved.

That's one of the things I enjoy about these MODUS weeks. Put 12 players together over several days and reputations quickly become less important than who is actually producing the numbers on the day.

Week 10 looks particularly difficult to predict.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight

 

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

Another week of grassroots darts, and my three selections this time are Tyler Garrett, Jack Johnson and Ryan Davies.

As always, this isn't simply about finding the three players who won the most tournaments or produced the biggest averages. The Weekly Spotlight is about performances that made me take notice.

This week we've got a junior producing a ton-plus average in a final, another young player hitting one of the biggest averages I've seen in the Q4QS data, and an experienced Welsh circuit regular who followed a final appearance with a tournament victory.

Three very different reasons for catching my eye.

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Tyler Garrett — Q4QS Rank #1,861

Player Profile

Tyler Garrett may still be a long way down the overall Q4QS rankings, but his record already suggests that number doesn't tell the whole story.

Across 549 recorded matches, Tyler has won 406, giving him a 74.0% win rate from 102 events.

He's already collected 18 tournament victories, alongside 13 runner-up finishes, 16 semi-finals and 20 quarter-finals.

His overall recorded average stands at 70.17, while his best is 107.36. His last-ten average is considerably higher at 78.45, another indication of the level he's capable of producing. Tyler Garrett_profile

There are some impressive names among his best recorded victories too, including Robbie Martin and Stephen Cake, while he's beaten Harley Glycos on several occasions. Tyler Garrett_profile

This Week

Wednesday's Junior Volts at Pilcs Sports & Social Club in Pontypool was the performance that really caught my attention.

Tyler didn't just win it.

He produced some excellent darts along the way.

He averaged 96.97 in a 2–0 victory over Alfie O'Brien before beating Cody Sheppard 2–0.

Then came the knockout stages.

Tyler beat Oliver Williams 3–0 with an 85.08 average, Evan Flowers 3–0 with an 83.50, and reached the final against Joshua Russell.

And that's where he saved his best.

Tyler won the final 3–0 with a 100.20 average. Tyler Garrett_profile

A ton-plus average in a junior final is going to catch my eye every time.

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Jack Johnson — Q4QS Rank #222

Player Profile

Jack Johnson is already much higher up the Q4QS rankings, and his wider record helps explain why.

He's played 205 recorded matches, winning 162 of them for an excellent 79.0% win rate.

From only 47 recorded events, Jack has already collected nine tournament victories, with another six runner-up finishes.

His overall match average is 82.48, while his Q4QS Average is slightly higher at 83.11. Jack Johnson_profile

There is some serious quality on his list of victories as well. He's beaten Owen Bates with a 95.24 average, Mitchell Lawrie, Jack Drayton with a 97.35, and Lewis Cook. Jack Johnson_profile

But one number from this week jumps off the page.

This Week

125.25.

That's the average Jack produced in a 2–0 victory over Robert Barton at the 6 and 1 Club in Tonbridge on Wednesday. It's also Jack's highest recorded average in the Q4QS database. Jack Johnson_profile

And it wasn't simply one spectacular match followed by an early exit.

Jack went on to win the tournament.

He averaged 99.95 in his 3–1 semi-final victory over Tony Balcombe before beating George Whyte 3–1 in the final with an 87.53 average. Jack Johnson_profile

Two days later he was back at the business end again at Walderslade Club in Chatham.

Jack reached the semi-final there, with his run including two separate 93.94 averages, against Jordan Walkling and George Whyte. Jack Johnson_profile

A tournament victory, another semi-final and a 125.25 average.

Jack was very close to making my three last week. This time he's made the decision rather easy.

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Ryan Davies — Q4QS Rank #1,063

Player Profile

Ryan Davies is the most experienced of this week's three in terms of matches recorded by Q4QS.

He's played 897 matches, winning 704 of them for a 78.5% win rate across 146 events.

Ryan has won 25 tournaments, reached another 31 finals and made 34 semi-finals.

His overall recorded average is 77.43, with a Q4QS Average of 77.80 and a best of 115.62. Ryan Davies_profile

His record also includes multiple victories over Connor Hopkins, including averages of 89.36 and 100.20, as well as a win over Ashton Brown. Ryan Davies_profile

This Week

Ryan's week was more about sustained performance than one spectacular result.

On Tuesday he reached the final of the Vault at Lindsay Constitutional Club in Cefn Hengoed.

Ryan produced a 96.97 average during the event before eventually finishing runner-up to Connor Hopkins in a close 3–2 final.

Then on Friday he went one better at Wattsville National Club.

Ryan won the Friday Night Fun event, with his run including victories over John Prosser, Gordon Davies, Mason McCann, Callum Jenkins, Lozza Woods, Ieuan Podmore and Xavier Jones before beating Corey Evans 2–1 in the final.

His best recorded average during the event was 85.89, against John Prosser. Ryan Davies_profile

So a final early in the week followed by a tournament victory to finish it.

Ryan has now won nine of his last ten recorded matches. Ryan Davies_profile

Another very solid week from a player who seems to spend plenty of time at the business end of tournaments.

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Three Different Stories

That's another week where I think the three selections show what this feature is supposed to be about.

Tyler Garrett produced a 100.20 average when it mattered most — in the final of a Junior Volts tournament.

Jack Johnson had an extraordinary 125.25 performance during a title-winning run, then reached another semi-final two days later.

And Ryan Davies backed up a Vault final with another tournament victory later in the week.

It doesn't always have to be the player who won the most tournaments.

Sometimes it's a performance, sometimes it's consistency, and sometimes one number simply makes you stop and look twice.

These are my three this week.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Kirk Shepherd Hits 115.62 as 48 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 3 October 2026

Saturday brought another 48 tournaments into the Q4QS database, and once again there was far more to the day than simply looking at who won each event.

The headline average came from Kirk Shepherd, who fired a superb 115.62 at the Hoop and Mallet in Warrington. David Mayle and Johnny Haines both reached 111.33, while there were 103.66 averages from Richard German, Dave Burrows and Stephen Cake.

There was plenty happening closer to the usual Q4QS area too. Danny Humphries won at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury, Stephen Cake completed an excellent night with the title in Neath, and Johnny Haines produced another big set of numbers at Wiltshire Darts House.

There was also a substantial Junior Volts programme and, importantly, six WADC Vaults, as well as the Shrewsbury Ladies Open.

Shepherd hits 115.62 – but Welding takes the title

The biggest average I'm picking out from Saturday came at the Hoop and Mallet in Warrington.

Kirk Shepherd produced a tremendous 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Maciej Suchy. It wasn't his only big performance either, with Shepherd also recording 100.20, 93.94 and 91.17 during his run.

But he didn't win the tournament.

That honour went to James Welding, who beat Shepherd 3–1 in the final and finished with seven victories.

Welding averaged 93.94 earlier in the event, and once again we have a good example of why these reports shouldn't simply be a list of the day's biggest averages. Shepherd produced the headline number; Welding took home the title.

Two 111.33 averages

There were two more huge performances on Saturday.

At Dave's Darts Competition for Breast Cancer Now, David Mayle averaged 111.33 and backed that up with a 101.79.

Richard German also reached 103.66, while eventual winner Phil Johnson-Hale joined the ton-plus group with a 100.20.

Johnson-Hale beat Mark Lynn 6–3 in the final to take the competition.

Meanwhile at Wiltshire Darts House, Johnny Haines produced another exceptional set of numbers.

Haines hit 111.33, followed it with 103.66, 95.66 and 95.35 and collected eight wins.

Yet again, the man producing the huge averages didn't take the title.

Scott Mc beat Haines 4–3 before going on to defeat Chris Rose 5–0 in the final. Scott also recorded a 95.01 against Haines.

That's some serious depth of performance from one tournament.

Stephen Cake combines 103.66 with the Neath title

One of Saturday's best complete tournament performances came in Wales.

At Shooter's SportsBar in Neath, Stephen Cake hit 103.66, as well as 93.94, 91.09 and 85.99.

More importantly, he finished the night with eight victories and beat Craig Blake 3–0 in the final, averaging 93.94.

Bobby Short also reached 93.94 during a six-win night.

Big average, consistency and the tournament win – Cake ticked pretty much every box.

Dave Burrows hits 103.66 – David Evans wins Farnworth

There was another 103.66 at the Royal Sports Lounge in Farnworth, this time from Dave Burrows.

Burrows finished with six wins, but the tournament belonged to David Evans.

Evans reached 98.02 and 91.09 before beating Steve Coote 3–1 in the final, where he averaged 89.56.

Evans finished with seven victories to complete a strong tournament.

Danny Humphries wins at Stratford Social Club

There was another result to add to the growing Q4QS history at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury.

Danny Humphries came through the Darts Mayhem event, beating Dave Moule 2–1 in the final.

Humphries also produced the tournament's best average of 96.97, added a 91.09 and finished with seven wins.

Dave Moule also collected seven victories, while Lee Evans won five matches and recorded averages of 91.09 and 88.41.

Another busy event at a venue that is appearing increasingly regularly in the Q4QS data.

Paul Rowley impresses in Shrewsbury

Paul Rowley put together one of the strongest winning performances of the day at the Inn On The Green in Shrewsbury.

Rowley beat Jake B-Smith 3–1 in the final with a 99.00 average, while B-Smith averaged 96.20.

Rowley also recorded 91.29 and 91.09 on his way to eight victories.

That's a particularly strong set of numbers to accompany a tournament win.

Paul Hogan wins at Burghfield

At Burghfield Community Sports Association near Reading, Paul Hogan enjoyed an excellent tournament.

Hogan recorded 93.94, 92.02 and 83.50, finished with eight wins and beat Mark Tomlin 3–0 in the final.

Tomlin had seven victories himself and twice reached 88.41.

Steve Haggerty makes it eight wins

At Wych Elm in Burntwood, Steve Haggerty produced another very complete performance.

Haggerty hit 98.02, 93.94, 88.41 and 86.48 during the event before beating Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris 3–0 in the final.

Eight matches, eight wins and some very solid numbers alongside them.

John Nelson dominates at Southend

John Nelson was another player who combined the biggest averages at his venue with the tournament victory.

At the Len Forge Centre in Southend, Nelson recorded 96.97, 93.94 and 91.09.

He then beat Craig Vickers 3–0 in the final and finished with seven wins.

Vickers also won seven matches on his route to the final.

Junior Volts produce another huge batch of results

Saturday was another busy day for the Junior Volts Series, with tournaments spread across the country.

Charlie Lowin won at Blackheath, Prem Ahluwalia at Bushey, Nathan Ward-Wilkinson at Clacton, Logan Smith at Gamlingay and Rhodri Phillips at Llandysul.

Elsewhere, Callum Kerrigan won in Lincoln, Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris at Lichfield, Harland Newbegin at Grimsby and Finley Rix at Norwich.

There were some good numbers among the juniors too. Nathan Ward-Wilkinson and Cayden Jones both reached 81.24, while Jack Turner and Charlie Lowin hit 79.11.

At the Shrewsbury Youth Under-18 Open, Sam Morris produced an 87.35 and went on to win the competition, beating Callum Robinson 4–1 in the final.

It's another sizeable block of junior results going into the database.

Seven women's tournaments added to Q4QS

There was plenty of women's darts on Saturday as well, with six WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments plus the Shrewsbury Ladies Darts Open.

At the WADC events, Pat Moody won at Great Float Social Club in Wallasey, while Joanne Oldershaw produced an excellent all-round performance in Newark. Oldershaw averaged 62.63 and then 61.03 in her 3–1 final victory over Kelly Stevens.

Danielle Evans won at The Gamull Pub in Ribbleton, finishing with seven victories and occupying the top four positions among the event's recorded averages.

Michelle Bull won at The Glebe in Stevenage, while Dannie Hughes took the Cinderford title after beating Vicky Fairbrother 3–1. Fairbrother produced the best WADC average of these six events with 66.80.

At the Royal Oak in Rhyl, Jackie Brighton beat Trisha Harley 3–0 in the final and averaged 61.77. She also recorded two 60.12 averages.

Away from the Vaults, Sue Lane won the Shrewsbury Ladies Darts Open, beating Emma Tapp 3–2 in the final. Tapp produced the competition's highest average of 64.41.

That's seven women's competitions from one Saturday feeding more results into Q4QS.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Kirk Shepherd – 115.62, Warrington
The biggest legitimate average I'm picking out from Saturday, backed up with another 100.20.

2. David Mayle – 111.33, Breast Cancer Now competition
Mayle also hit 101.79, making this far more than a one-match performance.

3. Johnny Haines – 111.33, Wiltshire Darts House
Another huge day from Haines: 111.33, 103.66, 95.66 and 95.35.

4. Stephen Cake – 103.66, Neath
Cake gets the nod because he combined his big average with eight wins and the tournament title.

5. Paul Rowley – 99.00, Shrewsbury
There were higher individual averages elsewhere, but a 99.00 in the final to win the tournament, backed by 91.29 and 91.09, makes this one of my performances of the day.

Another 48 tournaments into Q4QS

Another 48 tournaments are now part of the Q4QS database.

The 115.62 from Kirk Shepherd grabs the headline, but Saturday again showed why there is so much more to these results than one leaderboard of averages.

James Welding beat the player who produced that 115.62. Scott Mc won at Wiltshire despite Johnny Haines throwing 111.33 and 103.66. Stephen Cake combined big numbers with the title in Neath, while Danny Humphries added another Salisbury victory to the records.

Add another sizeable Junior Volts programme and seven women's competitions, and there was plenty to take from Saturday.

And all of it now adds another layer to the rankings, player histories, venue records, head-to-heads and form behind Q4QS.

Two Events Left: 50,000 Simulations Show the Development Tour Card Race Has Blown Wide Open

 

Two Development Tour events have been played since I last ran the numbers.

At that point, with four tournaments remaining, Jack Drayton looked extremely secure, Leon Weber held the edge for the second Tour Card, and James Beeton was the main challenger.

Now we are down to DT23 and DT24, with a maximum of £6,000 still available to any one player.

So I ran the final two events another 50,000 times.

And the race has changed quite a bit.

The latest Order of Merit

After DT22, the leading positions are:

Sebastian Bialecki – £21,900
Jack Drayton – £12,100
Cam Crabtree – £11,900
Leon Weber – £11,350
Jamai van den Herik – £11,000
Jurjen van der Velde – £10,350
Dominik Gruellich – £10,300
James Beeton – £9,950
Archie Self – £9,450
Owen Bates – £9,200

Bialecki has now mathematically secured first place on the overall Development Tour Order of Merit.

Drayton can only reach £18,100 even if he wins both remaining tournaments, so Bialecki cannot be caught.

But, as I explained in the first article, the overall standings are not the same as the Tour Card race.

Several players near the top already hold Tour Cards.

That means we have to look at which eligible players are most likely to finish high enough to collect the two new cards.

The new Tour Card probabilities

After 50,000 simulations of DT23 and DT24:

Player	Current Prize Money	Tour Card Chance
Jack Drayton	£12,100	95.91%
Leon Weber	£11,350	51.96%
Jamai van den Herik	£11,000	19.80%
James Beeton	£9,950	15.42%
Dominik Gruellich	£10,300	10.63%
Archie Self	£9,450	4.15%
Nathan Potter	£8,100	1.29%
Dylan Slevin	£8,300	0.65%
Henry Coates	£6,050	0.07%

The big story is that the second Tour Card is now properly up for grabs.

Drayton is still in control

Jack Drayton remains in by far the strongest position.

Before the weekend started, his Tour Card chance was 98.27%.

That is now 95.91%.

So his position has weakened very slightly, but not by much.

He remains overwhelmingly likely to leave the Development Tour with a card.

He does not need to win one of the final events.

He simply needs to avoid the sort of combination where several of the players immediately behind him make very deep runs.

Weber is now almost a coin flip

This is where the race gets much more interesting.

Leon Weber started the weekend with a 56.78% chance of earning one of the two cards.

After two events, that has moved to 51.96%.

That is basically a coin flip.

Weber is still the favourite for the second available card, but there is now a very realistic chance that somebody moves past him over the final two tournaments.

And there are several players capable of doing it.

Van den Herik is the biggest mover

Jamai van den Herik has been the major winner so far.

Before DT21, his Tour Card probability was only 3.69%.

He is now up to 19.80%.

That is a huge change.

His prize money has risen from £9,250 to £11,000, and with only two events remaining he is now firmly in the conversation.

A deep run in either of the final two events could completely change the picture.

Beeton has slipped back

James Beeton has gone the other way.

He started the weekend with a 29.48% chance of winning a Tour Card.

That is now down to 15.42%.

The important point is that Beeton has not fallen away completely.

He is still very much alive.

But other players have moved around him, particularly Van den Herik and Gruellich, and with only two tournaments left there is less time to respond.

Gruellich is still dangerous

Dominik Gruellich now has a 10.63% Tour Card chance.

That is actually slightly higher than his pre-weekend number of 8.34%.

So while he has not made the same jump as Van den Herik, he remains a genuine threat.

With £3,000 available for winning one tournament, a single big run could take him from outsider to serious contender.

Archie Self has suddenly entered the race

Archie Self is another player who deserves a mention.

He started this final block on £6,450.

He is now up to £9,450.

That has taken his Tour Card chance to 4.15%.

That still makes him an outsider, but he is no longer just a mathematical footnote.

Two events remain.

If he produces another big run, that number could move very quickly.

The second card is wide open

The battle now looks like this:

Leon Weber – 51.96%
Jamai van den Herik – 19.80%
James Beeton – 15.42%
Dominik Gruellich – 10.63%
Archie Self – 4.15%

That is much more open than it looked two events ago.

Weber is still favourite.

But it would not be a surprise now if somebody else took the second card.

The World Championship picture

The World Championship race looks different again.

Using the current qualification picture:

Player	World Championship Chance
Jack Drayton	94.62%
Cam Crabtree	85.86%
Leon Weber	38.94%
Owen Bates	17.25%
Jamai van den Herik	16.33%
Jurjen van der Velde	16.00%
James Beeton	14.89%
Dominik Gruellich	10.29%
Archie Self	3.98%
Nathan Potter	1.14%

These percentages need the same caveat as before.

They are based on the current World Championship qualification picture.

If a player later qualifies for Ally Pally through another route, a Development Tour place can move further down the Order of Merit.

So the World Championship percentages are more fluid than the Tour Card numbers.

That matters particularly for current Tour Card holders, because they can still occupy Development Tour World Championship places even though they are not part of the new Tour Card race.

Crabtree remains a huge factor

Cam Crabtree is the clearest example.

He is not competing for one of the two new Development Tour Tour Cards.

But he still has an 85.86% chance of taking one of the Development Tour World Championship places on the current qualification picture.

That means he can have a major influence on the Worlds race without affecting the new Tour Card race in the same way.

The same applies to players such as Jurjen van der Velde and Owen Bates.

Two events left

There are now only two opportunities remaining.

A tournament winner receives £3,000.

A finalist gets £2,000.

That is enough money to change the table very quickly.

But there is no longer much time to recover from an early exit.

That is why the current positions matter so much more now than they did before DT21.

Drayton is close.

Weber still has the advantage.

Van den Herik has transformed his position.

Beeton is still alive but under more pressure.

Gruellich remains dangerous.

And Self has suddenly given himself a chance.

The final two Development Tour events should be fascinating.