You Don’t Have to Be Amazing to Play Competitive Darts

 

How good do you actually need to be to play competitive darts?

It's something I've thought about quite a lot.

If most of your darts viewing comes from the PDC, it would be very easy to think you need to average 80 or 90 before you should even consider entering a tournament.

An 85 average can look ordinary on television. Players average 90 and lose comfortably. Occasionally somebody can average close to 100 and still find themselves going home.

But professional darts isn't normal darts.

So I decided to use the Q4QS database to look at the players who are actually going out and competing.

And the numbers tell a very different story.

You don't have to be amazing to play competitive darts.

More than 5,500 competitive players

For this analysis I've concentrated on players who have played enough events to establish a Q4QS Average.

That leaves 5,590 players.

At one end we have some of the very best players in the world.

At the other we have ordinary grassroots players entering local competitions.

And there is pretty much everything in between.

Importantly, these aren't somebody's best five legs on a practice board. They are averages built from actual competitive darts.

So what does a competitive darts player really look like?

The answer isn't 80 or 90

The biggest concentration of players isn't around 80.

It isn't even around 70.

The largest five-point group is in the 56–60 range.

There is another huge group between 61 and 65.

The median Q4QS Average across the entire sample is 64.67.

The mean is 66.35.

The most common exact Q4QS Average is 56.80, although with averages recorded to two decimal places I wouldn't read too much into one exact figure. Rounded to a whole number, the biggest concentration is around 60.

Whichever measure we use, the conclusion is much the same.

The centre of competitive darts is nowhere near the averages we regularly see on television.

What about an 80 average?

I've scored at several Q Schools and I've always had 80.00 in my head as an important benchmark.

That's my own opinion. It isn't an official PDC minimum and averaging 80 certainly doesn't guarantee success at Q School.

But from what I've seen, it's around the minimum level where I personally start thinking seriously about Q School standard.

So how many of these 5,590 players actually average 80 or more?

539.

That's just 9.6%.

In other words, more than 90% of the qualifying competitive players in this sample average below 80.

Go higher and the numbers fall rapidly.

Only 214 players — 3.8% — average 85 or better.

Only 69 — 1.2% — average 90 or better.

Only 14 players — 0.25% — average 95 or better.

And there is just one player in the database with a Q4QS Average above 100.

Suddenly an 80 average doesn't look very ordinary.

Television gives us a strange idea of a good average

That's probably inevitable.

We spend hours watching some of the best darts players on the planet.

Someone averages 89, loses 6–2 and we hear that they've had a poor game.

Perhaps they have by their standards.

But an 89 average isn't poor darts.

Across this population, it's exceptional.

An 80 average puts you roughly in the top 10%.

Get into the 83–84 area and you're around the top 5%.

Reach the low 90s and you're getting towards top 1% territory.

That's quite a different perspective.

Where does your average put you?

With thousands of players, we can start putting averages into context.

Very approximately:

Q4QS Average	Where it puts you
59	Top 75%
65	Around the top 50%
73	Around the top 25%
80	Around the top 10%
83–84	Around the top 5%
92	Around the top 1%

That makes a 70-something average look rather different from how it might appear on television.

If you're averaging around 73 consistently in competitive darts, you're roughly in the upper quarter of this population.

That's decent darts.

The Q4QS colours give us another way of looking at it

I then wondered whether the Q4QS colour rankings would show the same pattern.

They do.

I calculated the average Q4QS Average of the players in each current colour band.

Q4QS Colour	Ranking	Average Q4QS Average
Gold	1–200	88.53
Silver	201–500	82.43
Bronze	501–1,000	78.75
Black	1,001–2,000	74.14
Brown	2,001–3,000	69.51
Blue	3,001–4,000	66.51
Green	4,001–5,000	63.96
Red	5,001–6,000	61.86
Purple	6,001–7,000	59.96
Pink	7,001–8,000	58.19
Orange	8,001–9,000	56.78
Yellow	9,001–10,000	54.86

I really like this table.

It gives players a completely different set of targets.

The average Yellow-ranked player is around 55.

Orange is around 57.

Purple is almost exactly 60.

Red is around 62.

Green is around 64.

Blue moves into the 66–67 territory.

Brown is getting close to 70.

Black is around 74.

Bronze is nearly 79.

Silver is above 82.

Gold averages almost 89.

These aren't qualification marks. Averaging 74 doesn't automatically make you a Black-ranked player because Q4QS ranking isn't based solely on average.

But they are useful benchmarks.

If you're Purple, perhaps your immediate target isn't an 80 average.

Maybe it's the typical Red level.

Then Green.

Then Blue.

That's a much more achievable way of looking at improvement.

And then there's me

I'm useful at the other end of this argument.

I'm roughly a 50-average player.

I've averaged 70.

I've also averaged 40.

Consistency is very much a work in progress.

But I play competitive darts.

I'm not entering tournaments expecting to become the next world champion. I'm playing because I enjoy competing and because I want to improve.

There is a tendency in darts to think you have to reach some imaginary standard before you're allowed to enter.

You don't.

There will always be somebody better than you.

That's true if you average 50.

It's true if you average 70.

And unless your name happens to be Luke Littler or Luke Humphries, it's probably true if you average 100.

Half a point matters

This might be my favourite result from the whole exercise.

When we talk about getting better at darts, we usually think in big numbers.

"I'm averaging 55 and want to average 65."

Or:

"I'm at 60 and want to reach 70."

But ten average points is an enormous improvement.

So I looked at something much smaller.

Half a point.

Around a 60 average, there are approximately 134 players within the next half-point of the Q4QS average distribution.

At 65, it's around 105.

At 70, around 76.

At 75, around 72.

At 80, around 48.

At 85, only around 19.

At 90, just seven.

That doesn't mean adding half a point automatically moves your Q4QS ranking by that many places. The ranking takes much more into account.

But it shows just how densely packed the playing population is around grassroots levels.

Don't find ten points — find half a point

I think that's a much better way of approaching improvement.

If I'm averaging 50 and decide I need to get to 80, I've given myself a 30-point target.

That sounds ridiculous.

What if I try to get to 50.5?

Then 51.

Then 51.5.

Then 52.

Suddenly the target isn't quite so ridiculous.

And around the busiest areas of the average distribution, those little improvements can move you past a surprisingly large number of players on the average curve.

Half a point matters.

A point matters.

Consistency matters.

It gets harder the higher you go

The numbers demonstrate something else as well.

The player population becomes thinner as the averages rise.

At grassroots levels, there can be more than 100 players squeezed into half an average point.

At 90, there are only a handful.

And finding an extra half-point when you're already averaging 90 is considerably harder than finding one when you're averaging 55.

That's part of what makes elite darts so impressive.

The margins become tiny.

Average isn't everything

There's one other important caveat.

Q4QS ranking isn't simply an average table.

Actually entering tournaments matters.

Winning matches matters.

Who you play matters.

Consistency matters.

That's why somebody with a relatively modest average can still have a respectable ranking.

Darts matches aren't awarded to whoever has the best season average.

You still have to win the legs.

So don't become obsessed with one number.

Use it as a measure of improvement rather than a definition of how good you are.

Stop comparing yourself with the PDC

Professional darts is brilliant.

It's also a terrible benchmark for deciding whether you're good enough to enter your local tournament.

Those players are at the extreme end of the curve.

That's why they're professionals.

An average that looks disappointing on television can represent an exceptional standard across the wider competitive game.

And an average that looks poor compared with the PDC might actually be completely normal at grassroots level.

So if you're sitting at home averaging 50, 55 or 60 and thinking you aren't good enough to enter a tournament, perhaps think again.

Will you win it?

Probably not.

Could you lose your first match?

Absolutely.

So could everybody else who enters.

Could you compete?

Yes.

You might already be good enough

That's ultimately what I took from looking at these numbers.

There isn't a magic average where somebody suddenly becomes entitled to call themselves a competitive darts player.

You don't need to average 80.

You don't need to average 70.

You don't even need to average 60.

If you want to play competitive darts, enter something.

Find out where you are.

Then try to improve.

And rather than looking 10 or 20 points further up the average table, start with half a point.

Then another half.

Then another.

Because when you stop comparing yourself with the handful of extraordinary players we watch on television and start comparing yourself with thousands of people who actually play competitive darts, things look very different.

You don't have to be amazing to play competitive darts.

You just have to play.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Johnny Haines Hits 115.62 as 77 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 29 September 2026

Tuesday was a big night for grassroots darts, with 77 tournaments added to Q4QS and some seriously good numbers appearing across the country.

The graphic picked out Liam Trotman's 107.36, Joe Quiney's 98.60 and Andy Steed's 96.65, but digging further into the results uncovered even more.

Johnny Haines hit a huge 115.62 in Faringdon, while Tyler Thorpe and Tony Chapman both reached 107.36. There was also a remarkable final at Syston where James Young averaged 105.46 — and still lost to Steve Haggerty, who averaged 104.86.

And with seven WADC Vaults played on Tuesday, there is plenty from the women's game to include as well.

Johnny Haines hits 115.62 in Faringdon

The biggest average I'm picking out from Tuesday came at the Vault at Faringdon Town Football Club.

Johnny Haines produced a superb 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Otto Hookham.

It wasn't just one big performance either. Haines also recorded 96.97 and 91.09 during the night and finished with seven wins.

However, he didn't take the title.

That went to Ash McKeever, who beat Haines along the way and then defeated him 3–1 in the final.

Another good example of why I like looking beyond simply who won each tournament.

A remarkable final at Syston

One of the matches that really caught my eye came at The Brookside in Syston.

James Young averaged 105.46 in the final.

Normally that would be more than enough to win a grassroots tournament.

Not this time.

Steve Haggerty averaged 104.86 and beat him 3–0.

Haggerty had also produced a 102.00 earlier in the tournament.

A 105.46 losing average against a 104.86 is certainly one of the more unusual finals I've seen appear in the Q4QS results.

Liam Trotman hits 107.36 in Portishead

Closer to Q4QS home territory, there was another huge performance at the Tuesday Open at Portishead Workmens Darts.

Liam Trotman hit 107.36 in a 2–0 victory over Max Maggs and also recorded an 88.41.

Trotman eventually lost 2–1 to Logun Godbeer, who went on to reach the final.

The tournament itself was won by Christopher Staples, who beat Godbeer 2–1 and finished the night with nine wins.

Again, the biggest average didn't belong to the eventual champion.

Joe Quiney produces a big night at Bretforton

There was an excellent performance at Bretforton Sports Club near Evesham, where Joe Quiney won the Vault.

Quiney hit 98.60, followed it with other strong numbers and then averaged 95.94 in a 3–0 final victory over Danny Lauby.

Lauby himself reached 89.33 and 88.41 during the competition.

Quiney and Lauby both accumulated seven wins, but it was Quiney who took the title.

Andy Steed impresses again in Tiverton

Andy Steed continues to appear regularly among the stronger Q4QS performances.

At Elmore Football Club in Tiverton, Steed won the Vault with a 96.65 average in his 3–1 final victory over Dave Fisher.

He also recorded 93.94, 88.41 and 85.89 during the tournament and finished with eight wins.

That's a particularly solid set of numbers rather than simply one standout match.

Carl Wilson follows Monday's success with a 101.59

Carl Wilson had a pretty good couple of days.

After winning Monday's PDC UK & Ireland World Championship qualifier, he was back playing a Vault on Tuesday at East Grinstead Social and Ex Services Club.

Wilson won that as well.

He averaged 101.59 in his 3–1 final victory over Dan Russell, having also produced 96.97 and 92.02 during the tournament.

Not a bad follow-up to Monday.

Some big Welsh numbers

There were several excellent performances in the Welsh Vaults.

At Loughor Workingmens Club in Swansea, Lee Evans averaged 104.46 in the final, beating Kai Clark 3–1. Evans also recorded 96.97 and 90.18.

At Lindsay Constitutional Club, Connor Hopkins hit 101.89 and then averaged 98.42 in his 3–2 final victory over Ryan Davies.

And at Vetz Club in Pontycymer, both finalists broke the 100 barrier.

William Thomas hit 103.66, while eventual winner Mike Huntley also hit 103.66 and added another 100.20 during the night before beating Thomas 3–0 in the final.

That's some serious strength across the Welsh events.

Josh McCarthy breaks 100 in Swindon

Josh McCarthy followed Monday's win at North Star in Calne with another title on Tuesday.

This time it came at Wiltshire Darts House in Swindon.

McCarthy averaged 100.20 in the final, beating Rich Griffee 3–0.

He also recorded 93.94 and 92.02 and finished with eight wins.

Two tournament victories on consecutive nights at different venues is a decent couple of days.

Ryan Palmer wins at Widden

At Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester, Ryan Palmer won the Vault with a 3–0 victory over Nigel Vernall.

Palmer finished with seven wins, while Alfie Palmer produced the highest average of the tournament at 85.89.

Andrew Burford reached 79.11, with Ryan Palmer's best listed performance coming in at 76.42.

Ryan Greenslade takes Taunton title

At Darts @ The Lawns, Ryan Greenslade won the Taunton U70 Round Robin Super Series.

Greenslade beat James Wellbelove 4–1 in the final and finished with nine wins.

Ben Hayman produced the highest average of the tournament at 83.50, while Greenslade reached 79.11.

Junior Volts spread across the country

Tuesday was another busy night for the Junior Volts programme.

At Highbridge Social Club, Tai Anderson beat Oliver Reece 3–0 in the final. Bradley Bateman produced the best average there at 70.91.

There were also wins for Rhys Evans at Resolven, Jenson Macey at Gosport, Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris at Cannock, Charlie Lowin at Halesowen, Finley Holmes-Harker at Skegness, Alfie Mills at Gillingham, Archie Isaacson on the Isle of Wight and Joshua Russell at Ogmore Vale.

There were some impressive numbers among them too.

Tyler Shuck reached 91.09 at Halesowen, while Joshua Russell also hit 91.09 at Ogmore Vale.

Harley Glycos produced a 100.20 in the Calstep Wales Newport results.

WADC: seven tournaments on Tuesday

There were seven WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments in Tuesday's results, so there was plenty of women's darts added to Q4QS.

At Shooters in Leominster, Louise Davies beat Karrina Barnes 3–0 in the final. Clare Bywater produced the highest average of the tournament at 60.85.

At The 9 Darter in Port Talbot, Kirsten Casley beat Celyn Saunders 3–0 and averaged 69.37 in the final.

Lisa McClatchey won at London GAA in Ruislip, beating Maggie Sutton 3–0 and averaging 63.51.

At The Church Wicketts in Telford, Alyssya Petty beat Tamzin Warrillow 3–1 and finished with six wins.

Jenny Levett won at The Empire Club in Lancing, beating Tracey Collins 3–1.

At Trebles Darts in North Walsham, Lynsey Childs beat Gemma Reynolds 3–2 in the final, while Reynolds produced the event's best average of 63.61.

And at Wiltshire Darts House in Swindon, Dani Kearns beat Chris Savvery 3–0. Savvery produced the highest WADC average among the seven events at 75.15, while Kearns reached 69.91.

That's seven more women's tournaments feeding into the Q4QS database, covering a good geographical spread and a range of playing standards.

Five performances that caught my eye

If I leave aside the very short-format Shepperton results, which produced some unusually high averages over tiny samples, these are five performances that stood out to me:

1. Johnny Haines – 115.62 — Faringdon
2. Liam Trotman – 107.36 — Portishead
3. Tony Chapman – 107.36 — King's Lynn
4. James Young – 105.46 — Syston
5. Steve Haggerty – 104.86 — Syston

And there are plenty just outside that five: Lee Evans at 104.46, Charlie Little and William Thomas at 103.66, Mike Huntley at 103.66 and 100.20, Connor Hopkins at 101.89 and Carl Wilson at 101.59.

77 tournaments added to Q4QS

Tuesday is becoming one of the most interesting days of the week for the database.

77 tournaments means another substantial batch of matches, averages and player results, ranging from Junior Volts and WADC competitions through to Vaults and local opens.

And Tuesday demonstrated again why Yesterday's Results shouldn't simply be a list of tournament winners.

Johnny Haines hit 115.62 without winning. James Young averaged 105.46 in a final and lost. Liam Trotman hit 107.36 but didn't reach the final.

Those performances are every bit as interesting to me as who lifted the trophy.

That's exactly the sort of thing the growing Q4QS database is allowing me to find.

Joe Hunt Tops Challenge Tour as Tour Cards and Ally Pally Places Are Decided

 

The 2026 PDC Challenge Tour reached its conclusion in Wigan with plenty still on the line going into the final weekend.

Two PDC Tour Cards were available through the final Order of Merit, alongside World Championship opportunities and, for the player finishing number one, a place in the Grand Slam of Darts.

By the end of Sunday, Joe Hunt had completed a superb late charge to finish top, Derek Coulson had secured the second Tour Card and the battle immediately behind them had gone right down to the wire.

Hunt times his run perfectly

Joe Hunt could hardly have picked a better time to hit top form.

He went into the closing weekend chasing Derek Coulson at the top of the standings, but victory in Challenge Tour 22 was followed by another title in Challenge Tour 23.

Hunt began Event 23 with a 5-0 win over Coulson and later produced a 109.56 average against Nathan Rafferty.

By the quarter-finals he was still going strong, edging Jack Aldridge 5-4 before beating Harrison Leigh 5-3 in the semi-final.

That set up a final against Jack Tweddell, and Hunt finished the job in convincing fashion with a 5-1 victory and a 99.48 average.

It was Hunt's fifth Challenge Tour title of the season and took him to £20,400 at the top of the final Order of Merit.

The reward is considerable.

Hunt earns a two-year PDC Tour Card for 2027 and 2028, while finishing number one also gives him a place in the Grand Slam of Darts.

It was a remarkable finish to the season and a reminder of how quickly the Challenge Tour picture can change when somebody strings together a series of deep runs.

Coulson gets the Tour Card his season deserved

For much of the closing part of the season, Derek Coulson had been the man everyone was chasing.

The final Sunday did not go his way, including that first-round defeat to Hunt in Event 23, but the work had already been done.

Coulson finished second on £15,500, comfortably clear of third place, and therefore joins Hunt in earning a two-year PDC Tour Card.

Hunt may have taken the number-one position at the end, but Coulson's consistency across the season ensured he still walked away with the main prize he had been chasing.

Morris and Klose separated by just £200

Behind the top two, things became much tighter.

Tommy Morris finished third on £12,450, with Daniel Klose fourth on £12,250.

Just £200 separated them after 24 Challenge Tour tournaments.

Morris gave himself an important boost in Event 23, beating Steve Lennon 5-3 in the quarter-final with a 98.30 average before losing 5-4 to Jack Tweddell in the semi-final.

Those extra winnings proved extremely important.

The final top four were:

Position	Player	Prize Money
1	Joe Hunt	£20,400
2	Derek Coulson	£15,500
3	Tommy Morris	£12,450
4	Daniel Klose	£12,250

The Challenge Tour also provides World Championship places, although players who qualify through a higher route do not take an additional place from the Challenge Tour allocation.

That matters because Hunt is in position to qualify for Alexandra Palace through the ProTour route.

As things stand, that puts Coulson and Morris into the Challenge Tour World Championship positions, with Klose next in line if Hunt's qualification comes through elsewhere.

For Klose, that could turn a £200 near miss into a World Championship appearance after all.

Williams wins the final event of the season

There was still one more tournament to play after Hunt had made his move at the top.

Challenge Tour 24 went to Patrik Williams.

Williams beat Jenson Remory 5-3 in the quarter-final before edging Sam Jackson 5-4 in the semi-final.

He then defeated Jack Aldridge 5-3 in the final, averaging 94.78.

The £3,000 winner's prize lifted Williams to 14th on the final Order of Merit on £6,600.

Aldridge also finished the season strongly, reaching the final and ending the campaign seventh on £8,150.

Plenty left wondering what one more run might have done

The final standings show just how costly one missed opportunity can be over the course of a Challenge Tour season.

Behind the leading four came Archie Self on £9,500, Tommy Lishman on £8,950, Jack Aldridge on £8,150, Jack Tweddell on £8,050, Daniel Ayres on £7,750 and Aden Kirk on £7,450.

Tweddell's late run was particularly impressive. He reached the final of Event 23 after beating Morris 5-4 in the semi-final before running into Hunt.

But once the season was finished, the biggest prizes had gone to Hunt and Coulson, while Morris and Klose were left separated by only £200.

Across 24 tournaments, that is an incredibly small margin.

One more route to Alexandra Palace

The Challenge Tour season finished on Sunday, but many of the same players were back in action on Monday for the UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder & Associate Member World Championship Qualifier.

This time there was no season-long Order of Merit.

There was one World Championship place available, and the only way to get it was to win the tournament.

That place went to Carl Wilson.

Wilson comes through the field

Wilson had not been one of the headline names going into the qualifier, but that did not matter once play began.

He beat Kevin Lane and Jack Vincent before surviving a very tight 6-5 match against Jack Aldridge.

Wilson then beat Robbie Martin 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

From there, the level of opposition became even tougher.

He defeated former Lakeside world champion Steve Beaton 7-5 and then beat Steve Lennon 7-3 in the semi-final.

That left one match between Wilson and a first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

Standing in his way was Shane McGuirk.

McGuirk falls one match short

McGuirk had put together an excellent run of his own.

He beat Christopher Wickenden in the last 16, Alan Norris in the quarter-final and then Mervyn King 7-5 in the semi-final.

The final was competitive too.

McGuirk produced the higher average, 93.88 compared with Wilson's 89.27, but Wilson won the match 7-4 to secure the World Championship place.

For Wilson, it means a first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

For McGuirk, it was another painful near miss after reaching the final of this qualifier for the second successive year.

Beaton, King and Lennon also go close

There were some very familiar names deep into the qualifier.

Steve Beaton's hopes ended in the quarter-finals against Wilson.

Mervyn King reached the semi-finals before losing to McGuirk, while Steve Lennon made the other semi-final.

Alan Norris, Nick Kenny and Gary Jackson were also among those reaching the last eight.

But this was a tournament where there was only one prize.

Everyone other than Wilson went home knowing they had fallen somewhere short of the one result that mattered.

A weekend that changed careers

The final Challenge Tour weekend and Monday's World Championship qualifier settled a number of major questions.

Joe Hunt finishes the year as Challenge Tour number one, earns a two-year Tour Card and takes a place in the Grand Slam.

Derek Coulson finishes second and earns the other two-year Tour Card.

Tommy Morris has secured his place among the leading Challenge Tour players in the World Championship race.

Daniel Klose finished just £200 behind him and is currently next in line if Hunt qualifies through the ProTour route.

And Carl Wilson produced perhaps the most dramatic story of all, coming through a huge one-day qualifier to book his first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

For some players, the weekend brought the biggest reward of their careers.

For others, an entire 24-event Challenge Tour season came down to a few hundred pounds, one deciding leg or one missed opportunity.

That is how fine the margins can be at this level.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Jayden Walker Hits 100.20 as 29 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 28 September 2026

Monday brought another 29 tournaments into the Q4QS database, with a mixture of Vaults, Junior Volts, restricted-average competitions and the PDC World Championship qualifier.

For me, the grassroots performance of the day came from Salisbury, where junior Jayden Walker hit a superb 100.20 and went on to win the tournament.

Roger Crook also hit 100.20 on his way to winning in Didcot, while Josh McCarthy won a close final at North Star in Calne and Alfie Barney had an excellent night at Clandown.

Jayden Walker breaks 100 in Salisbury

The standout grassroots number of the day came at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury.

Jayden Walker averaged 100.20 in a 3–0 victory over Leo Fowler in the Junior Volts Series 1.

Walker then went on to win the tournament, beating Jacob Stott 3–0 in the final, and finished with 12 wins across the recorded results.

We've seen plenty of promising junior performances appearing in Q4QS, but a three-figure average deserves attention at any level.

Roger Crook wins in Didcot – and hits 100.20

There was another three-figure average at the GWRSA Club in Didcot, where Roger Crook won the Vault.

Crook's best performance was an excellent 100.20 in a 2–0 victory over Simon Goswell. He also recorded an 83.50 and accumulated 14 wins across the results.

Stephen Wilkes also finished with 14 recorded wins, while Preben Krabben reached ten.

Josh McCarthy takes North Star title in Calne

There was a close finish at North Star Club in Calne, where Josh McCarthy beat Scott Mc 3–2 in the final.

McCarthy averaged 80.44 in the decider, having previously beaten Gary Hiscock 3–2 in the semi-final.

Scott Mc actually produced the higher average in the final at 87.82, having also hit 90.18 in a 3–0 semi-final victory over Mitch McCarthy.

So although McCarthy took the title, Scott produced two of the strongest numbers in the knockout stages.

Alfie Barney wins at Clandown

At Clandown Darts Promotions, Alfie Barney put together a strong night in the Monday Under-65 Round Robin.

Barney beat Jayden Osmond 3–0 in the final, hit the tournament's highest recorded average of 77.74 and finished with 16 wins.

Osmond accumulated 14 wins, Freddie Keen 12 and Eddie Hughes ten, with Hughes reaching a best of 75.20.

With 124 matches recorded, there was plenty of darts played at Clandown on Monday.

Carl Wilson secures his World Championship place

Away from the grassroots events, there was a much bigger prize at stake in the PDC UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder & Associate Member World Championship Qualifier.

Carl Wilson beat Shane McGuirk 7–4 in the final to secure the World Championship place.

The biggest average of the entire day's export actually came from Darren Beveridge, who hit 106.09 in a 6–0 victory over Daniel Ayres.

Ted Evetts reached 102.48, while Jack Aldridge recorded 101.60.

Wilson finished with 16 recorded wins across the qualifier.

Strong night across the Welsh Vaults

There were three Welsh Monday Vaults worth picking out.

At Cardigan Rugby Club, Dorian Thomas beat Justin Smith 3–2 in the final.

Both Thomas and Smith reached 93.94 during the tournament, while Danny Williams recorded 91.09. Dorian finished with 12 wins and Justin with ten.

At the Clive Arms in Cardiff, William Thomas beat Edward Manley 3–0 in the final, averaging an excellent 93.94.

Manley also had a strong night, reaching 91.09 and 88.41 and accumulating 14 wins across the results.

At Duffys in Pontypridd, Kurt Parry beat Marc Saunders 3–0, averaging 86.71 in the final. Parry finished with 16 wins and also recorded an 82.47.

Tyler Thorpe wins in Daventry

At Daventry Town Football Club, Tyler Thorpe beat Michael Feasey 3–1 in the final.

Thorpe produced the highest average of the tournament with 90.18 and also recorded 86.78.

Feasey reached 86.71 and accumulated ten wins across the available results.

Two winners in Paignton

There was another busy night at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton, with two sets of Vault results included in the export.

Andy Steed beat Alfie Hutton 3–0 in the final. George Butcher produced the best average at 82.72, Harry Madge reached 81.24 and Steed recorded a best of 80.40.

The second competition went to Chris Tuck, who beat Josh Rose 3–1 in the final.

Kirky Godbeer produced the highest listed average in that event at 72.25, while both Godbeer and Rose accumulated ten wins.

More Junior Volts winners

Salisbury wasn't the only Junior Volts venue in action.

At Barry Town United, Henry Pearson beat Elijah Bishop 3–1 in the final, with Pearson also producing the best average of 67.21.

Zach Joyce won in Milton Keynes, beating Mika Usher-Yu in the final. Usher-Yu produced the best recorded average there at 79.11.

At Lancing, Jamie Johnson beat Morgan McGinty 3–1, while Ethan Yates recorded a best of 75.15.

There was plenty of junior darts again, but Walker's 100.20 in Salisbury was clearly the number that stood out.

A few more Monday winners

There were other performances worth mentioning beyond the headline events.

At the Bullseye Bar in Lichfield, David Hitchman beat Riley Smith 3–0 in the final and recorded an 81.24 during the competition.

At Broadway Social Club, George Humphreys beat Callum Davies 3–1 to win the CEC Heavyweight Championship Evening. Shaun Barnes produced the highest recorded average there at 79.11.

At Legends Sports Bar in Wisbech, Sid Stovold beat Tony Chapman 3–2. Chapman produced the strongest numbers at the event, including 88.24, 87.11 and 85.08.

Five grassroots performances that caught my eye

1. Jayden Walker – 100.20 — Stratford Social Club, Salisbury
2. Roger Crook – 100.20 — GWRSA Club, Didcot
3. Dorian Thomas – 93.94 — Cardigan Rugby Club
4. William Thomas – 93.94 — Clive Arms, Cardiff
5. Scott Mc – 90.18 — North Star Club, Calne

The PDC qualifier sits separately, where Darren Beveridge's 106.09 was the highest recorded average in Monday's complete export.

29 more tournaments into Q4QS

It wasn't as busy as the weekend, but another 29 tournaments still gives us plenty to add to the database.

There were strong performances from established players, plenty of Junior Volts action, competitive Monday Vaults and good nights at venues including Salisbury, Calne, Clandown, Paignton, Didcot and across Wales.

But the number I'll remember from Monday is 100.20 from Jayden Walker.

A junior breaking the three-figure barrier and then going on to win the tournament is a pretty good story to start the week.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Mat Caste Hits 115.62 as 81 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 27 September 2026

Sunday produced one of the biggest Q4QS result days of the week, with 81 tournaments added to the database and some outstanding numbers from around the country.

The headline performance belonged to Mat Caste, who hit a huge 115.62 on his way to winning at the Carlton House Club in Olney. Curtis Hammond wasn't far behind with 111.33 in Ipswich, while Elliott Neary, Andrew Cook, Andy Steed and Stuart Bennett all reached 103.66.

There was plenty closer to home as well. Plymouth produced two of the day's 103.66 averages, Paul Gardiner won again in Taunton and the Junior Volts programme supplied a huge number of results across the country.

Caste combines 115.62 with the title

The biggest individual performance came at the Carlton House Club in Olney, where Mat Caste averaged 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Bill McCloud.

It wasn't simply one big match either. Caste also recorded 98.02 and eventually won the tournament, beating Dean Taylor 3–1 in the final.

He finished the day with eight victories and, for me, that's one of Sunday's clearest standout performances: the highest average anywhere in the Q4QS results and the tournament win to go with it.

Hammond hits 111.33 in Ipswich

There was another huge performance at the Gardeners Arms in Ipswich.

Curtis Hammond hit 111.33 against Kai Garwood and went on to beat Arthur Allston 3–2 in the final.

Allston had an impressive day himself, recording 102.00, 100.20 and 98.93, but Hammond took the title with eight victories.

That's a very strong tournament at the top end, rather than simply a single eye-catching average.

Plymouth produces two 103.66 averages

One of my favourite results of the day came from Legends Lounge in Plymouth.

Andrew Cook and Andy Steed both hit 103.66, Danny Bull reached 96.97, and Mark Gilbery recorded 91.09 twice.

Despite all those numbers, it was Danny Bull who came through to win the tournament, beating Gilbery 3–0 in the final.

Bull and Gilbery both finished with seven wins, with Steed on six. That's a good illustration of the strength we're beginning to see regularly at some of the South West Vault venues.

Paul Gardiner wins again in Taunton

At the Queens Arms in Taunton, Paul Gardiner took the title with a 3–1 victory over Ashley Howe.

Gardiner's best performance actually came in the final, where he averaged 84.18, and he also recorded a 75.07 during the event.

Nigel Hodges hit 83.50 and Lauren Collins 75.15 on another competitive Sunday at the venue.

Wales provides another ton-plus performance

Wales continues to add plenty to these daily reports.

Louis Melville hit 100.20 at the Mile End Inn in Swansea, although the tournament itself went to Jonny Carr, who beat Josh Richards 3–1 in the final.

There was also a 100.20 from Dafydd Roach in the Clwb Emrys Draig Under-66 Finals Day. Roach went on to win that tournament as well, beating Mark Burton 3–2 and finishing with seven victories.

Elsewhere in Wales, Kevin Mills won in Blaenavon with a 92.02 along the way, Timothy Jones took the Briton Ferry Vault and Rhodri Phillips won in Llandysul.

Stuart Bennett joins the 103.66 club

The New Croft in Haverhill produced another performance worth highlighting.

Stuart Bennett averaged 103.66 against Harry Donno, added a 92.90 later in the tournament and then took the title with a 3–1 final victory over Gary Butcher.

Charlie Gambin also broke the ton barrier with 100.20, while Butcher reached 93.94.

Bennett finished with seven wins, making this another case where the big average was backed up by the tournament result.

Elliott Neary hits 103.66

At Ellistown Working Mens Club, Elliott Neary recorded 103.66 and later added an 88.41.

The tournament went to Macy Gibbons, who beat Jack Beasley 3–1 in the final and finished with eight wins.

Leon Baumber also impressed with 92.17 as another Vault produced plenty of depth beyond the eventual winner.

Mike Gillet dominates in Eastleigh

One of the more complete performances came from Mike Gillet at Eastleigh WMC.

Gillet won the tournament with eight victories, beating Jack Seymour 3–0 in the final with a 98.02 average.

His other leading figures included 91.09, two 88.41s and 85.89.

It may not quite have the headline number of Caste or Hammond, but that is a very strong sequence across an entire event.

Another huge Junior Volts day

Sunday was particularly busy for the JDC Junior Volts series, with events staged across the country.

One of the South West winners was Joseph Lauridsen at The Kings Pub in Exeter, beating Aaron Rea 3–0 in the final. Lauridsen hit 83.50 during the event, matching Oliver Hutchings for the best average.

There were also titles for players including Hector Bowers, Jackson Osborne, Reggie Bellott, Alfie Osman, Jack Turner, Freddie Skone, Arjun Sharma, Tyler Shuck and Josh Lloyd.

At The Big Fish in Leigh-on-Sea, Will Fisher produced one of the strongest junior performances of the day, winning the tournament and recording an 86.71.

WADC: four Sunday tournaments

There were four WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments in Sunday's results, so they certainly deserve their own section.

At Highways Sports & Social Club in Colchester, Sophie Shepherd beat Catherine Haley 3–1 in the final.

At Penybanc RFC in Ammanford, Rhian Osullivan beat Alannah Waters-Evans 3–1. Osullivan also recorded an excellent 81.98, although the source data for this event appears to contain some mixed match rows, so I'd be cautious about drawing too much from the wider event statistics.

Bridget McGuire won at the Phoenix Club in Waterlooville, beating Rosie Robinson 3–2 and finishing with five victories. McGuire also produced the three highest listed averages among the women's results there.

Finally, Elizabeth Moss won at The Station in Bognor Regis, beating Susan Ramsay 3–1 and finishing with seven victories.

Four WADC events in a single day's export is another useful addition to the growing women's database.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Mat Caste – 115.62 — Carlton House Club, Olney
2. Curtis Hammond – 111.33 — Gardeners Arms, Ipswich
3. Andrew Cook – 103.66 — Legends Lounge, Plymouth
4. Andy Steed – 103.66 — Legends Lounge, Plymouth
5. Stuart Bennett – 103.66 — New Croft, Haverhill

Elliott Neary also hit 103.66, Tony Chapman reached 102.48, Arthur Allston 102.00, while Dafydd Roach and Charlie Collins both recorded 100.20.

81 tournaments in one day

The scale of Sunday's results is probably the biggest story of all.

81 tournaments means hundreds of players and thousands of individual match results feeding into Q4QS.

There were Vaults, Junior Volts, WADC events, restricted-average competitions, junior tournaments, local opens and league competitions covering a huge geographical spread.

And that's increasingly what I want Yesterday's Results to show.

The winner matters, but so does the player who hits 103 and doesn't win. So does the junior putting together a run of 80-plus averages, the player improving at a regular venue, and the strength of a tournament several rounds before the final.

The bigger the database gets, the more of those stories Q4QS can find.

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World Grand Prix 2026 Preview: Does Double-In Really Change Everything?

The World Grand Prix is one of the tournaments I always find interesting because it asks the players to do something they simply do not have to do anywhere else on the PDC circuit.

Every leg is double-in, double-out.

Before a player can start scoring, they have to hit a double. They then have to finish on one in the usual way.

It sounds like a relatively small change, but we all know what can happen. Miss a few darts trying to get away and your opponent can already be well into the leg before you have scored a point.

The obvious question, though, is how much difference does it really make at this level?

My feeling going into the tournament is perhaps not as much as we sometimes think.

These are elite double hitters

The theory is that the World Grand Prix should favour the better double hitters.

That makes perfect sense.

But we also have to remember who we are talking about. This is a 32-player field made up of elite professionals. There will obviously be differences between their doubling percentages, but every player in this tournament is capable of hitting doubles consistently.

For me, the format probably creates more volatility rather than completely changing who the strongest players are.

If someone misses six darts getting away, suddenly a leg can disappear very quickly. Over a short match, a couple of legs like that can decide everything.

Over the course of a whole tournament, though, I still expect the better players to come towards the top.

We will find out.

Littler and Humphries set the standard again

It is difficult to start anywhere other than Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.

They are currently the top two players in the Q4QS rankings and their recent numbers back that up.

Littler has been producing some extraordinary averages and has won nine of his last ten matches in the database. His World Matchplay run included an event average above 111, which tells you the level he can reach when everything is working.

Humphries remains number one in the Q4QS rankings and continues to produce deep runs and tournament victories.

The double-start format gives everyone another problem to solve, but it is difficult to imagine either player being particularly fazed by it.

Gerwyn Price remains right in the picture

Gerwyn Price is another player coming into the tournament with plenty of strong form behind him.

He is third in the current Q4QS rankings with an average just under 99 and has recently reached a World Matchplay final as well as another televised semi-final.

His opening match against Sebastian Bialecki is one I am particularly interested in.

Bialecki is much further down the established PDC pecking order, but the Q4QS numbers are very positive. He has already won a Players Championship event this season and sits surprisingly high in our current rankings.

If Price starts quickly, his scoring power should give him the advantage.

But this is exactly the sort of tournament where an outsider getting away cleanly while the favourite struggles on the starting doubles can suddenly change everything.

Ross Smith arrives as a recent champion

Ross Smith certainly deserves a mention after winning the recent World Series of Darts Finals.

That is a serious piece of form to bring into another televised tournament.

Smith has also won on the Players Championship circuit this season, so this isn't simply one good weekend appearing from nowhere.

He is capable of producing big averages, he scores heavily and he has just shown that he can put together a complete run against top-class opposition on a major stage.

His opening match against Cameron Menzies isn't straightforward, but Smith comes into the tournament with genuine momentum.

Chris Dobey is one I will be watching

Chris Dobey's recent numbers have been particularly strong.

He sits fifth in the current Q4QS rankings, has won eight of his last ten recorded matches and recently averaged over 105 across a Players Championship run.

He has also produced individual match averages comfortably above 110.

Dobey faces Jermaine Wattimena, who is hardly short of form himself.

Wattimena recently won a Players Championship event and has also won eight of his last ten matches in the database.

That could be one of the best matches of the opening round.

Nijman continues to climb

Wessel Nijman is another player whose numbers keep catching my attention.

He is currently fourth in the Q4QS rankings and has been regularly producing averages around or above the 100 mark.

His opening match against Rob Cross should tell us plenty.

Cross has obviously been there and done it on the biggest stages and has also won on the Players Championship circuit this season.

But Nijman increasingly looks comfortable alongside this level of player rather than simply being someone trying to break into it.

That makes this a particularly interesting first-round match.

Plenty of danger throughout the field

There are a number of other players who could easily have a big week.

Michael van Gerwen remains capable of beating anyone when his game clicks.

Gary Anderson's best performances are still extremely strong.

James Wade has spent a career finding ways of winning matches in formats where pressure and doubling matter.

Kevin Doets has been producing good results and recently reached a Players Championship final.

Danny Noppert continues to put together solid numbers, while players such as Gian van Veen, Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting and Damon Heta make this a very strong field throughout.

There really aren't many comfortable matches.

So how much will double-in actually matter?

This is probably the thing I want to follow most closely throughout the tournament.

My starting position is simple:

It matters, but I don't think it completely changes the hierarchy.

At lower levels of darts, differences in doubling ability can be enormous.

At this level, those differences are much smaller.

The really interesting part may therefore be what the format does psychologically.

One missed dart at double 16 means very little.

Three misses becomes frustrating.

Six misses while your opponent is already halfway down the board becomes pressure.

And once that happens in a short set format, strange things can happen very quickly.

That is probably why the World Grand Prix feels different even if, by the end of the week, many of the familiar names are still standing.

I'll be interested to look back when the tournament is finished and see whether the double-in format genuinely produced more surprises than we would normally expect.

Because there are really two different questions.

Does double-in change individual legs and matches?

Almost certainly.

Does it actually change who the best players are?

I'm not so sure.

This week should give us a pretty good opportunity to find out.

MODUS SUPER SERIES WEEK 9 PREVIEW

 

Another new MODUS Super Series week gets underway, and this looks like a particularly interesting field because there are several very different form lines coming into Portsmouth.

Aden Kirk heads the market and also sits highest of the field in the Q4QS rankings. He is currently Q4QS No.59 with an 88.17 average, and there has been plenty of evidence recently that he can produce considerably more than that. Kirk averaged 90.01 across a run to the last 32 of Challenge Tour 21 and produced individual match averages of 100.20 and 95.67 along the way. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Harry Ward is virtually alongside him in the Q4QS numbers at No.60, and comes into the week following an excellent Challenge Tour 22. Ward reached the semi-finals, winning six matches and averaging 89.85 across the tournament, including a 96.85 in his win over John Henderson. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Radek Szaganski gives the field another player with plenty of experience and arrives with improving Challenge Tour numbers. His last two events produced tournament averages of 87.09 and 86.02, with four wins at Challenge Tour 22. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

But perhaps the most interesting player in the entire field from a Q4QS perspective is Michael Wiles.

Wiles is 10-0 across his last ten recorded matches and has been collecting Vault titles. One recent Clacton victory came with a 94.08 tournament average, while his recent results also contain individual match averages above 107. He may not have the profile of some of the names above him in the market, but his current numbers make him very difficult to ignore. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

There is another strong form line with Petri Rasmus, who comes in after winning the Swedish Open with seven straight victories and an 87.26 tournament average. He has won nine of his last ten recorded matches. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Jeff Smith brings plenty of experience and some strong CDC form. He has reached two recent CDC semi-finals and is 8-2 across his last ten, while Jamie Kelling is another player whose recent local results deserve attention. Kelling is 9-1 in his last ten and has been winning regularly on the Vault circuit, including an Andover title with an 87.51 tournament average. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Gemma Hayter shouldn't simply be overlooked either. Her recent results include a PDC Women's Series semi-final and quarter-final, followed by a final at Fareham. She has won eight of her last ten recorded matches. tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Jamie Atkins, Jim Widmayer and Nico Plovier complete the players for whom I have recent Q4QS data, while Robert Thornton is the one player in this week's field who isn't currently matched in this particular Q4QS export. tournament_narrative_pack_20260… tournament_narrative_pack_20260…

Six to Follow

Aden Kirk
Challenge Tour form includes a 90.01 event average and a 100.20 match.

Harry Ward
Comes straight from a Challenge Tour semi-final, averaging 89.85 across seven matches.

Michael Wiles
10-0 in his last ten with multiple recent Vault titles and some huge scoring numbers.

Petri Rasmus
Swedish Open champion after going 7-0 with an 87.26 tournament average.

Jeff Smith
Two recent CDC semi-finals and eight wins from his last ten recorded matches.

Jamie Kelling
9-1 in his last ten and already collecting Vault titles during a strong recent run.