ADC Vault 19 Finals Preview: Who Will Claim the South West and North Wales MODUS Super Series Places?

 

Two regional finals, two MODUS Super Series opportunities and plenty of players arriving with genuine title-winning form.

This weekend brings the ADC Vault 19.0 regional finals for the South West and North Wales, with both winners earning the opportunity to compete on the MODUS Super Series.

The South West final takes place at Break N Dish in Westbury on Saturday 31 October, followed by the North Wales final at The Goat in Penygroes, near Caernarfon, on Sunday 1 November.

Both competitions will be played over the best of 11 legs throughout, which should provide a rather different challenge from some of the shorter matches players have encountered during the regular Vault season.

I've been looking through the players in the Q4QS Database, examining their recent results, averages and performances against other strong opponents.

There are some interesting contenders in both regions, although I certainly wouldn't rule out a surprise.

South West: Can the form players deliver?

Saturday 31 October | 12 noon | Break N Dish, Westbury

The South West competition has places available for the top 32 qualifiers from the Vault 19 Best 10 Results table.

My supplied entry data includes 26 players, and there is a particularly interesting group near the top of the Q4QS rankings.

Jamie Kay is the highest-ranked player in that data, sitting at Q4QS number 349 with an overall average of 83.25.

Kay's experience outside the Vault circuit could prove useful. He reached the semi-finals of PDC Challenge Tour 24, averaging 82.91 across the event, and has recorded wins against Ted Evetts and Jonathan Kavanagh.

He also reached a quarter-final at the England Masters & Classic, averaging 90.24. If he brings that level of scoring to Westbury, he will be difficult to beat.

But he certainly isn't the only player with strong credentials.

Cooper, King and Palmer arrive in excellent form

Henry Cooper is one of the players who particularly interests me.

The Q4QS Database has him averaging 83.61 overall, and his recent tournament record is impressive.

He won at Portland Social Club with an 83.96 tournament average, reached a final at The Newtown in Poole averaging 88.06, and followed that with another victory at Pegasus 68 Club in Taunton, averaging 86.35.

That's a very encouraging sequence of performances, particularly with nine wins from his last ten recorded matches.

Ricky King is another who appears to be finding his best darts at exactly the right time.

His latest recorded tournament was a victory at The Sandpiper in Christchurch, where he averaged 87.59 across the competition. He also produced a 102.89 match average against Jayden Walker and a 100.20 against Lee Harding.

Those are the sorts of numbers that can make a real difference in a best-of-11 contest.

Then there's Ryan Palmer.

Palmer has been producing some exceptional individual matches at Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester, including averages of 109.98 against Alfie Ryan and 107.36 against Daniel Jeffrey.

His tournament-winning average of 87.62 at Widden is another strong indicator of what he can produce.

With nine wins from his last ten recorded matches, he has a good combination of scoring power and recent results.

Of those three, I find it difficult to separate Cooper, King and Palmer purely on their recent performances.

The Dorset challenge

There is also an interesting rivalry developing around Dorchester Trinity Club.

Liam Blakeley has won multiple Vault 19 events there, including one with an 81.69 tournament average. He has also recorded a victory over Robbie Martin with an 89.31 match average.

Matt Yarrow has been enjoying his own success at the same venue, including a recent tournament win in which he defeated Blakeley.

Yarrow has nine wins from his last ten recorded matches, while Blakeley has eight.

Their records suggest both are comfortable winning matches in competitive fields. Whether either can reproduce that form against unfamiliar opponents will be worth watching.

Don't overlook the wider field

Andy Steed has won at Legends Lounge in Plymouth, averaging 84.19, and has recorded a victory over Simon Stevenson.

David Farmer has ten wins from his last ten recorded matches, although his overall average of 74.89 is below that of the leading contenders.

Darren Herbert has been winning at The Choughs Hotel in Chard, while Steve Boundy has produced good performances at Portishead Workmen's Club.

Jack Walker is another name worth noting following success at Bessellscotts in Bristol, and Finlay Cleave has been reaching the latter stages of tournaments in Devon.

These players might not attract quite as much attention as the leading names, but knockout darts has a habit of producing unexpected results.

Q4QS Six to Follow — South West

1. Henry Cooper — Multiple recent Vault victories, an 83.61 overall average and excellent current form. My narrow statistical preference.

2. Ricky King — Arrives after an 87.59 tournament-winning average at Christchurch, with the ability to produce 100-plus match averages.

3. Ryan Palmer — Perhaps the most explosive scoring figures in the field, including individual matches averaging over 107 and 109.

4. Jamie Kay — Highest Q4QS-ranked player in the supplied field, with valuable PDC Challenge Tour experience.

5. Liam Blakeley — Consistent tournament success in Dorchester and a player who knows how to get through a competitive field.

6. Matt Yarrow — Dark Horse — Nine wins in his last ten recorded matches and a recent victory over Blakeley. Could go further than some expect.

My South West verdict: Cooper, King, Palmer and Kay are the four I would concentrate on, with Cooper just edging my selection on the combination of average, consistency and recent tournament wins. But if Palmer produces his very best scoring, he could be the one they all have to beat.

---

North Wales: A much tighter contest than the rankings suggest?

Sunday 1 November | 1pm | The Goat, Penygroes

The North Wales final is restricted to the top 16 qualifiers from the regional Best 10 Results table.

The supplied Q4QS pack contains 15 names, and there are some very interesting comparisons to make.

Kelson Hughes is the highest-ranked player in the supplied field, sitting at Q4QS number 627.

His recent record is impressive, with tournament wins at The Nelson in Rhyl, Cross Foxes in Prestatyn and Castle Arms in Denbigh.

At Castle Arms, he averaged 80.81 across the event and recorded wins over fellow finalists Richard Martin and Tom Hughes, with match averages of 87.31 and 87.92 respectively.

He has also reached a final at the Keith Woodfine Memorial and a semi-final at Llandudno Conservative Club.

That is a strong run of results across different venues, and it makes Hughes one of the obvious players to watch.

Nash has the numbers to challenge

Terry Nash has the highest established overall average among the players in the supplied North Wales field, at 79.41, narrowly ahead of Richard Rowlands.

He has also won nine of his last ten recorded matches.

His tournament victory at a Vault 19 warm-up event came with an 84.94 average, and he has produced a 100.20 match average against Jake B-Smith.

Nash also recorded a Vault victory at The Angel in Welshpool with an 81.50 tournament average.

That combination of tournament-winning experience and recent form makes him a serious contender.

Jones and Rowlands bring winning experience

Kacey Jones has enjoyed a particularly productive Vault campaign at The Angel in Welshpool.

He has a tournament-winning average of 79.25 in the database, alongside several finals and semi-finals.

He has also recorded a 93.94 match average against Ben McNicholas.

But one of the interesting results in his recent history is a final defeat against Ewan Jones, who beat him 3-2.

Ewan has himself won a Vault event at The Angel, averaging 76.22, and arrives with seven wins from his last ten recorded matches.

Richard Rowlands is another player who deserves attention.

His overall average of 79.56 is the highest of the established figures in this North Wales field.

He has enjoyed success at Clwb Llyn Bach in Porthmadog and reached a final at The Goat, losing to Morgan Nash.

Nine wins from his last ten recorded matches suggest he is in good form, even if his most recent tournament averages have been slightly lower than those of some of his rivals.

Could Dobbins be the danger?

Chris Dobbins is another name I wouldn't dismiss.

He has won at Cefn Social Club in Wrexham, averaging 83.20, and recorded a 94.10 match average against Ian Pettigrew.

His recent results also include success in a cash competition at the Cefn Club.

He may sit below some of the leading contenders in the overall Q4QS rankings, but his better performances are certainly competitive with theirs.

And in a knockout competition, that's often enough to make somebody dangerous.

The Goat connection

There is also a local element worth considering.

Scott Bannerman has reached a Vault final at The Goat, while Morgan Nash has recorded tournament success there, including a victory over Bannerman.

Spud Thomas has also won at The Goat and has nine wins from his last ten recorded matches, although the Q4QS Database does not yet have enough events to publish a fully qualified overall average for him.

Familiarity with the venue isn't a guarantee of success, but it may help a player settle quickly.

Elsewhere, Baz Tym has reached a final at the Royal Oak in Rhyl, Darren Southall has won at Cross Foxes in Prestatyn, and Shaun Thompson has enjoyed success at Groves Sports & Social in Shotton.

There is certainly enough depth here to make this more than a contest between the first few names in the rankings.

Q4QS Six to Follow — North Wales

1. Kelson Hughes — Highest-ranked player in the supplied field, with several Vault wins across different venues.

2. Terry Nash — Strong recent form, an 84.94 tournament-winning average and some excellent individual match performances.

3. Richard Rowlands — Highest established overall average in the field and nine wins from his last ten matches.

4. Kacey Jones — A consistent performer at Welshpool with tournament wins, finals and some impressive scoring.

5. Chris Dobbins — An 83.20 tournament-winning average at Cefn Social Club makes him a genuine threat.

6. Morgan Nash — Dark Horse — Has already won at The Goat, the venue for Sunday's final, and could be a difficult opponent.

My North Wales verdict: I slightly favour Kelson Hughes because of the number of venues at which he has been successful. Terry Nash and Richard Rowlands are very close alternatives, while Chris Dobbins could cause problems for anybody if he reproduces his best form.

One weekend, two big opportunities

What I like about these finals is that they reward players for competing regularly throughout the Vault season, but still require them to produce their best darts when the opportunity arrives.

A high ranking or a strong average might make somebody a favourite, but neither guarantees six winning legs.

And the prize is a significant one.

For the two eventual winners, this weekend could be the start of a very different darts experience on the MODUS Super Series.

I'll be following the results with interest, particularly to see whether the strongest performers in the Q4QS Database justify their form or whether somebody further down the rankings produces a memorable run.

Who are your picks for the South West and North Wales titles?

Analysis based on the Q4QS Database and supplied tournament entry packs. The South West pack contains 26 names and the North Wales pack 15; final official entry lists and draws may differ.

Official tournament pages:

South West Final

North Wales Final

Beat Luke Littler: Can the World Champion Survive 20 Legs? Meet the 24 Challengers

 

Friday 30 October 2026 | Q4QS Preview

Twenty-four hopefuls, up to twenty legs of darts, one world champion and £501,000 waiting for the first person who can beat him.

Netflix's Beat Luke Littler promises to be a rather unusual evening of darts. And while Luke Littler will be the overwhelming favourite every time he steps up to the oche, I'm not at all convinced he will get through the night unbeaten.

Not because I doubt his ability. Far from it. But because of the format.

Each challenger only has to win one leg of 501. There is no opportunity for Littler to recover from a poor leg, no best-of-11 to allow his superior ability to take over, and no second chance if an opponent happens to produce the leg of their life.

And he could have to do it twenty times.

Is Littler actually likely to lose?

This is where things become interesting.

Let's imagine, purely for illustration, that Littler has a 90% chance of winning an individual leg against each challenger.

That sounds pretty comfortable. But his chance of winning twenty consecutive legs would be approximately 12%.

Put another way, there would be around an 88% chance of somebody beating him.

Of course, the challengers aren't all of equal ability, so we can't simply give every contest the same probability. And the calculations assume that the individual outcomes behave independently, which is another simplification.

For comparison:

Challenger's chance per leg	Chance someone wins at least one of 20
5%	64%
10%	88%
15%	96%

These are mathematical examples, not Q4QS predictions.

Richard Osman, who will be providing statistical analysis during the programme, has also suggested that Littler is more likely to lose at least once than survive the entire challenge.

My own early Q4QS analysis points towards several challengers being capable of causing an upset, although the individual probabilities still need further testing.

And there's another important factor: who throws first? In a single leg, that could make an enormous difference.

Meet the 24 challengers

The field is an interesting mixture. Some are familiar names from the competitive darts circuit, while others have far less publicly recorded tournament experience.

Using the Q4QS Database, I've been looking at their recorded performances, recent form and competition histories.

The established competitors

Mitchell Lawrie, 15 – Scotland

One of the outstanding young players in darts and a genuine challenger in a single-leg contest.

Lawrie has a Q4QS average of 90.32 across 31 recorded events, with a highest match average of 109.98.

His 2026 records include victories in JDC, Welsh Open/Masters/Classic and WDF competition. He also produced a 99.82 event average in the JDC Nations Cup.

His experience and scoring ability make him one of the most interesting names in the field.

Fallon Sherrock, 32 – England

The most recognisable challenger and, of course, the woman who made history at Alexandra Palace in 2019.

Sherrock's Q4QS average is 79.68, with a recorded best match average of 102.12.

She's continued competing on the PDC Women's Series, and her 2026 records include a Welsh tournament final, strong Women's Series performances and victories over established international opponents.

If she gets a chance at a double, she certainly won't be unfamiliar with the television cameras.

Ashley Coleman, 29 – England

Another contestant whose competitive experience shouldn't be overlooked.

Coleman has competed on the PDC Challenge Tour and in other high-level competitions.

His Q4QS average stands at 86.35, and his recent records include a 92.88 event average in a World Championship qualifier.

That kind of form makes him a potentially dangerous opponent.

Jacob Gwynne, 27 – England

Gwynne has considerable grassroots tournament experience alongside appearances in PDC qualifying and Challenge Tour competitions.

His Q4QS average is 83.35, and the database shows ten wins from his last ten recorded matches.

Several of his recent results have come from ADC Vault tournaments, where he has demonstrated an ability to win repeatedly.

Jarod Becker, 23 – Germany

Becker brings Development Tour and World Youth Championship experience.

His Q4QS average is 80.38, and his recorded performances include an 88.41 average in a 4–0 victory over Kyen van Strijdonck.

He's accustomed to competitive darts and could take advantage of any hesitation from Littler.

Jayden Walker, 14 – England

Another remarkable young talent, and one with plenty of recorded tournament experience despite his age.

Walker has played 527 matches across 89 events in the Q4QS export, with an average of 79.16 and a highest recorded match average of 121.86.

His achievements include victories in junior competitions and strong performances in grassroots adult tournaments.

The database also records a victory over fellow contestant Bhav Patel.

Jasper Scarrott, 54 – England

Scarrott has experience of the Challenge Tour, ADC competition and MODUS Super Series.

His Q4QS average is 79.27, and he has produced a recorded 91.09 match average in ADC competition.

He also has the distinction of having hit a nine-darter on his MODUS Super Series debut.

David Wawrzewski, 50 – England

A familiar participant in PDC Challenge Tour and Q-School competitions.

Wawrzewski's Q4QS average is 79.46, with several strong performances recorded during the 2026 season.

He also brings considerable competitive experience, something that could be important in a televised one-leg challenge.

Experienced challengers and developing players

Zac Griffiths, 25 – England

Griffiths has competed on the PDC Development Tour and has previously faced Littler.

His Q4QS average is 76.25, and his database record includes several ADC Vault knockout-stage appearances.

Pearse Mackle, 21 – Ireland

Mackle has played on the PDC Development Tour, with recorded victories over players including Henry Coates and Angelo Balsamo.

His database coverage is currently insufficient for an established Q4QS average, but the recorded matches show useful competitive experience.

Bhav Patel, 36 – England

Patel appeared at the 2024 PDC World Championship and has since competed in Challenge Tour and other tournaments.

His Q4QS average is 73.31. His recent results also include a defeat to fellow contestant Jayden Walker.

Katie Sheldon, 22 – Ireland

An established Irish international with PDC Women's Series and WDF experience.

She has a Q4QS average of 66.38 and recorded victories against Kirsty Hutchinson and Phonsawan Whillis.

Sheldon is no stranger to competitive tournament darts.

Lauren Bloomfield, 30 – England

Bloomfield competes on the PDC Women's Series and in other women's events.

Her Q4QS average is 66.13, and she reached the semi-finals of the WADC Red Dragon National Singles Finals in October.

Her tournament experience could prove valuable.

The less familiar names

Zac Spain, 30 – Australia

A professional jockey from Melbourne who has travelled halfway around the world for the opportunity.

Q4QS contains records under his name, including Australian competition and ADC Vault results, although these require identity confirmation before they can be attributed confidently to him.

Tony Cole, 39 – Wales

A bank business adviser whose background makes him one of the more unusual contestants.

Public reports suggest his darts experience has largely been confined to playing at home. With such limited verified competitive information, he's difficult to assess statistically.

Kasey Smith, 16 – England

A young Manchester player relatively new to darts.

There are some Q4QS results under her name, including WADC Vault and junior competition records, although the data is too limited to establish a reliable overall average.

Makinley Cooper-Johnson, 14 – Wales

The Wrexham teenager known as Mighty Mak.

He is among the youngest challengers and an example of the new generation hoping to make a name for themselves.

Q4QS doesn't currently have sufficient verified performance data to rate him.

Taylon Forrester, 18 – England

Known as The Trash Man, Forrester is a Bedford youngster whose story is rather different from the established tournament competitors.

We don't currently have enough verified Q4QS records for a meaningful statistical assessment.

Pwyll ap Llŷr Edwards, 34 – Wales

A Welsh player from Bala who has been playing darts since childhood.

Although there isn't sufficient verified Q4QS data to calculate his form, he has spoken publicly about producing some excellent individual legs.

Théodore Wallich, 23 – France

The French student known as The Moustache Kid.

Having taken up darts comparatively recently, Wallich is another contestant for whom reliable competitive statistics are limited.

Mark Pooke, 57 – England

One of the oldest challengers, but not somebody entirely unfamiliar with professional darts.

Pooke previously competed at the UK Open in 2007 and has a county darts background.

There aren't enough recent verified Q4QS results to judge his current level.

Will Kemp, 30 – England

The Harrogate recruitment consultant known as Tempo Kempo.

Kemp is a relatively recent arrival to competitive darts, and there isn't sufficient verified Q4QS data to produce a reliable performance profile.

Sonny Johal, 29 – England

A former amateur boxer and current driving instructor who has also competed in PDC Challenge Tour events.

His competitive background is worth noting, although we don't currently have a sufficiently reliable Q4QS profile.

Brett Todd, 25 – England

A British Army helicopter technician from Ipswich.

Todd is one of the less documented darts competitors in the field, and we haven't established enough verified match data to estimate his playing standard.

So, will somebody beat Luke Littler?

If Littler were facing these players over longer matches, I'd expect him to win the overwhelming majority.

But this is different.

He only needs to miss a few doubles at the wrong moment. One challenger only needs to produce an exceptional leg. And with the possibility of twenty separate opportunities, that's not something I'd dismiss.

The strength of the field varies enormously, and we don't yet know exactly which twenty players will make the final selection.

But there's enough competitive experience among the challengers to make the prospect of an upset quite realistic.

My feeling is that Littler will probably get beaten at some point during the evening.

Not because he isn't comfortably the best player involved, but because even the best player in the world cannot win every leg of darts.

And that's what makes Friday's programme so interesting.

Who would you back to take one leg off Luke Littler?

---

About the Q4QS statistics

Q4QS averages are calculated using the database's middle-third methodology, reducing the influence of unusually high or low tournament performances. They are not necessarily identical to conventional season-long three-dart averages.

The statistics quoted are drawn from recorded competition data and may not cover every match played. Player identities and records with incomplete coverage have been treated cautiously.

The previously published Q4QS individual one-leg probabilities remain experimental and have therefore not been presented as validated forecasts.

Country Spotlight: Vietnam – From Saigon's Darts Leagues to the Asian Stage

 

This week's Country Spotlight takes me to Vietnam, and I think this could be one of the more interesting countries I've looked at so far.

Not because Vietnam is producing world-class darts players. At least, not yet.

And not because it has a long list of international titles or household names.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Vietnam is interesting because we're looking at a darts nation that is still finding its feet internationally.

There's an established local darts community, players with ambitions to compete overseas, and evidence that the game has been played competitively in the country for considerably longer than many might imagine.

And in September 2026, Vietnam had a representative at the PDC Asian Championship.

That might not sound particularly remarkable when compared with the achievements of Japan or the Philippines.

But every darts nation has to start somewhere.

And I think Vietnam's story is worth telling.

Darts in Vietnam – A Longer History Than You Might Think

I initially expected to find relatively little about the history of darts in Vietnam.

But one of the more interesting discoveries was that organised league darts in Ho Chi Minh City goes back at least to the 2000s.

In 2009, the Saigon International Darts League was already a substantial operation.

At that time, the league reportedly had 16 teams, which is rather more than I was expecting.

And it wasn't simply a case of people getting together for the occasional game in a bar.

There were organised league competitions, established teams and players from numerous different countries.

The international nature of the league was particularly interesting.

Players from Vietnam competed alongside people originally from Britain, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and several other countries.

That mixture probably helped introduce different playing experiences and standards.

Some players had previously competed in county darts or Super League back in Britain.

Others had discovered the sport after moving to Vietnam.

And local Vietnamese players had the opportunity to play against them.

It's a familiar story in some ways.

Darts travels with people.

Someone moves abroad, finds a bar with a dartboard, starts playing regularly, and before long there's a team, a league or a tournament.

But what matters is whether the game begins to develop a life of its own.

And in Vietnam, there's evidence that it did.

Vietnam Was Competing Internationally in 2009

Here's something else I found interesting.

During the summer of 2009, members of the Saigon International Darts League travelled to Canton, China, to compete in an international tournament.

The event involved representatives from Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Now, I'm not suggesting that this was equivalent to today's PDC Asian Championship.

It wasn't.

But it does demonstrate that players based in Vietnam were taking their darts beyond the country's borders well before the modern Asian Tour became established.

And that's an important distinction.

Sometimes we look at a country appearing in a major tournament for the first time and assume that darts has only just arrived there.

But the grassroots game may have existed for years.

It simply hasn't had the international exposure.

Vietnam appears to be a good example of that.

The Saigon International Darts League

One of the central organisations in Vietnamese darts has been the Saigon International Darts League, often shortened to SIDL.

The league has provided an organised structure for players in Ho Chi Minh City.

And from what I've discovered, it's also helped bring together people from very different backgrounds.

Some have played darts for years.

Others started because they happened to visit a bar where a match was taking place.

And some were introduced to the sport by friends.

I rather like that.

Because although I spend an enormous amount of time looking at darts statistics, rankings and tournament results, it's worth remembering that most people start playing simply because they enjoy the game.

Nobody begins by worrying about their Q4QS Average.

They pick up a set of darts, have a throw and hopefully discover something they want to keep doing.

And that's how darts communities grow.

The Vietnamese Players Who Wanted More

One of the most revealing things I found was a series of interviews conducted with Vietnamese players in 2023.

They were asked about their experiences, ambitions and what they thought needed to happen for darts to develop in Vietnam.

And some of their answers were quite revealing.

Nguyen Dai Nhan spoke about wanting to demonstrate that Vietnam had players capable of competing internationally.

He also wanted more places where people could play, more opportunities to practise and a stronger structure for developing the game.

Hoang Minh Nguyen, who was just 18 at the time, had ambitions to compete on the PDC Asian Tour.

He wanted to test himself against stronger opposition and believed Vietnam could eventually produce high-quality players.

Dam Vi Cuong had discovered darts through a Phoenix electronic dartboard in 2016.

He wanted to compete in larger Asian tournaments, although work commitments made travelling difficult.

That last point struck me.

Because it's one thing to want to compete internationally.

It's another to find the time and money to do it.

Most players in developing darts nations aren't full-time professionals.

They have jobs, families and other commitments.

And travelling to tournaments in other countries can be expensive.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn't the standard of your darts.

It's getting the opportunity to play.

A Game for Different Generations

The interviews also introduced a player simply identified as Hung.

He was 69 years old at the time and had been playing darts since 2016.

He enjoyed watching professional darts and wanted to experience playing in a bigger tournament.

But he also valued the social side of the game.

And I think that's worth remembering.

When we talk about growing darts in a country, we often focus entirely on producing the next international star.

But a healthy darts community needs much more than that.

It needs people who play for enjoyment.

People who organise teams.

People who introduce newcomers.

And people who simply turn up every week because they enjoy spending an evening with friends.

Without those players, there isn't much of a foundation for the next generation.

From Watching the PDC to Picking Up Darts

Another player interviewed was Khang Pham.

He had started playing in 2019 after watching a PDC stream in a bar in Ho Chi Minh City.

That led him to take up the game himself.

And by 2023, he was hoping to become one of the leading players in his local league and perhaps try an international tournament.

It's a small example of how the modern professional game can influence darts thousands of miles away.

Someone in Vietnam watches a PDC match.

They become interested.

They start playing.

And eventually they begin wondering whether they could compete at a higher level.

That pathway won't necessarily produce a world champion.

But it helps create interest, participation and ambition.

And those are all things an emerging darts nation needs.

Vietnam Reaches the 2026 PDC Asian Championship

Moving forward to 2026, we come to an important moment.

Hoang Khang Nguyen qualified to represent Vietnam at the PDC Asian Championship.

He earned his place through a national qualifying event.

The championship brought together 64 players from across Asia, including established names from countries with much stronger international darts records.

Vietnam was now represented at one of the region's most important steel-tip competitions.

And although qualification alone doesn't make somebody a leading international player, it does provide an opportunity.

An opportunity to experience the standard required.

An opportunity to play against stronger opposition.

And an opportunity to take that experience back into the domestic game.

For Vietnam, I think that's a positive development.

But I also wanted to see whether we could find any actual match statistics.

And fortunately, Hoang Khang Nguyen appears in my Q4QS Database.

Hoang Khang Nguyen – What the Q4QS Database Shows

My Q4QS Database contains two recorded matches for Hoang Khang Nguyen.

Both were played on 13 September 2026 during the PDC Asian Tour.

He entered Events 27 and 28, immediately before the Asian Championship.

Unfortunately, he lost both matches.

In Event 27, he faced Siik Hwang Wong.

Nguyen lost 4–1, recording a three-dart average of 55.10.

In Event 28, he played Libiao He.

This time he lost 4–2, averaging 54.58.

That gives him an overall recorded match average of 54.84.

It's clearly some way below the standard being produced by the strongest Asian Tour players.

But I think we need to be sensible about how we interpret those numbers.

We're talking about just two matches.

And both were played on the same day.

That's nowhere near enough information to make a reliable assessment of somebody's long-term playing ability.

A player might perform below their usual standard because of nerves, unfamiliar surroundings, travel or simply having a bad day.

Equally, a player might produce an exceptional performance that isn't representative of their normal standard.

That's why I prefer looking at larger samples whenever possible.

Nguyen's Q4QS Statistics

Statistic	Hoang Khang Nguyen
Recorded matches	2
Wins	0
Losses	2
Win percentage	0%
Recorded events	2
Overall match average	54.84
Best match average	55.10
Lowest match average	54.58
Official Q4QS Average	N/A

Nguyen doesn't qualify for an official Q4QS Average because he has only two recorded events.

My system requires a minimum of six tournaments before that figure is calculated.

And I think that's particularly important in this case.

It would be easy to take his 54.84 match average and declare that this represents the standard of Vietnamese darts.

But it doesn't.

It represents two recorded performances by one Vietnamese player.

Nothing more.

And while those performances demonstrate the challenge of competing internationally, they don't tell us how many stronger players might be competing domestically.

Nor do they tell us what Nguyen might achieve with more experience.

What they do provide is a starting point.

And if he continues competing on the Asian Tour, we'll eventually have enough information to see whether his performances improve.

The Gap Between Domestic and International Darts

One of the recurring themes throughout my Country Spotlight series has been the difference between having a darts scene and having an internationally competitive darts scene.

They're not necessarily the same thing.

A country can have hundreds of enthusiastic players, well-supported leagues and regular competitions.

But that doesn't automatically mean it has players capable of challenging the strongest professionals.

The standard required at international level can be a considerable step up.

And I suspect that is one of the challenges Vietnam faces.

Nguyen's two recorded averages were in the mid-50s.

That is some distance below the averages generally needed to progress through the later rounds of Asian Tour events.

But the only way to close that gap is through practice, competition and experience.

Players need to discover where their game stands.

They need to identify the areas they can improve.

And they need opportunities to test themselves again.

I would be far more interested in seeing Nguyen return to the Asian Tour, record a larger number of matches and gradually improve than simply judging him on two defeats.

Because that's how progress can begin.

Soft-Tip Darts and the Asian Influence

Another interesting aspect of Vietnam's darts scene is the influence of electronic darts.

In parts of Asia, soft-tip darts is extremely popular.

Electronic boards can be found in bars and entertainment venues, and they provide a different route into the sport from the traditional steel-tip game.

Dam Vi Cuong's introduction to darts through a Phoenix machine is one example.

And it's worth considering whether electronic darts could help introduce more Vietnamese players to the game.

There's no reason why somebody who begins playing soft-tip darts can't eventually become interested in steel-tip competition.

The games have differences, of course.

But both encourage players to develop their throwing technique, accuracy and competitive instincts.

And perhaps that's another opportunity for Vietnam.

Rather than viewing soft-tip and steel-tip darts as competing versions of the sport, they could both contribute to a growing darts community.

What About Women's Darts in Vietnam?

This is an area where I'd particularly like to see more information.

During my research, I haven't found enough reliable evidence to identify an established group of Vietnamese women competing regularly at major international steel-tip tournaments.

That doesn't mean there aren't women playing darts in Vietnam.

And it certainly doesn't mean there aren't talented female players.

It simply means the available records aren't sufficient for me to make meaningful comparisons.

As the game develops, I hope we'll see more opportunities for women to compete domestically and internationally.

Because the strongest darts nations tend to have opportunities across different sections of the game.

Men's darts, women's darts, youth competition and grassroots leagues all have a part to play.

And if Vietnam wants to build a stronger national darts structure, developing those opportunities could be important.

Does Vietnam Need More Tournaments?

One thing that came through repeatedly in the 2023 interviews was the desire for more regular competition.

And I think that's probably one of the most important issues.

A player can practise for hours.

They can improve their scoring.

They can become one of the strongest players in their local league.

But tournament darts presents different challenges.

There's the pressure of playing somebody you don't know.

The unfamiliar venue.

The waiting around between matches.

And the knowledge that one poor leg might end your tournament.

Those are things that become easier with experience.

If Vietnamese players can access more regular competitive events, they should have more opportunities to develop.

And if those tournaments eventually create pathways into regional and international competitions, the benefits could be considerable.

But there's another challenge.

Someone has to organise them.

Someone has to find venues.

Someone has to attract players.

And someone has to keep everything running.

That's why established local leagues are so important.

They provide the foundation on which bigger competitions can eventually be built.

What Would Progress Look Like for Vietnam?

I don't think it would be sensible to judge Vietnam by whether it produces a PDC World Championship qualifier in the next couple of years.

That would be an enormous leap.

Instead, I'd look for smaller signs of progress.

More Vietnamese players appearing on the PDC Asian Tour.

More players recording enough matches to qualify for official Q4QS Averages.

A gradual improvement in match averages and results.

More domestic tournaments.

And perhaps stronger links between local leagues in different parts of the country.

Those might not sound like particularly glamorous achievements.

But they're important.

Because building a competitive darts nation takes time.

And it usually happens through a series of smaller developments rather than one spectacular breakthrough.

Could Vietnam Follow the Philippines or Thailand?

It's tempting to compare emerging Asian darts nations with countries that have already made progress.

The Philippines has produced numerous internationally competitive players.

Thailand has appeared at the World Cup and produced a PDC World Championship qualifier.

Vietnam isn't at that stage yet.

At least, not on the evidence I've been able to establish.

But that doesn't mean it can't make progress.

The country has a large population, an established urban darts community and players who have expressed ambitions to compete internationally.

The question is whether that interest can be developed into a wider competitive structure.

And whether enough players can access the opportunities needed to improve.

There's no guarantee that will happen.

But there's certainly a foundation worth building on.

Q4QS Darts Nation Rating

Vietnam is one of the more difficult countries I've had to assess.

We have evidence of organised darts going back many years.

We have a domestic league with a long history.

And we now have a player who has reached the PDC Asian Championship.

But we don't yet have a substantial body of verified international results demonstrating the country's overall playing strength.

So I'm going to be fairly cautious with the rating.

Current Strength: 3.0/10

Participation & Depth: 4.5/10

International Achievement: 3.5/10

Future Potential: 6.0/10

Overall Q4QS Nation Rating: 4.25/10

I'm giving Vietnam 4.25 out of 10.

That's a provisional assessment rather than a precise measurement of the country's playing population.

The current international results are limited, and the Q4QS match data is too small to support a strong rating for competitive strength.

But I think the country deserves credit for its established darts community and its recent international representation.

The future-potential score is deliberately higher.

Not because I expect Vietnam to suddenly become one of Asia's leading darts nations.

But because there appears to be an existing foundation, and the game has room to develop.

If we begin seeing more Vietnamese players entering the Asian Tour, and more consistent performances against international opposition, that rating could improve.

Final Thoughts

What I like about Vietnam's story is that it reminds me how much of darts exists beyond the major television tournaments.

We see the World Championship.

We see the Premier League.

We see the leading professionals travelling around the world.

But thousands of miles away, there are people playing league darts in Ho Chi Minh City.

Some are experienced players.

Some are newcomers.

Some simply enjoy an evening with friends.

And others are hoping that one day they'll have the chance to represent their country.

Vietnam has had an organised darts community for many years.

Its players were travelling to international competitions back in 2009.

And in 2026, Hoang Khang Nguyen represented the country at the PDC Asian Championship.

His two recorded Asian Tour matches weren't successful.

But I don't think that should be the whole story.

The important thing is that Vietnam is participating.

And if that participation encourages more players to practise, enter tournaments and test themselves internationally, it could become part of something much bigger.

Vietnam isn't an established international darts power. But it is a country with a darts community, ambition and an opportunity to develop.

And sometimes, that's where the most interesting stories begin.

I'll certainly be keeping an eye on Vietnam in future editions of Country Spotlight.

Because while the statistics might be modest today, it will be interesting to see what they look like in a few years' time.

Yesterday's Darts Results: Alfie Fisken Hits 111.33, Kaya Baysal Wins Again and 62 Tournaments Added – 29 October 2026

Another busy Thursday for grassroots darts, with 62 tournaments added to the Q4QS Database and some excellent performances from players right across the country.

The biggest individual average came from Alfie Fisken, who produced a superb 111.33 in Bletchley. Jonathan Kavanagh wasn't far behind with 104.86 at Hindley, while four other players reached the 100.20 mark.

But, as we often find when looking through these results, the biggest average doesn't always lead to the trophy.

Kaya Baysal continued an excellent couple of days with another tournament victory in Keighley, Mason Hale put together a particularly impressive series of averages in Huddersfield, and Anthony Paul Hitchen came through a substantial competition at Hindley.

Closer to home, Ricky Palmer was back among the winners at Hangar61, while Samuel King collected another Under-70 title.

Alfie Fisken produces the day's highest average

At Hotshots Sports Bar in Bletchley, Alfie Fisken recorded 111.33 against Adam Hefferon, the highest individual match average across Thursday's results.

Fisken also recorded a 91.09 against Kurt Bradnam, making it a very good evening in terms of individual performances.

However, the tournament went to Mat Caste, who defeated Bailey Martin 3–0 in the final and finished with seven victories.

Ben Foster also impressed with averages of 93.38, 91.26 and 91.09.

It's a familiar story, really. The player producing the highest average doesn't necessarily end up winning the competition, but that shouldn't take anything away from Fisken's performance.

Kaya Baysal wins again – and keeps producing the numbers

Kaya Baysal featured prominently in Wednesday's roundup after winning nine matches at Pendle and producing two averages of 100.20.

Well, Baysal was back in the winners' enclosure on Thursday.

This time it was the Division 1 Open competition at Pilky's in Keighley, where Baysal defeated Bobby Haste 4–0 in the final.

There were seven victories altogether, with the leading averages including:

• 95.94 against Ollie Bibby
• 88.14 against Glenn Gibson
• 87.53 against Charlie Devoy
• 85.08 against Gaz Hannan

That's now two tournament victories across two consecutive days in the results, with 16 match wins recorded between them.

We often talk about a player producing one exceptional evening, but backing it up the following day is another achievement entirely.

And that's what makes Baysal's performances particularly interesting.

Mason Hale's consistency stands out in Huddersfield

Another performance that deserves attention came from Mason Hale at Rack Cafe in Huddersfield.

Hale won seven matches and defeated Joe White 4–1 in the final, averaging 96.69 in the deciding match.

But the figures leading up to that final were equally impressive.

Average	Opponent
96.69	Joe White
93.94	Cobi Cartwright
92.02	Brooklyn Coates
85.08	Shaun Hale
83.62	Nolan Pollard

Those are the five leading averages recorded for Hale in the competition.

I think this is one of the strongest performances of the day when you look beyond just the single highest average.

Seven victories, three averages above 90 and a particularly good performance in the final. That's exactly the sort of consistency that wins tournaments.

Anthony Paul Hitchen wins a big competition at Hindley

The Thursday round robin at Hindley Social Club was one of the larger events in the day's results, with 125 matches recorded.

Anthony Paul Hitchen came through to win the competition, defeating Jonathan Kavanagh 4–2 in the final and recording nine victories.

Hitchen produced a 96.97 against Charlie Sinclair and a 93.94 against Brook Waterworth.

Kavanagh recorded the second-highest average of the entire day, 104.86 against Martin Bradbury, and finished with eight victories.

Dan Fingard also produced a 96.97, while Kirk Shepherd recorded 93.94.

That's a lot of good darts in one competition, and Hitchen deserves credit for coming through such a sizeable field.

Ricky Palmer wins at Hangar61

Ricky Palmer was one of the featured winners on Thursday, defeating Martyn Freeman 3–1 in the final of the Thursday Night Round Robin at Hangar61.

Palmer also produced the highest individual average in that competition, 89.72 against Antwon Phillips.

There were some other good performances too. Rich Griffee recorded 88.41 and 87.24, while Brandon Goddard and Robbie Long both reached 85.89.

Brandon Goddard and Corey Oates recorded seven victories apiece, while Palmer finished with five.

It's another reminder that there are different routes through these competitions. Sometimes the player with the most wins isn't the eventual champion, depending on the competition format and results.

Darren Webster wins at Game Shop Darts

Darren Webster won the GSD Thursday competition at Game Shop Darts LTD, beating Kevin Peacher 3–0 in the final.

Webster recorded six victories and produced a 95.94 against Marcus Stubington, along with an 88.29 against Kieran Jefferson.

James Hubbard was another standout performer, recording 100.20 against Darren Massen and 93.94 against Sonny Page.

Hubbard finished with five victories, but Webster was the player who took the title.

South West results: Samuel King wins again

Samuel King made it two tournament victories in successive daily roundups.

After winning at Devizes on Wednesday, King returned to the winners' enclosure at the Deers Leap Under-70 competition, defeating Wayne Millin 4–1 in the final.

King recorded six victories, while Millin led the match-win count with eight.

Dillon Moran produced the highest average of the competition, 85.89 against Lee Judd, and also recorded 84.41.

Lewis Saunders reached 79.11, with six victories of his own.

It was another substantial Under-70 event, with 70 matches recorded, and good to see King continuing his winning form.

John Nelson makes it another winning evening

Another player who followed up Wednesday's success was John Nelson.

Nelson won Thursday's Inbetweener competition, defeating Arun Grewal 3–0 in the final.

He recorded nine victories, with leading averages of 95.94, 92.02, 90.18, 85.08 and 83.50.

That's a particularly strong collection of figures.

After his Tadworth victory on Wednesday, which included two averages above 100, Nelson has now recorded two tournament victories in consecutive daily reports.

The consistency across both evenings is certainly worth recognising.

Women's darts: Crystal Larkin wins at Boundary Park Academy

There was a ladies' round robin included in Thursday's results at Boundary Park Academy, held at Bar 1895 Darts.

Crystal Larkin won the competition, defeating Heidi Heald 2–1 in the final and finishing with five victories.

Heald recorded the highest average in the event, 54.78, and finished with four wins. Larkin's best recorded average was 51.83, while Lottie Tomlin reached 47.71.

There were 19 matches recorded in the competition.

WADC update

I couldn't identify any specifically WADC-labelled competitions among Thursday's 62 tournaments, so there are no confirmed WADC results to report in this roundup.

That doesn't mean there wasn't women's darts taking place, of course, and the Boundary Park Academy ladies' competition deserves its mention.

Junior Volts: six competitions across the country

There were six Junior Volts competitions recorded on Thursday, with some good performances from the younger players.

Location	Winner	Final result
Resolven	Cody Hughes	3–2 v Ashton John
Oldham	Oscar Monkton	3–1 v Matthew Roberts
Buxton	Adam Bines	3–1 v Angus Redfern
Penarth	Dylan Person	3–1 v Leo Driscoll
Manchester	Harrison Doherty	3–2 v Ollie Pollard
Gillingham	Charlie Smith	3–0 v Ralph Burnett

There were several performances worth picking out.

At Resolven, Kenzie Watkins produced a 91.09 average against Ollie Griffiths, the highest individual average among the six Junior Volts competitions. Jack Powell recorded 85.89, while Cody Hughes came through to win the title.

At Manchester, both Charlie Thomason and Harrison Doherty recorded 81.24 averages. Doherty won six matches and the competition, while Thomason also recorded six victories.

Dylan Person recorded 81.24 at Penarth on the way to winning the event, while Adam Bines produced 73.32 and seven victories at Buxton.

Oscar Monkton won six matches at Oldham, recording a best average of 77.08.

And at Gillingham, Charlie Smith won five matches, defeating Ralph Burnett 3–0 in the final.

Once again, it's encouraging to see so many juniors getting regular competitive darts.

More performances worth mentioning

With 62 competitions in the database, there were plenty of other results that deserve recognition.

At Brynmawr Social Club, Ben Bevan defeated Finley Bennett 3–1 in the final, with both players recording seven victories. Paul Jarvis hit a 100.20, while Bennett recorded 96.97, 93.94 and 91.09.

At Cardiff County Conservative Club, Edward Manley defeated John Cotterell 3–1 in the final. Josef Howlett produced the highest average of 91.09.

At Clwb Emrys Circuit 3.0, Lee Hughes won nine matches and defeated Jeff Bass 3–0 in the final, with a best average of 91.09.

At the Rock Avenue Club in Gillingham, George Cressey won seven matches, beating Michael Finch 3–1 in the final. Cressey recorded averages of 95.36, 88.41, 88.30 and 86.64.

And at Credenhill Social & Sports Club, Adam Mitchell won nine matches to take the Sub-60 Series title, defeating Edward Richardson-Morris 3–0.

These are the sort of performances that can easily get overlooked when we're concentrating on the highest averages.

Thursday's ten highest individual averages

Based on the Q4QS daily results report. These are individual match averages, not tournament averages.

Player	Average	Competition
Alfie Fisken	111.33	Hotshots Sports Bar
Jonathan Kavanagh	104.86	Hindley Social Club
Rhys Evans	100.20	Vetz Sports Bar
Paul Jarvis	100.20	Brynmawr Social Club
James Hubbard	100.20	GSD Thursday
Ryan Davies	100.20	Junction Inn
Finley Bennett	96.97	Brynmawr Social Club
Dan Fingard	96.97	Hindley Social Club
Anthony Paul Hitchen	96.97	Hindley Social Club
Mason Hale	96.69	Rack Cafe, Huddersfield

My five standout performances

1. Alfie Fisken: The highest average of the day, 111.33, backed up by a 91.09.
2. Mason Hale: Seven victories, three averages above 90 and a 96.69 in the final.
3. Kaya Baysal: Another title following Wednesday's success, with seven victories and a best average of 95.94.
4. Anthony Paul Hitchen: Nine victories in a competition containing 125 recorded matches.
5. John Nelson: Nine victories and five leading averages between 83.50 and 95.94, following Wednesday's tournament win.

Special mentions to Jonathan Kavanagh, George Cressey, Lee Hughes and Adam Mitchell.

Another 62 tournaments added to Q4QS

Thursday's results were a good mixture of high averages, consistent tournament winners, junior competitions, ladies' darts and the various average-restricted competitions that provide opportunities for players at different standards.

Alfie Fisken's 111.33 was the headline number, but I think Mason Hale's performance deserves just as much attention.

And it's interesting to see Kaya Baysal and John Nelson winning on consecutive days. That's something you don't always notice when looking at tournament results individually, but it becomes apparent when you start following the daily reports.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy putting these roundups together. There are always stories beyond the biggest averages and the most recognisable names.

Another 62 competitions are now part of the Q4QS Database, with more players, matches and performances contributing to the bigger picture of grassroots darts.

Full results, rankings and player statistics are available at QuestForQSchool.

The Forgotten Women of Darts Part 3: Wartime Darts and the First Women's Pairs Champions

 

The Forgotten Women of Darts – Part Three: From Wartime Darts to the Forgotten Champions of the 1950s (1939–1959)

When I started researching the history of women's darts, I expected to find a few interesting stories from the 1930s before moving fairly quickly towards the better-known players of the 1970s.

Instead, the first two instalments uncovered quite a bit more than I anticipated.

We found Eileen Turnage, an 18-year-old from Essex who was beating men in the News of the World competition in 1936.

We discovered Mrs Morgan, who went even further and qualified for the News of the World Grand Finals in 1937.

And then came the remarkable story of a women's tournament attracting around 2,000 entrants in 1938, with its final broadcast by the BBC.

There was even the Queen having a throw at a dartboard, helping bring the game to a much wider female audience.

It seemed that women's darts was beginning to develop something of a following.

But then came September 1939.

Britain was at war.

And that got me wondering what happened to all those women who had been playing darts during the previous decade.

Did they carry on playing? Did the war bring everything to a halt? And when the competitions returned, were women still part of the game?

The answers take us through the 1940s and 1950s, and eventually to two women whose names deserve to be remembered.

When the biggest tournament stopped

By the outbreak of the Second World War, the News of the World Individual Darts Championship had become one of the biggest sporting competitions in Britain.

Hundreds of thousands of players were entering, with local pub winners progressing through area and divisional competitions in the hope of reaching the Grand Finals.

For a darts player at the time, it was about as big an achievement as you could hope for.

But the war brought the competition to a halt.

The News of the World Championship was suspended, and the major competitive structure that had developed during the 1930s was disrupted.

For the women who had been entering alongside the men, that meant losing one of the few established opportunities to compete on a major stage.

And unlike today, there wasn't a separate women's professional circuit or national championship structure waiting to replace it.

But darts itself certainly didn't disappear.

Darts goes to war

One thing that becomes apparent when looking at wartime darts is how widely the game continued to be played.

Servicemen played in army camps, aboard ships and even in prisoner-of-war camps.

Sometimes dartboards and equipment were provided through NAAFI recreational packs.

On other occasions, players made their own equipment.

And when you think about it, darts was almost ideally suited to wartime recreation.

You didn't need a large playing area, a team of eleven or expensive facilities.

Just a board, some darts and somewhere safe to play.

It provided entertainment, competition and probably a welcome distraction from everything else going on.

Darts also continued to feature in fundraising and charity events.

The News of the World even maintained a team of leading darts players who appeared at exhibitions during the war, helping raise money for good causes, including the Red Cross.

So although the major championships had stopped, people were still throwing darts.

But what about the women?

A different world for women

The war changed everyday life enormously.

Women who might previously have been expected to remain largely within traditional domestic roles were suddenly working in factories, transport, agriculture and numerous other occupations.

Many joined the auxiliary services.

Others took on responsibilities that had previously been regarded as men's work.

So it's interesting to consider whether those changes also affected women's opportunities to play darts.

After all, women were now spending time in workplaces and organisations where recreational activities could form part of everyday life.

And darts was already a popular game.

It seems quite possible that women continued playing in factories, clubs and other wartime settings.

But there's an important difference between something seeming likely and being able to prove it.

At present, I haven't found enough reliable records to establish how widespread organised women's darts was during the war.

We know darts continued.

We know women were becoming involved in different areas of working and social life.

But we can't automatically assume that women's competitive darts flourished as a result.

That is something I'd still like to investigate further.

A glimpse of darts in 1940

One small piece of contemporary evidence comes from Cheltenham.

In August 1940, the Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic reported on a sports and fun fair at the Ucal sports ground in Battledown.

The event raised money for the Cheltenham Sportsmen's Ambulance and the General Hospital.

Among the attractions was a darts competition.

Photographs from the event show people gathered around the darts activity, with women among those present.

Unfortunately, the surviving photographs don't establish whether those women actually competed.

So it would be wrong to claim this was a women's darts tournament.

But it does show that darts remained part of community and fundraising activities during the war.

And I suspect that much of the story of women's darts during this period lies in events just like these.

Not necessarily major championships.

Perhaps small competitions organised by factories, social clubs, pubs or local communities.

The sort of competitions that might have appeared in a local newspaper for one week and then been forgotten.

The women who disappeared from the records

Something else has been bothering me as I've worked through this period.

What happened to Miss Champion and Mrs Westlake?

They were the two finalists in that remarkable BBC-broadcast women's competition in 1938.

Approximately 2,000 women had entered, and these two had reached the final.

Miss Champion won.

Yet I haven't been able to establish what happened to either of them afterwards.

Did they continue playing through the war?

Were they still competing in the late 1940s?

Did either win further titles?

I don't know.

And that illustrates one of the difficulties with researching early women's sport.

Some women achieved enough to attract newspaper coverage, but there wasn't necessarily a lasting record of their careers.

Sometimes all we have is a surname and a town.

It makes you wonder how many talented players have simply disappeared from darts history.

Darts comes home

The war ended in 1945, and Britain began the long process of rebuilding.

Darts was part of that return to everyday life.

Leagues and competitions developed again, and the News of the World Championship returned in the 1947–48 season.

The reported number of entrants was extraordinary.

289,866 players.

After years without the competition, there was clearly still an enormous appetite for darts.

And the game was spreading beyond Britain.

Servicemen and women from overseas had encountered darts during the war, while people settling in other countries helped establish clubs and competitions.

The sport was becoming increasingly international.

But although organised darts was recovering, that didn't necessarily mean opportunities for women were improving at the same rate.

Still very much a man's game

One thing that becomes clear when looking at the post-war years is that darts remained overwhelmingly male-dominated.

Pubs were still central to the game, and many established leagues were organised primarily for men.

Women's teams certainly existed, and female interest in darts continued.

But there wasn't anything approaching the same national competitive structure available to women.

In fact, resistance to women joining established leagues would continue well beyond the 1950s.

Darts historian Dr Patrick Chaplin records an example from Lancaster in 1963, when a housewife applied to join a local league and was refused because it was restricted to men.

1963!

That was nearly a quarter of a century after the war had begun.

It demonstrates that the difficulties faced by women weren't simply a feature of the distant pre-war years.

Even as darts became more organised, some of the old attitudes remained.

But things were beginning to change.

A new organisation and new opportunities

In 1954, the National Darts Association of Great Britain was established.

The organisation helped develop competitive darts during a period that doesn't always receive much attention when the history of the sport is discussed.

The 1950s are often overshadowed by the growth of televised darts during the following decades.

But there were important developments taking place.

And in 1958 came a significant milestone for women's darts.

The National Darts Association of Great Britain introduced its first Women's Pairs Championship.

At last, we have another clearly documented national women's competition.

And, importantly, we have the names of the winners.

Joan Adams and Rose Branham — the forgotten champions of 1958

The inaugural Women's Pairs Championship was won by Joan Adams and Rose Branham.

They represented the Workers Club in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Two women whose names will probably be unfamiliar to the vast majority of modern darts supporters.

They were the first winners of a women's pairs competition organised by one of the country's principal darts bodies.

That's a genuine piece of darts history.

I would love to tell you more about Joan and Rose.

How long had they been playing together?

Were they regular league players?

Had they been competing during the earlier part of the 1950s?

And how much attention did their victory receive locally?

Unfortunately, I haven't yet uncovered enough reliable information to answer those questions.

But perhaps that's the point.

We remember the great champions of the television era because their achievements were recorded, filmed and repeated.

Earlier generations didn't always have that advantage.

Joan Adams and Rose Branham deserve recognition for what they achieved in 1958, even if we currently know very little about their wider playing careers.

And I suspect there are other players from that period whose stories are waiting to be found.

A small step, but an important one

It would be easy to look at the introduction of a women's pairs championship and think it was a relatively minor development.

After all, it was just one competition.

But consider where we'd come from.

In the 1930s, women such as Eileen Turnage and Mrs Morgan were entering major competitions against men.

There had been women's events attracting large numbers of entries, but the opportunities were inconsistent.

Then came six years of war, followed by a period of rebuilding.

By 1958, one of the country's major darts organisations was running a dedicated women's championship.

It wasn't equality.

It wasn't a professional tour.

And it certainly didn't mean that female players suddenly enjoyed the same opportunities as men.

But it was another step towards a more organised women's game.

There was now a national title for women to compete for under an established darts organisation.

And that mattered.

The next generation was already playing

While Joan Adams and Rose Branham were winning their championship, another generation of female players was beginning to emerge.

One name we'll be returning to is Loveday King, from Cornwall.

Born in 1935, Loveday began playing darts in 1952, encouraged by her husband Tommy.

At that point, she was simply another woman enjoying the game.

But over the following decades she would become one of the leading female players in Britain, eventually appearing on television and winning a major title.

Her story is particularly interesting because it links the relatively poorly documented women's game of the 1950s with the growing opportunities of the 1960s and 1970s.

And she wasn't alone.

There were women playing good darts around the country, even if most of their names weren't yet appearing regularly in the national sporting press.

The challenge for this series is to find as many of them as possible.

Twenty years of change — but how much progress?

When we look back over the period from 1939 to 1959, it's tempting to describe it as twenty years of steady progress.

But I don't think the evidence really supports that.

The war disrupted the major competitions.

The post-war years saw darts recover and expand, but the game remained largely male-dominated.

Women continued playing, although many still faced restrictions and fewer opportunities than men.

Then, towards the end of the 1950s, we begin to see clearer signs of organised women's competition returning to the national picture.

The 1958 Women's Pairs Championship is an important example.

And perhaps the biggest lesson from these twenty years is that women's darts didn't simply disappear between the 1930s and the television era.

Women were still playing.

They were still competing.

And by the end of the 1950s, some were winning national titles.

We just haven't heard enough about them.

Where do we go next?

We've now travelled from the beginnings of organised darts in the 1920s through the Second World War and into the late 1950s.

And already we've uncovered names that deserve a place in the history of the sport.

Eileen Turnage.

Mrs Morgan.

Miss Champion and Mrs Westlake.

Joan Adams and Rose Branham.

And we've begun to encounter players such as Loveday King, whose careers would become much more prominent in the years ahead.

The next instalment will take us into the 1960s.

Women's darts was still facing obstacles, but opportunities were beginning to develop.

And we are getting closer to the generation that would help transform the women's game during the 1970s.

I'm particularly interested in discovering which women were dominating local leagues and tournaments during this period, long before television began making darts players household names.

Because somewhere between those local competitions and the arrival of the BDO lies another important part of the story.

And I suspect we'll find some more forgotten names along the way.

---

Can you help uncover the forgotten history?

I'm continuing to research the history of women's darts for Quest For Q School.

I'd particularly like to hear from anyone who has information about women's darts during the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s.

Perhaps your mother or grandmother played in a pub team.

Perhaps you have old newspaper cuttings, programmes, photographs or trophies.

Or perhaps you remember some of the women who were competing before the sport became widely televised.

I'd be especially interested in finding out more about Joan Adams and Rose Branham of King's Lynn, winners of the 1958 Women's Pairs Championship.

Even a small piece of information could help uncover another forgotten story.

Please get in touch through Q4QS or the Facebook group.

The Forgotten Women of Darts is an ongoing Q4QS historical series tracing women's involvement in competitive darts from its earliest organised years through to the modern professional game.

---

Sources and Further Reading

The following sources have been used to establish the historical background, tournament developments and individual achievements discussed in this article.

• Dr Patrick Chaplin – A Brief History of Ladies Darts (1937–1997). Research covering women's participation, the post-war development of darts, the formation of the National Darts Association of Great Britain and the inaugural 1958 Women's Pairs Championship.
  https://patrickchaplin.com/2019/05/22/a-brief-history-of-ladies-darts/

• Dr Patrick Chaplin – The News of the World Individual Darts Championship: A History. Background on the suspension of major darts competition during the war, wartime exhibitions, darts among servicemen and the return of the championship in 1947–48.
  https://patrickchaplin.com/2019/05/22/the-news-of-the-world-individual-darts-championship/

• Dr Patrick Chaplin – Loveday King: The First Superstar of Ladies' Darts. Biographical research based on an interview with Loveday King, including her introduction to darts in 1952 and her subsequent competitive career.
  https://patrickchaplin.com/2019/08/22/loveday-king-the-first-superstar-of-ladies-darts/

• Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic, August 1940. Contemporary photographic reporting of wartime community sporting activities, including darts.
  https://cheltlocalhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Graphic_1940_08_Aug.pdf

Research acknowledgement: Particular acknowledgement is given to darts historian Dr Patrick Chaplin, whose extensive work documenting the early history of darts provides important background for this series. The articles are independently written for Quest For Q School, and areas where the historical record remains incomplete are identified accordingly.

Yesterday's Darts Results: Ashton Brown Hits 107.36, Kaya Baysal Wins Nine Matches and 45 Tournaments Added – 28 October 2026

Wednesday was another busy day for grassroots darts, with 45 tournaments added to the Q4QS Database and plenty of good performances across the country.

There were some impressive individual averages, including a 107.36 from Ashton Brown, while Kaya Baysal put together one of the most convincing tournament-winning performances of the day.

Closer to home, Chris Martin won at Purton, Samuel King came through at Devizes, and Joseph Lauridsen enjoyed a very good evening in the Junior Volts competition at Exeter.

The women's competitions also deserve a mention, with Kirsty Jones winning at Evesham and Rhian O'Sullivan producing some excellent darts at Arrows Darts Venue.

And, as usual, there were plenty of competitions where the biggest average didn't necessarily belong to the eventual winner.

Ashton Brown produces Wednesday's highest average

The highest individual average in Wednesday's results came from Ashton Brown, who recorded 107.36 against Darren Davies at the ADC Sanctioned Round Robin at Sartan Club in Bristol.

Brown also produced a 96.97 against Lou Ballantyne, so it certainly wasn't a one-off performance.

However, the tournament went to Ricky Palmer, who defeated Alfie Palmer 4–3 in the final.

Ricky finished with six victories, while Warren Ryan recorded seven, the most in the competition. Cooper Cornish also had six wins.

It's another reminder that producing the best average and winning the tournament are two different things. Both are achievements, but consistency over an evening often makes the difference.

Kaya Baysal's remarkable evening at Pendle

If I were picking the most complete performance of Wednesday, Kaya Baysal would be very difficult to overlook.

At Pendle Super Series 3, Week 5, held at Nelson Poultry Social Club, Baysal recorded nine victories and defeated Michael Pearson 3–0 in the final.

But it's the averages that really stand out.

Average	Opponent
100.20	Jay Link
100.20	Lewis Wainman
95.94	Michael Pearson
93.94	Ian Watson
89.55	Evan Williams

That's two three-figure averages, another two above 93, and nine match victories.

Michael Pearson recorded seven wins and Evan Williams six, but Baysal was the player who came through to collect the title.

One outstanding average is always worth mentioning. Putting together five performances like those in the same competition is something else.

John Nelson doubles up on three-figure averages

John Nelson was another player who combined strong scoring with a tournament victory.

At the RRS8 Open Average competition at Tadworth Social Club, Nelson defeated Aidan Oliver 3–1 in the final and recorded eight victories.

His leading averages were 103.66 against Damien Olver and 100.20 against Billy Titchener.

Wayne Brill also impressed with averages of 96.97 and 91.09, finishing with six victories alongside runner-up Oliver.

Nelson's combination of high averages and eight wins makes this another of Wednesday's strongest performances.

Danny Goddard and Lewis Gurney impress

At The Anchor Inn Vault Break, Danny Goddard defeated Jayden Lee 3–1 in the final.

Goddard recorded seven victories and produced a 103.66 against Lee earlier in the competition. He also had two averages of 85.89, followed by 83.14 in the final.

At TMG Social Club, Lewis Gurney won Wednesday's Money In Money Out competition, defeating Matt Macintosh 3–1.

Gurney finished with eight victories, recording averages of 100.20, 91.09 and 88.41 among his leading performances.

Macintosh also had a good evening, recording seven victories and a 91.09 average.

Both winners deserve credit for doing more than simply producing one big number.

South West highlights: Purton, Devizes and Bristol

There was plenty of activity across the South West, and three competitions in particular caught my attention.

Chris Martin wins at Purton Red House

Chris Martin won the Under-70 Average Round Robin Cash In–Cash Out competition at Purton Red House, defeating Alfie Woolford 4–0 in the final.

Martin finished with seven victories, the same number as Woolford and Wayne Franklin.

Steve Monk produced the competition's highest individual average, 91.09 against Dave Taylor, while Martin's leading averages included 76.42 against Lewis Roze and 75.00 against Jordan Herbert.

With 75 matches recorded, this was a sizeable competition, and Martin did well to come through the field.

Samuel King takes the Devizes title

At the Devizes Town Under-70 Average Round Robin, Samuel King defeated Teddy Sheppard 4–2 in the final, finishing with eight victories.

Sheppard and Steven House both recorded seven wins.

House produced the highest average of the competition, 81.24 against Mike Barton, while Dan Waylen recorded 79.11 and Chris Hiscock reached 76.56.

Again, it was the player who kept winning matches rather than the one with the highest individual average who eventually collected the title.

Ricky Palmer wins in Bristol

At Sartan Club in Bristol, Ricky Palmer won the ADC Sanctioned Round Robin, beating Alfie Palmer 4–3 in the final.

As mentioned earlier, Ashton Brown recorded the day's highest average of 107.36 in this competition.

With 75 matches played and several players recording five or more victories, there was plenty of competitive darts.

Women's darts: Rhian O'Sullivan and Kirsty Jones take the titles

There were two ladies' competitions in Wednesday's results, and both deserve their own mention.

At Arrows Darts Venue, Rhian O'Sullivan defeated Eve Watson 3–1 in the final of the Ladies Open Tournament.

O'Sullivan finished with six victories and recorded some excellent averages:

• 90.18 against Tia Sterio
• 82.64 in the final against Eve Watson
• 81.29 against Kirsten Casley
• 75.15 against Naomi Doyle

That's a very good collection of performances, particularly the 90.18 and the two further averages above 80.

Watson also recorded an 84.23 and finished with five victories.

Meanwhile, at Evesham Darts Competitions, Kirsty Jones won the Ladies Open, defeating Mhia 'Shotgun' Vernall 3–0 in the final.

Jones finished with five victories, averaging 60.93 in the final, alongside earlier performances of 55.67 and 54.65.

Vernall recorded four wins.

The two competitions had quite different average levels, but that's one of the things I like about grassroots darts. There's room for players at different stages of their development to compete and enjoy success.

WADC update

I couldn't identify any specifically WADC-labelled competitions among Wednesday's 45 recorded tournaments.

However, the two ladies' competitions above were included in the results, so there was certainly women's darts to report. I wouldn't want to label either event as WADC without confirmation.

Junior Volts: seven competitions and plenty of promising performances

Seven Junior Volts competitions appeared in Wednesday's results, including events in Exeter, Newport, Pontypool, Lowestoft, Norwich, Stowmarket and Llantwit Major.

Venue	Winner	Final
The Kings Pub, Exeter	Joseph Lauridsen	3–0 v Freddie Pattenden
King Alfred, Lowestoft	Rhys Tonkes	3–1 v Oakley Smith
Llantwit Major RFC	Charlie Greenslade	3–2 v Kyrun Davies
Out Out Bar, Newport	Harley Glycos	3–2 v Nico Adams
Pilcs, Pontypool	Rhys Evans	3–1 v Archie Bourne
Pinches Cue Club, Norwich	Max Adderson	3–2 v Theo Fiddy
The Bull Room, Stowmarket	Harvey Stringer	3–0 v Taylor Hayward

Joseph Lauridsen wins eight matches in Exeter

Joseph Lauridsen's victory at The Kings Pub in Exeter was one of the standout junior results.

He defeated Freddie Pattenden 3–0 in the final, finishing with eight victories, and recorded averages of 75.47 against Lewis Woods and 68.32 against Jamie Clyburn.

Aaron Rea also enjoyed a good evening with six victories.

Harley Glycos impresses in Newport

At Out Out Bar, Harley Glycos defeated Nico Adams 3–2 in the final.

Glycos recorded five victories and produced averages of 85.92 against Liam Cook and 85.89 against Cruz Adams.

Interestingly, Liam Cook also appears as the winner of the Season 6 Series at Next-Level Darts Academy, where he defeated Glycos 2–1 and recorded a 100.20 against Hayden Morgan.

It's encouraging to see these young players putting in strong performances across different competitions.

Other junior performances

At Pontypool, Rhys Evans recorded seven victories, while Archie Bourne produced an 81.33 average.

At Norwich, Theo Fiddy recorded an 81.24, although Max Adderson won the competition.

At Stowmarket, Harvey Stringer won seven matches, while Leo Dale produced an 81.24.

And at Lowestoft, Parker Gillings recorded the highest average of 75.15, with Rhys Tonkes eventually taking the title.

There's a lot more to junior darts than just the biggest averages. Regular competitive experience, learning to win close matches and getting through difficult games are all important parts of development.

More winners from Wednesday's competitions

There were plenty of other performances worth picking out from the 45 tournaments.

At Bedlinog Rugby Football Club, Jack Davies defeated Bryan Flew 3–0 in the final. Flew recorded a 100.20, 96.97 and 93.94, but Davies took the title.

At the Goat Penygroes Vault Break, Alex Williams won seven matches and defeated Jac Owen 3–1 in the final. Williams recorded 91.09, 86.71, 85.89 and 84.08 among his leading averages. That's another good example of consistency.

Lee Hughes won eight matches at the Rack & Flight Club in Treorchy, defeating Ben Hunt 3–2 in the final and recording a best average of 93.94.

At Oliver's Sports Bar, Louis Melville collected ten victories, the most by any player in an individual competition highlighted in Wednesday's report. He defeated Liam Hughes 3–0 in the final, with a leading average of 93.94.

And at The Progressive Club, Marc Page recorded nine victories, defeating Jason Clarke 3–0 in the final. Gav Smith produced the highest average there, 103.66.

Other winners included Stuart Dutton at Bradmoor Farm, Jamie Tyas at Top Tee, Ross Hales in the Aylesbury Midweek Plate, Phil Day at the Red Lion Paulton Under-55 competition, and Adam Bines in the Wednesday Under-65 Series.

Wednesday's ten highest individual averages

These are the highest recorded individual match averages from the daily results, including repeat appearances where a player achieved the same figure more than once.

Player	Average	Competition
Ashton Brown	107.36	ADC Sanctioned Round Robin
John Nelson	103.66	RRS8 Open Average
Danny Goddard	103.66	Anchor Inn Vault Break
Gav Smith	103.66	Progressive Round Robin
Euan Preece	102.38	Shooters Bar
Bryan Flew	100.20	Bedlinog Vault Break
Kaya Baysal	100.20	Pendle Super Series
Kaya Baysal	100.20	Pendle Super Series
John Nelson	100.20	RRS8 Open Average
Steve Coote	100.20	Royal Lounge Vault Break

These are individual match averages, not tournament averages.

My five standout performances

1. Kaya Baysal: Nine victories, two 100.20 averages and three more performances between 89.55 and 95.94.
2. Ashton Brown: Wednesday's highest average of 107.36, backed up by a 96.97.
3. John Nelson: Eight victories, two three-figure averages and the Tadworth title.
4. Rhian O'Sullivan: Six victories, a 90.18 and two more averages above 80 on the way to winning the Ladies Open.
5. Joseph Lauridsen: Eight victories at Junior Volts Exeter, including a 3–0 final victory.

Special mentions to Danny Goddard, Lewis Gurney, Alex Williams and Louis Melville.

Another 45 tournaments added to Q4QS

Wednesday was another good illustration of just how much grassroots darts is taking place.

There were some excellent averages, particularly from Ashton Brown, but I think Kaya Baysal's performance probably gets my vote for the day.

Two averages above 100, another three approaching that level, nine victories and the title. That's an impressive evening.

It was also good to see two women's competitions in the results, seven Junior Volts events, and plenty of Under-55, Under-65 and Under-70 competitions providing opportunities for players across different standards.

And that's really what these daily roundups are about. Not just the players hitting the biggest numbers, but recognising the people who are getting out, competing and winning matches at every level.

Full results, rankings and player statistics are available at QuestForQSchool.