How Tough Are the Toughest Under-55 Darts Tournaments?

 

At first glance, it sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.

How can an Under-55 average darts tournament be particularly tough?

Surely the whole point is that everybody entering averages below 55?

I've been looking through the Q4QS Tournament Strength database, and these competitions are actually a really interesting part of grassroots darts.

Because Under-55 doesn't necessarily mean somebody can't average 60, 65 or even 70.

It means they don't do it consistently.

And I know that because I'm one of them.

I'm Probably A Good Example

I regularly play in Under-55 competitions myself.

I've hit a 70 average.

I've also hit a 40 average.

That's my problem.

On a good day, I can produce darts well above the level you might expect from somebody playing in an Under-55 competition. On another day, it can disappear completely.

If I could average around 70 every time I played, I quite obviously wouldn't be playing Under-55 darts.

But I can't.

And I'm far from unusual.

There are plenty of players at this level capable of producing a really good match, a really good run or even an excellent tournament. What they haven't necessarily developed is the consistency to reproduce it week after week.

That's one reason these tournaments can be considerably tougher than the name suggests.

What Counts As An Under-55 Tournament?

I've been deliberately cautious with the data for this article.

There are lots of different formats listed in the Q4QS database.

Some open competitions, for example, offer a prize for the furthest-performing Under-55 player. I've excluded those because the tournament itself isn't restricted to Under-55 players.

I've also left out junior competitions, plate competitions and anything where I couldn't establish with reasonable confidence that the main event itself was an average-restricted competition.

That means this isn't necessarily every Under-55 tournament in the database.

It's a selection of the ones I can identify most reliably.

There is another complication: not every organiser determines eligibility in exactly the same way.

Some use a player's recent recorded average. Others use a specified number of previous competitions or performances.

So seeing somebody average 60+ in an Under-55 tournament doesn't automatically mean anything is wrong.

In fact, that's partly the point of this article.

Some Of These Tournaments Are Strong

Once I removed the more ambiguous records, there were still some fascinating Tournament Strength scores.

Remember, Tournament Strength is not a three-dart average. It's the Q4QS measure I use to assess the overall strength of a tournament field using the players and performance information in the database.

Here are some examples from clearly identifiable average-restricted events:

Event	Venue	Q4QS Tournament Strength
ADC Midlands Level Up Core Regional Final	Bagley Sports & Social Club	57.24
ADC South East & London Level Up Core Regional Final	Hotshots Sports Bar	54.69
Under-55 Average Series	The Bullseye Bar, Lichfield	53.62
ADC South East & London Level Up Core Regional Final	The Phoenix Club	53.53
Wobbly's Under-55	49 Club	53.52
ADC South East & London Level Up Core Regional Final	Fareham Social Club	53.41
ADC South Wales Level Up Core Final	Brynmawr Social Club	53.33
ADC South Wales Level Up Core Final	Briton Ferry Workingmen's Club	53.14
Oliver's & Castell Howell U55 Series	Oliver's Sports Bar	52.60

I've deliberately not produced a definitive 'Top 10' here.

Average-restricted events aren't always labelled consistently in the source data, so I'd rather show a collection of examples I'm comfortable with than manufacture a ranking by including events I'm less certain about.

57.24 Is A Serious Field

The one that really caught my attention was the ADC Midlands Level Up Core Regional Final at Bagley Sports & Social Club.

It recorded a Q4QS Tournament Strength of 57.24.

The ADC Level Up format is specifically designed for players at this level. For this event, eligibility was based around a running average of 55 or below, with qualification requirements attached to performances in the Vault system.

Yet the eventual tournament winner averaged 64.61 across the competition.

That, for me, sums this entire subject up.

An eligible Under-55 player produced a tournament performance nearly ten points higher than 55.

There's no contradiction there.

It's simply a player producing a very good day of darts.

The Same Thing Happens At Regular U55 Events

It isn't only the bigger regional finals either.

The Bullseye Bar in Lichfield has run its Under-55 Average Series, with one event in my database reaching a Tournament Strength of 53.62.

Wobbly's Under-55 at the 49 Club reaches 53.52.

The Oliver's & Castell Howell U55 Series also breaks 52.

Those aren't enormous numbers when compared with professional darts, and nobody is pretending they are.

But that's not the comparison I'm interested in.

These are competitions specifically designed for players below a particular established standard, yet they can still assemble surprisingly competitive fields.

A 52-Average Player Isn't Necessarily A 52-Average Player

This is where averages can sometimes be misleading.

Imagine somebody's recent performances look something like this:

48 – 51 – 63 – 46 – 59 – 50

There's some decent darts in there.

There's also enough inconsistency to keep the overall figure down.

Put a room full of players with that sort of profile together and you've got an interesting tournament.

Several of them might produce their best darts on the same evening.

Suddenly the standard of the competition bears little resemblance to what somebody might imagine when they see the words Under 55.

That's certainly how I see my own game.

The fact I've averaged 70 tells you something about what I'm capable of.

The fact I've also averaged 40 tells you rather more about why I'm still eligible for these competitions.

It's About Consistency, Not Ceiling

I think that's probably the biggest thing I've taken from looking at the data.

There is a difference between a player's ceiling and their normal level.

A developing amateur player might have a considerably higher ceiling than their overall average suggests.

The better players simply reach that ceiling more often.

Move further up the darting ladder and the really noticeable difference isn't always one spectacular performance. It's seeing somebody produce the same standard again and again.

A 65 average isn't particularly remarkable if somebody normally averages 65.

It's extremely good if somebody normally averages 50.

And That's Why Under-55 Darts Works

I actually think this is one of the attractions of average-restricted competition.

Turn up at a completely unrestricted open and you could be drawn against somebody operating at an entirely different level.

There's nothing wrong with that — that's open darts.

But restricted competitions give developing players the opportunity to play meaningful matches against people who are broadly around their level.

That doesn't make them easy.

Far from it.

You're potentially facing somebody who normally averages 52 but is perfectly capable of throwing 65 against you.

And if you're unlucky, that's the version that turns up.

Don't Mistake Under-55 For Easy Darts

That's really the conclusion.

Under-55 isn't a ceiling on how well somebody can play.

It's a way of grouping players according to a longer-term measure of their standard.

Within those tournaments there are players capable of producing some very good darts indeed.

The Q4QS Tournament Strength figures illustrate that. An ADC Level Up field has reached 57.24, while a number of other U55 competitions are above 53.

More importantly, we've seen players eligible for these competitions produce tournament performances well beyond the 55 mark.

I know from my own darts how that happens.

Give me the right night and I've shown I can average 70.

Give me another night and I can average 40.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet worked out how to make sure the first player turns up rather than the second.

And I suspect quite a few Under-55 players reading this will know exactly what I mean.

Darts Results 21 September 2026: Robbie Martin Wins in Salisbury as Jayden Walker Impresses

Another busy Monday has gone into the Q4QS database, with 43 tournaments added from 21 September.

There was plenty happening across the South and South West, including Vault 19 action, WADC events and another night of Junior Volts tournaments. For me, one of the performances that particularly caught the eye came from Jayden Walker in Salisbury.

Martin takes the Stratford title

Robbie Martin came through the Vault 19 event at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury, beating Liam Glister 3–1 in the final.

Martin also produced a 93.94 average during the tournament, with Glister reaching the final after another strong night at the venue. Martin recorded eight wins across the event, with Glister winning seven.

There was another South West win at the Junior Volts event held at the same venue.

Jayden Walker beat Jacob Stott 3–0 in the final, but it was the standard of Walker's darts that really stood out. He averaged 92.02 in the final, having also recorded 86.71 and 85.89 during the tournament. He finished the night with seven wins.

That is an impressive set of numbers at junior level and certainly one worth keeping an eye on.

Reeve wins at Bengeworth

Jason Reeve was the winner of the latest Vault 19 event at The Bengeworth in Evesham.

Reeve defeated Antony Allen 3–2 in the final, with Allen having produced the highest average of the tournament at 95.94. Reeve finished with seven wins and Allen six.

More Junior Volts winners

There was plenty of Junior Volts action around the country.

At Highbridge Social Club, Logun Godbeer enjoyed an excellent night, beating Jacob Fear 3–1 in the final and recording ten wins overall. His best average was 79.11.

Elsewhere, Elijah Bishop won at Barry, Mika Usher-Yu took the Milton Keynes event and Ozzy Jowett was the winner in Lancing.

Pearce wins WADC Plymouth event

The WADC events remain part of these daily roundups, and at Legends Lounge in Plymouth it was Anna Pearce who took the title.

Pearce defeated Chrissie Kinnaird 3–1 in the final. Kinnaird produced the night's highest recorded average of 66.80, while Pearce averaged 65.47 in the final itself.

There were WADC titles elsewhere for Nessa Hall in Shrewsbury, Kate Drake in Bletchley, Melissa Crawley in Swansea, Joanne Oldershaw in Newark and Tracey Reeve in Norwich.

Some big numbers elsewhere

Across the wider results, there were several eye-catching averages.

Jack Main produced the highest recorded figure of the day with a 120.24 at The King Alfred in Lowestoft. Lee Evans hit 111.23 in Andover, Kevin Mills recorded 109.98 in Cwmbran, while Paul Rowley, Giri Sreedharan and Jack Walker all reached 107.36.

Closer to the South West, Jack Walker's 107.36 came at The Banckers Draught in Minehead, where he went on to beat Nick Eggbeer 3–0 in the final.

At Paignton, Alfie Hutton beat Andy Steed 3–2 to win at 8 Ball Bar & Sports. Harry Madge supplied the highest average there with 103.66, while Hutton twice recorded 96.97.

Another 43 tournaments into Q4QS

These daily imports continue to build the Q4QS database beyond simply recording who won each tournament. Every new batch adds more results to player records, venue data, rankings, form and head-to-head histories.

Monday was a particularly useful night, with senior grassroots events, Junior Volts and WADC tournaments all adding another layer to the picture.

And from a South and South West perspective, there was plenty to take from it: Robbie Martin winning in Salisbury, Jayden Walker producing an excellent Junior Volts performance, Jason Reeve taking Bengeworth, Alfie Hutton winning in Paignton, Jack Walker winning in Minehead and Anna Pearce taking the WADC title in Plymouth.

Explore more Q4QS data:
Player Profiles | Quest For Q School

Q4QS World Country Rankings: Which Nations Have the Strongest Darts Depth?

 

Which countries currently have the strongest depth in darts?

It sounds like a fairly simple question, but it isn't particularly easy to answer.

We know where many of the world's leading players come from. We also know the countries traditionally associated with producing top-level darts players.

But what happens if we look beyond the very best player from each country?

That's what I wanted to find out with the first Q4QS World Country Rankings.

Rather than ranking countries according to their number one player, I've used the wider Q4QS rankings to measure the strength of the leading group of players representing each nation.

The first results are fascinating.

England and the Netherlands lead the way, but there is very little between them. Ireland and Wales are separated by just three points. The Philippines start sixth in the world, while Japan are ninth.

Further down, Mongolia, Malaysia and China all make the Top 20.

And then there are countries much further down the table where the darts scene may be considerably more developed than the Q4QS data currently shows.

This is very much the starting point.

How I Calculate the Q4QS World Country Rankings

I wanted the rankings to reward two things: quality and depth.

The current Q4QS rankings contain 31,156 players.

I start at the bottom.

The player ranked #31,156 receives one country point. The player immediately above receives two, the next receives three, and that continues all the way to the top.

That means the current Q4QS World #1 is worth 31,156 country points.

For each nation, I then take its 10 highest-ranked identified players and add those points together.

If fewer than 10 players from a country have currently been identified within the Q4QS data, the players available contribute to that country's score.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are treated separately.

I've also removed generic Great Britain and unidentified World entries from the published table. If I can't confidently establish a player's country, I'd rather leave them out than guess.

The idea behind using 10 players is fairly simple.

One outstanding player can demonstrate that a country can produce top-level talent. But that doesn't necessarily tell us how strong darts is beneath that player.

To challenge at the top of these rankings, a country needs depth.

That's what I want the Q4QS World Country Rankings to measure.

Q4QS World Country Rankings – Top 50

Rank	Country	Points
1	England	311,462
2	Netherlands	311,280
3	Germany	310,858
4	Ireland	310,189
5	Wales	310,186
6	Philippines	309,910
7	Scotland	309,730
8	Australia	309,719
9	Japan	309,574
10	Belgium	309,057
11	Czech Republic	307,221
12	Poland	307,217
13	Sweden	306,771
14	Hungary	306,220
15	New Zealand	305,707
16	Austria	302,760
17	Mongolia	301,009
18	Malaysia	299,970
19	China	298,008
20	Italy	293,896
21	Slovakia	289,760
22	Northern Ireland	287,484
23	France	280,852
24	Singapore	274,039
25	Taiwan	264,691
26	Switzerland	247,759
27	Finland	240,391
28	Denmark	227,448
29	Bahamas	219,285
30	Hong Kong	204,308
31	Trinidad & Tobago	202,649
32	UAE	200,310
33	Costa Rica	163,191
34	Iran	147,531
35	Brazil	147,432
36	South Africa	134,338
37	Jamaica	133,164
38	Guyana	131,300
39	Latvia	121,260
40	Gibraltar	114,835
41	Slovenia	110,904
42	Spain	109,204
43	Canada	105,113
44	Chile	102,923
45	Croatia	99,780
46	Macau	96,397
47	India	93,418
48	Norway	88,939
49	Brunei	87,086
50	Thailand	86,961

England Lead, But the Netherlands Are Right Behind

Perhaps unsurprisingly, England start the first Q4QS World Country Rankings at number one.

What is more interesting is the margin.

England's leading 10 combine for 311,462 points, while the Netherlands score 311,280.

That's a gap of only 182 points.

Germany aren't far behind either on 310,858.

Considering these are the combined totals of 10 players, there isn't much separating the leading countries at all.

It also means there is plenty of scope for movement when I update the rankings. This doesn't look like a table where one country is necessarily going to disappear over the horizon.

Ireland Beat Wales by Three Points

If the battle at the top is close, the fight for fourth is almost ridiculous.

Ireland: 310,189.

Wales: 310,186.

Three points.

That's all that separates the two countries after combining the scores of their leading 10 players.

It is one of the things I like about this system. Movement within the individual Q4QS rankings can have an immediate effect on the country table.

There is another incredibly close battle just outside the Top 10.

The Czech Republic start 11th on 307,221, with Poland 12th on 307,217.

This time the difference is four points.

Those are two battles I'll certainly be watching when the next rankings are calculated.

The Philippines Start at Number Six

One of the standout results from the first table has to be the Philippines.

They begin the Q4QS World Country Rankings at number six, ahead of Scotland, Australia, Japan and Belgium.

This is also where using more than one player becomes important.

The Philippines aren't sitting sixth simply because one Filipino player happens to be particularly highly ranked.

There is enough strength further down to produce a combined score capable of competing with some of the most established darts countries in the world.

Having looked more closely at Asian darts recently, perhaps I shouldn't be completely surprised.

But sixth in the world is still quite a statement.

Asia's Strength Goes Much Further Than the Philippines

The Philippines aren't the only Asian country making an impression.

Japan start at #9, putting two Asian nations inside the World Top 10.

Then come Mongolia at #17, Malaysia at #18 and China at #19.

Singapore and Taiwan are both inside the Top 25, with Hong Kong at #30.

Macau, India, Brunei and Thailand also make the Top 50.

It gives the first rankings a very different look from one based solely around the traditional European darts nations.

Asian Countries in the Top 50

Country	World Rank
Philippines	6
Japan	9
Mongolia	17
Malaysia	18
China	19
Singapore	24
Taiwan	25
Hong Kong	30
Macau	46
India	47
Brunei	49
Thailand	50

The Asian Tour and other competitions across the region are giving us far more evidence of the strength developing there.

It's something I intend to keep following.

New Zealand Lead the Next Group

New Zealand also have an impressive starting position at #15, while Australia are already established inside the Top 10 at #8.

Elsewhere, some countries perhaps appear lower than might initially be expected.

France start at #23, Spain at #42 and Canada at #43.

But this is where some caution is needed when interpreting the first edition.

The ranking can only work with the players and results I currently have.

For countries where Q4QS already has extensive coverage, I'm much more confident that we're seeing a good picture of their strength.

Elsewhere, there is still digging to do.

Beyond the Top 50

I don't want the World Country Rankings to stop at number 50.

In fact, some of the countries below the main table could eventually provide the most interesting stories.

Immediately outside the first Top 50 are Bahrain, South Korea, USA, Barbados, Portugal, Lithuania and Argentina.

There are then countries from the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, South America and elsewhere appearing further down.

A low position should not automatically be interpreted as meaning there isn't a substantial darts scene in that country.

It may mean that.

But it could also mean I haven't found enough of it yet.

That's an important distinction.

Kenya Shows Why There Is More Work to Do

Kenya are a particularly good example.

There are Kenyan players beginning to attract attention, yet Kenya currently sit right near the bottom of the wider Q4QS country table.

I don't think the conclusion from that should be that there is hardly any darts being played in Kenya.

The more accurate conclusion is that Kenyan representation within the Q4QS data is currently limited.

There could be domestic competitions, leagues and players that I simply haven't incorporated yet.

Africa in particular is somewhere I want to investigate much more closely.

South Africa are currently #36 in the rankings, while other African nations begin much further down or haven't yet appeared at all.

Finding those results and players is going to be part of developing this project.

If I subsequently discover a substantial source of results from Kenya, for example, and the country climbs dramatically, that doesn't make the original ranking wrong.

It means the Q4QS picture of world darts has become more complete.

Which Countries Haven't I Found Yet?

This might eventually become one of my favourite parts of the rankings.

There are countries with organised darts that don't currently appear in the Q4QS World Country Rankings.

I want to find them.

Africa is an obvious area for further research, but it certainly isn't the only one.

There are developing darts scenes across Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and elsewhere that rarely receive much attention in the mainstream darts conversation.

I'm not going to add countries simply because somebody somewhere owns a dartboard.

I want results.

I want tournaments.

I want players.

And where I can find reliable data, I can start bringing those players into the wider Q4QS picture.

Over time, we may see entirely new countries entering these rankings.

A Ranking That Should Improve With Time

This is important to emphasise with the first edition.

I don't consider the Q4QS World Country Rankings a finished dataset.

Far from it.

Q4QS has grown by bringing together results from different competitions, tours, venues and systems. There is still a huge amount of darts around the world that I haven't reached.

That makes these first rankings a snapshot of what the data currently tells us.

As more results are added and more countries are explored, the rankings should become stronger.

It also means there are two different ways a country might climb.

Its existing players can improve their positions in the Q4QS rankings.

Or I might uncover more of that country's darts scene and discover players who weren't previously represented.

Both are interesting.

What Happens Next?

My intention is to make the Q4QS World Country Rankings a regular feature.

A fortnightly update feels about right to begin with.

That gives enough time for meaningful movement without simply reproducing almost the same table every few days.

Once we have a second edition, I'll be able to start tracking far more than the raw positions.

Which countries have climbed?

Who has fallen?

Who has entered the Top 50?

Is anyone closing on England?

Have Ireland and Wales swapped places?

Are the Philippines still inside the Top 10?

Has another country appeared for the first time?

And, perhaps most interestingly, what have I discovered since the previous edition?

That's where I think this can become much more than another rankings table.

The first edition already gives us England against the Netherlands at the top, three points between Ireland and Wales, four between the Czech Republic and Poland, the Philippines at number six and a significant Asian presence throughout the Top 50.

But there is also another story developing much further down.

There is an enormous amount of darts being played around the world.

I want to find more of it.

And as I do, the Q4QS World Country Rankings will change with it.

Quest For Q School Has a New Facebook Group

 

I've launched a new Quest For Q School Facebook group as another way of following what I'm doing with Q4QS.

The idea isn't to replace the website. In fact, quite the opposite.

I'll use the group to share some of the daily Q4QS content, including Yesterday's Results, rankings, interesting stats, players who have caught my eye and some of the stories coming out of the data.

I'll also post updates when there is something new to read on the site, whether that's a tournament preview, a new ranking feature, the Venue Hub, player rankings or one of the longer Q4QS articles.

You'll still find much more detail here on the website, so the group will hopefully provide a good way of seeing what's new and then following anything that interests you back to Q4QS.

It will also be somewhere I can share updates about the Q4QS Live Vidiprinter and point people towards other Q4QS channels and features as they develop.

I'm not really looking for the group to become another endless stream of competition adverts. There may be occasions when I'll allow something particularly relevant, but the main aim is to build a group around results, players, rankings, statistics and darts stories.

Q4QS is also becoming increasingly international, so you're very welcome wherever you happen to follow or play darts.

If you'd like to join, feel free. And if you know somebody else who might enjoy what I'm doing with Q4QS, you're welcome to invite them too.

Hopefully it becomes another useful part of Quest For Q School as the site continues to grow.

Darts Results 20 September 2026: 80 Tournaments, South West Winners & Standout Averages

 

Another busy Sunday has gone into the Q4QS database, with 80 tournaments added from 20 September.

As usual on a Sunday, there was a huge spread of darts to go through. Vault 19s made up a large part of the programme, but there was also plenty from the junior game, the JDC Foundation Tour and the WADC.

For my South and South West coverage, Plymouth, Gloucester, Taunton, Exeter, Bodmin and Stroud all provided results worth picking out.

Stevenson takes the title in Plymouth

Simon Stevenson won the Vault 19 at Legends Lounge in Plymouth, beating Andy Steed 3–1 in the final.

Stevenson finished with eight wins and produced three separate 91.09 averages during the tournament.

Interestingly, though, the two biggest averages of the event belonged elsewhere. Danny Bull and Darren Pearce both hit 96.97, making them the standout scoring performances from Plymouth.

Steed also had another deep run, finishing with seven wins before being stopped by Stevenson in the final.

Quiney wins at Tuffley

There was another strong result for Joe Quiney, this time at Tuffley Community Association in Gloucester.

Quiney beat Lee Bradley 3–1 in the final and also dominated the top end of the averages.

His best was 89.51, followed by 88.41, 82.17 and 79.11. He finished the event with six wins.

That makes this another useful result to add to Quiney's growing Q4QS record.

Ashley Howe wins in Taunton

At The Queens Arms in Taunton, Ashley Howe came through the Vault 19 event, beating Ryan Greenslade 3–2 in the final.

Howe finished with seven wins, with Greenslade recording six.

The highest average of the tournament came from Dave Fisher with 81.87, narrowly ahead of Jack Walker's 81.24. Paul Gardiner and Nigel Hodges both reached 79.11.

McCready comes through in Hereford

Alec McCready was the winner at Hereford Military Sports & Social Club, defeating Zak Turner 3–2 in the final.

McCready produced a consistent set of numbers along the way, including two 86.71 averages and an 85.40.

The highest average of the tournament belonged to Aiden Johnston, who reached 91.09.

WADC wins in Bodmin and Stroud

I’m continuing to make sure the WADC events get space in these daily round-ups, and there were two winners from the core Q4QS area to highlight.

At Bodmin Band & Social Club, Tracey Hancock beat Courtney Hancock 3–0 in the final. Tracey also recorded the highest average of the event at 60.12.

At Queen Victoria in Stroud, Sarah Wright defeated Jane Price 3–2 to take the title. Price produced the highest average there with 65.35 and also recorded 60.12.

There were other WADC events around the country too, including victories for Susan Power, Kayleigh Brown, Rhian Osullivan and Bridget McGuire.

Junior darts has a very busy Sunday

The junior programme was substantial as well.

At The Kings Pub in Exeter, Joseph Lauridsen won the Junior Volts event with a 3–2 victory over Oscar Yeaman. Aaron Rea produced the best average of the tournament at 81.24.

There were Junior Volts tournaments around the country, alongside four JDC Foundation Tour events.

On the England South Foundation Tour, Woody Wheeler won Event 15, beating Spencer Edwards 5–3, before Tyler Garrett took Event 16 with a 5–4 victory over Harrison Meggitt. Garrett also produced a 93.94 earlier in the day.

In the North, Harley Lewis won Event 15 before Aaron Hustwaite took Event 16. Ben Lundstrom's 93.94 was the best recorded average across those two events.

A few big numbers elsewhere

There were some very strong performances outside the main Q4QS area too.

Jack Seymour hit 111.33 at Eastleigh, while Archie Self produced 109.98 at The Starting Gate in Newbury and went on to win the tournament.

George Whyte reached 104.50 at Nambucca, Lewis Millions recorded 103.66 in Ipswich, and there were several 100-plus performances across the day's Vault programme.

With 80 tournaments added, Sunday was one of the larger daily updates and gives me another substantial batch of results feeding into the Q4QS rankings, player records, venue data, form and head-to-head records.

MODUS Super Series Week 8 Preview: Robertson Leads a Field Packed With Recent Winners

 

The MODUS Super Series moves into Week 8, and once again there is a really interesting 12-player field heading to Portsmouth.

The early market has Scott Robertson at the head of the betting, followed by Reece Robinson and Jake Neale, but this is another week where I think the Q4QS database adds quite a bit of context beyond simply looking at the prices.

Robertson's position certainly isn't difficult to understand. He is comfortably the highest-ranked player in the field according to Q4QS and has produced some outstanding numbers in 2026.

But behind him there are players arriving on winning streaks, recent Vault champions and a few whose latest figures suggest they could be considerably more dangerous than their position in the market might indicate.

As always, this isn't a tipping exercise. The odds are useful because they give us another way of looking at how the field is perceived before a dart is thrown.

And this week there are a few interesting differences between that perception and the recent results.

Robertson sets the standard

Scott Robertson is the clear No.1 in this field according to the Q4QS rankings.

Robertson sits at Q4QS No.39, with an 87.80 Q4QS Average, and has won eight of his latest ten recorded matches.

The standout result is his victory at the Denmark Open & Masters, where he went 8–0 with a 92.50 tournament average. That run included a 103.58 average in beating Neil Duff and a 103.88 against Danny Jansen.

And it hasn't been a case of one exceptional tournament surrounded by ordinary results.

His recent record includes a Swedish Open quarter-final where he averaged 96.62, another Swedish Open semi-final, and a semi-final at the Welsh Open, Masters & Classic.

Robertson is the early 3.75 favourite and, unlike some of the prices I looked at in Week 7, the Q4QS data provides plenty of evidence for why he is at the top of the market.

Johnny Haines arrives 10–0

If we're looking for the strongest current winning sequence, though, we have to talk about Johnny Haines.

Haines is currently 10–0 in the Q4QS database and has won his last two recorded tournaments.

One of those victories came with an excellent 88.09 tournament average, while his individual performances include a remarkable 115.62 match average as well as scores of 92.02 and 90.18.

Go back a little further and the consistency becomes even more apparent.

Before those two victories, Haines had reached a final and two semi-finals. His last five recorded events therefore read:

Semi-final – Semi-final – Final – Winner – Winner.

At 9.50 in the early market, Haines is one of the players whose recent results particularly caught my attention.

Steve West is winning for fun

Then we come to Steve West, whose recent tournament record might be even more impressive.

West's latest five events contain three victories and a final.

He won a Vault 19 event at Fareham with an 88.30 tournament average, including a 105.44 match average against Lloyd Walker. He's now 9–1 across his latest ten recorded matches.

His previous events include tournament averages of 88.24, 85.32 and 84.43, so there is a substantial body of recent scoring form behind that winning record.

West is 9.50 in the early market alongside Haines, and both arrive with significantly stronger recent winning records than many players priced ahead of them.

Lewis Cook brings another strong Q4QS ranking

Lewis Cook is the second-highest Q4QS-ranked player in the field at No.98, with an 83.66 Q4QS Average.

He's also 8–2 recently and has been extremely busy.

Cook won a recent Vault 19 tournament at Legends Sports and Pool Bar with an 80.52 average and then reached another final there. His recent ADC Championship South appearances have also included tournament averages of 83.94 and 79.76.

The early market has Cook at 21.00.

Again, I'm not suggesting that automatically makes him a bet. But when the second-highest ranked Q4QS player in the field is that far down the market, it's certainly worth highlighting in a preview.

Winder has already beaten quality opposition

Scott Winder is another whose price and Q4QS position don't immediately line up.

Winder is Q4QS No.353 and 8–2 recently. More importantly, he has already shown he can win a strong event.

He took ADC Winmau Championship North Event 7, going 7–0, and among his victories was a 5–0 win over Daniel Ayres with a 91.65 average.

There is a caveat here: Winder currently has only five qualifying events in the database, so he doesn't yet have an official Q4QS Average.

But at an early price of 29.00, he's another interesting example of why it's worth looking beyond the headline market.

Whitehead still has a big ceiling

Conan Whitehead hasn't been collecting titles like Haines or West, but there is enough in his numbers to make him interesting.

He's Q4QS No.442 with an 80.47 average and a 7–3 recent record.

His best recent ADC Championship South run came with an 87.83 tournament average, while individual performances include 103.66, 92.49 and 89.83.

The question is consistency. His latest recorded event was much quieter, but the higher-end numbers show what he's capable of producing.

Neale knows how to win

Jake Neale is third in the early market at 7.50, and there is title-winning form in his Q4QS record.

Neale has won two of the five latest events in the database, including a Vault 17 tournament at the County Con's Club where he went 7–0 with an 80.54 average.

His two most recent Vault 18 and 19 appearances have been less successful, however, with averages dropping to 67.98 and 69.79.

That makes him an interesting player to assess this week: there is proven winning form there, but he'll be looking to rediscover the level that produced those earlier titles.

Owens could be better than his ranking suggests

One player whose overall Q4QS numbers need a little context is Jamie Owens.

He's ranked No.3120 with a 72.12 Q4QS Average, but his latest ADC Championship North performances look very different.

Owens averaged 93.53 in Event 6, 85.08 in Event 7 and then reached the quarter-finals of Event 8 with an 85.86 tournament average.

That latest run included a 95.52 average in a 5–2 win over Alan Slater.

Those recent ADC numbers are probably much more relevant to his Week 8 prospects than the overall ranking alone.

The rest of the field

There are some unknowns and smaller samples to consider.

Reece Robinson is second favourite in the early market at 5.50, but the Q4QS database currently has only one event for him. That was the UKDA National Finals, where he averaged 86.58 across two matches and beat Anthony Paul Hitchen with an 87.31 average. That's encouraging, but nowhere near enough data to make a meaningful comparison with players for whom I have dozens of results.

Francesco Basili has shown improvement in Development Tour competition, including a 75.04 event average on his best recent run, while American Chuck Puleo reached the Last 64 of the WDF World Masters, averaging 74.12 across his three recorded matches.

Scott Taylor, meanwhile, has a 7–3 recent record. His latest Vault numbers have been relatively modest, although earlier Challenge Tour performances included event averages of 83.41 and 82.21.

Do the early odds tell the whole story?

The early market has Robertson at 3.75, followed by Robinson at 5.50, Neale at 7.50, Taylor at 8.50, Haines and West at 9.50 and Owens at 10.00.

Further out are Whitehead at 19.00, Cook at 21.00, Basili at 23.00, Winder at 29.00 and Puleo at 34.00.

As with last week's preview, I think comparing those prices with the database is interesting rather than something that needs to turn into betting advice.

Robertson's position at the top is strongly supported by the Q4QS data.

After that, however, it becomes much less straightforward.

Haines is 10–0 and has won his last two. West is 9–1 with three wins and a final among his last five events. Cook is the Q4QS No.98 and arrives 8–2. Winder is also 8–2 and has recently won an ADC Championship event.

That doesn't make any of them more or less likely to win than the prices suggest – but it does show why this Week 8 field deserves a closer look than the market order alone.

Six Players to Follow

Scott Robertson
The benchmark. Q4QS No.39, an 87.80 Q4QS Average and a recent tournament victory averaging 92.50.

Johnny Haines
Perhaps the form story of the week. He's 10–0 and his last five events have produced two semi-finals, a final and two wins.

Steve West
Three wins and a final from his latest five tournaments, with some excellent mid-to-high 80s event averages along the way.

Lewis Cook
The second-highest ranked Q4QS player in the field, currently 8–2 and with a recent Vault 19 victory and final.

Scott Winder
An ADC Championship North event winner who has already shown he can beat strong opposition when he's at his best.

Jamie Owens
His overall numbers disguise some much stronger recent form, including three consecutive ADC Championship North event averages above 85.

A strong Week 8

What I like about this field is that there isn't just one type of contender.

Robertson brings the strongest overall Q4QS numbers. Haines and West bring outstanding winning form. Cook and Winder have strong rankings and recent titles. Owens has suddenly started producing numbers well above his overall database average.

Then there are players such as Robinson where the Q4QS sample is simply too small for me to make any firm assessment yet.

That should make Week 8 particularly useful from a Q4QS point of view too. By the end of the week we'll know considerably more about several of these players.

For now, Scott Robertson sets the standard – but there is enough winning form throughout this field to suggest he won't have things all his own way.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight (week ending 19th September 2026)

 

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

Another week of grassroots darts, and this time my three selections are Steve Boundy, Edward Manley and Ellie Harwood.

Once again, this isn't simply about finding the three highest averages or counting who collected the most trophies. One player reached three finals during the week, another put together three consecutive tournament victories, while the third followed a run to an open Vault final by winning a ladies event the following day.

Three very different weeks — and three players who caught my eye.

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Steve Boundy

Player Profile

Steve Boundy's record shows just how consistently he has performed across the events covered by Q4QS.

He has played 1,043 recorded matches, winning 849 of them for an 81.4% win rate. Across 148 events he has recorded 53 tournament victories, as well as another 14 runner-up finishes and 27 semi-finals. His current form is also excellent, with nine wins from his last ten matches.

Boundy's overall match average stands at 71.62, with a best recorded performance of 100.20. His record includes victories over the likes of Nick Eggbeer, Dom Taylor, Shaun Vernall and Geoff James.

This Week

It was the consistency of Boundy's week that caught my attention.

He reached three finals across the week, winning two of them. After taking the title at Minehead, he reached another final at the Sartan Club before finishing the week with another tournament victory on Saturday night.

That Saturday success required another lengthy run. Boundy beat Sam Wilkes, Cori Wiltshire and Louis Dance before edging Paul Meyer 4–3 in the semi-final. He then defeated Leon Taylor 4–1 in the final to take the title.

It means this wasn't one standout evening. Boundy repeatedly put himself in position to win tournaments across the week.

With 53 recorded tournament victories now on his profile and another two titles added during this seven-day period, his consistency continues to stand out.

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Edward Manley

Player Profile

Few players in the Q4QS database have accumulated a record quite as extensive as Edward Manley's.

Manley has played 1,085 recorded matches, winning an extraordinary 917 of them. That's an 84.5% win rate, while his 163 recorded events have produced 64 tournament victories and 27 runner-up finishes.

He's also currently on a perfect run of 10 wins from his last 10 matches.

His overall average is 75.39, with a best of 107.36. That peak has actually been reached twice — most recently earlier this month against Morgan Dobbs at Duffy's in Pontypridd.

This Week

Manley's week was much easier to describe:

Three nights. Three tournament victories.

He won at Duffy's in Pontypridd, followed it by another Vault victory at County Cons in Cardiff, and then completed the sequence at Splott Albion Pavilion.

The Friday run was particularly impressive.

Manley began with a 91.09 average, before progressing through the tournament and producing 79.71 against Tom Breward, 82.27 in the quarter-final and 81.98 in the semi-final. Liam Forward was waiting in the final, where Manley completed the hat-trick of titles with a 3–2 victory.

Three consecutive Vault titles is impressive enough on its own. Doing it as part of a current 10-match winning streak makes the week even stronger.

Manley was one of the more obvious contenders for this week's three — but sometimes a run is simply too good to overlook.

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Ellie Harwood

Player Profile

Ellie Harwood is perhaps my favourite example this week of why I don't want this feature to become simply a list of serial tournament winners.

Harwood has played 437 recorded matches, winning 251. She has seven tournament victories, ten runner-up finishes, seven semi-finals and 15 quarter-finals from her 81 recorded events.

Most importantly for this feature, her current form reads nine wins and just one defeat from her last ten matches.

Her overall match average is 56.06, while her best recorded performance is 83.50. Her record also contains three victories over Steve Boundy, including averages of 78.00 and 75.58.

This Week

Harwood's two days at Pegasus were exactly the sort of story I was looking for.

First came Friday's Vault 19 at Pegasus 68 Club — an open event.

Harwood progressed all the way to the final, beating Sam Leitch 3–0, Harry Cave 3–1 and Paul Gardiner 3–0 during the knockout stages.

In the final she produced her best average of the knockout run, 69.46, but was edged 3–2 by Ryan Greenslade.

Twenty-four hours later, she was back at Pegasus for the Ladies Round Robin.

This time she finished the job.

Harwood recorded six consecutive victories, including a 71.57 average against Kaye Megit, before beating Sally Chinn 3–0 in the quarter-final, Amy Pearce 3–0 in the semi-final and Shelley Cotterell 3–1 in the final.

So across two days she reached two finals, won one of them and compiled nine victories from ten matches.

That's exactly what I want the Weekly Spotlight to find: not necessarily the week's biggest average or biggest collection of trophies, but a performance that deserves a little more attention.