50,000 Simulations: Who Gets the Final Women’s World Championship Places?

 

The final PDC Women’s Series weekend is here, with four events remaining and three World Championship places still to be decided through the Women’s Series Order of Merit.

There is one major complication, though.

Beau Greaves is miles clear at the top of the standings on £34,700, but she is also in contention to qualify for the World Championship through the main PDC route.

That means there are effectively two possible qualification scenarios.

If Beau needs to use her Women’s Series place, only two other women qualify alongside her.

If Beau qualifies through another route, her Women’s Series place passes down and three other women qualify.

So I ran the final four Women’s Series events 50,000 times.

The current standings

After Women’s Series 20, the leading positions are:

Pos	Player	Prize Money
1	Beau Greaves	£34,700
2	Lisa Ashton	£17,050
3	Fallon Sherrock	£11,650
4	Gemma Hayter	£9,100
5	Deta Hedman	£7,300
6	Vicky Pruim	£7,250
7	Trina Gulliver	£5,600
8	Jade Gofford	£5,500
9	Rhian O’Sullivan	£5,500
10	Karolina Ratajska	£5,450

The final weekend consists of four events, with £2,500 to the winner of each tournament, meaning a maximum of £10,000 can still be added by one player.

How the simulation works

I used the 81-player final-weekend entry field and the latest Q4QS player data.

That matters because this is not a random 50/50 draw simulation.

Player strength, current average and recent form are built into the model.

For example, Beau Greaves is comfortably the strongest player in the field on the current Q4QS numbers, with a 91.69 average, while Lisa Ashton is at 80.40, Fallon Sherrock 79.94 and Gemma Hayter 78.61. tournament_narrative_pack_20261… tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

The four remaining tournaments were then played out 50,000 times using the Women’s Series prize structure.

Because the field is smaller than usual this weekend, the model also takes account of the PDC bye rule rather than simply assuming every player earns Last-64 money automatically.

Scenario One: Beau Greaves needs her Women’s Series place

If Beau does not qualify for the World Championship through another route, she takes one of the three Women’s Series places.

The 50,000 simulations then give:

Player	Current Prize Money	World Championship Chance
Beau Greaves	£34,700	100.00%
Lisa Ashton	£17,050	100.00%
Fallon Sherrock	£11,650	94.81%
Gemma Hayter	£9,100	4.91%
Vicky Pruim	£7,250	0.23%
Rhian O’Sullivan	£5,500	0.02%
Karolina Ratajska	£5,450	0.02%
Aileen de Graaf	£4,900	0.01%

That makes the picture relatively clear.

Beau and Lisa are effectively safe.

The main battle is between Fallon Sherrock and Gemma Hayter.

Sherrock is a strong favourite

Sherrock starts the weekend on £11,650, giving her a £2,550 advantage over Hayter.

The simulation has Sherrock retaining a World Championship place in 94.81% of runs.

That is a very strong position.

She does not need to win one of the remaining events.

She simply needs to avoid a disastrous weekend combined with a major run from Hayter.

Sherrock also comes into the weekend in good form, with a recent Women’s Series title and several deep runs in the Q4QS database. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

Hayter still has a route

Gemma Hayter’s chance comes out at 4.91% if Beau needs her Women’s Series place.

That may sound small, but with four events remaining it is still meaningful.

A title is worth £2,500.

A final is worth £1,000.

So one big tournament combined with an early Sherrock exit could quickly tighten the gap.

Hayter has also shown enough recent form to make that possibility believable, including a recent final and strong Women’s Series performances. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

Scenario Two: Beau qualifies through the main PDC route

This is where the story changes completely.

If Beau qualifies for the World Championship through the main PDC system, she no longer needs a Women’s Series invitation.

Her place then passes down to the next eligible player.

In that scenario, three other women qualify.

The probabilities become:

Player	World Championship Chance if Beau Qualifies Elsewhere
Lisa Ashton	100.00%
Fallon Sherrock	99.99%
Gemma Hayter	88.80%
Vicky Pruim	7.31%
Rhian O’Sullivan	1.43%
Karolina Ratajska	1.37%
Aileen de Graaf	0.52%
Trina Gulliver	0.20%
Kirsi Viinikainen	0.09%
Angela Kirkwood	0.07%

This is probably the more interesting qualification race.

If Beau gets in elsewhere, Hayter goes from an outsider to an overwhelming favourite for the extra Women’s Series place.

Hayter becomes the key player

Under this scenario, Hayter qualifies in 88.80% of simulations.

That is a huge shift.

Instead of needing to chase down Sherrock for the final available place, she is effectively defending a position of her own.

The most likely challenger becomes Vicky Pruim, who reaches the World Championship in 7.31% of simulations.

That is still a long way behind Hayter, but it is enough to make the final weekend worth watching.

Pruim is the main danger

Pruim starts on £7,250.

That is £1,850 behind Hayter.

Over four events that gap can definitely be closed.

Pruim also arrives with some strong recent results, including a title at the Welsh Open, Masters & Classic and a British Open title in the Q4QS data. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

So while Hayter is the clear favourite if Beau qualifies elsewhere, Pruim is the player most likely to take advantage if Hayter has a poor weekend.

O’Sullivan and Ratajska still have outside chances

Rhian O’Sullivan and Karolina Ratajska both remain mathematically alive.

O’Sullivan comes out at 1.43%.

Ratajska is at 1.37%.

Those are small numbers, but neither is impossible.

Both have shown enough form to make a deep run credible.

O’Sullivan has recent title-winning form, while Ratajska reached a Women’s Series final and has continued to produce strong late-season results. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

Deta Hedman’s position is unusual

Deta Hedman sits fifth on the current Order of Merit with £7,300.

However, she is not in the 81-player entry field supplied for this final weekend.

That means her total is effectively frozen in the simulation.

She can still remain above players on the final Order of Merit, but she cannot add to her prize money.

That makes her position especially vulnerable if several players below her make deep runs.

The smaller field matters

The entry numbers are down this weekend, which appears to be influenced by the clash with the WDF English Masters and Classic.

That changes the shape of the tournaments.

With fewer players, the route through the draw is shorter for some entrants, but byes do not simply guarantee higher prize-money credit.

That matters in a simulation like this, because giving every bye recipient automatic Last-64 money would artificially inflate the standings.

The Beau Greaves question

Ultimately, Beau’s situation is the key to understanding the whole race.

If she does not qualify through the main PDC route:

Beau Greaves, Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock are overwhelming favourites to take the three Women’s Series places.

If Beau does qualify elsewhere:

Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock are effectively secure, while Gemma Hayter becomes the strong favourite for the additional place.

That is why I would not remove Beau from the model entirely.

She is still part of the Women’s Series Order of Merit and still affects the qualification picture.

The correct way to treat her is as a conditional qualifier.

Four events to decide it

There is still enough prize money available for the picture to move.

A player who wins one event adds £2,500.

Two titles would add £5,000.

Four titles would add £10,000.

So while the leading probabilities are strong, there is still room for one exceptional weekend to change everything.

The most likely outcome remains clear.

But as the Challenge Tour and Development Tour have already shown this year, a 5% chance is not the same thing as no chance at all.

And with four tournaments remaining, there is still time for somebody to produce the weekend of their season.

Country Spotlight: Malaysia – Can a Rising Darts Nation Challenge Asia's Best?

 

My Country Spotlight series moves away from the Caribbean this week and heads to Southeast Asia.

And this time, I've found a country whose darts story is rather different from some of the nations I've covered recently.

Malaysia.

When people discuss Asian darts, the conversation often turns to Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and, of course, Singapore's legendary Paul Lim.

Malaysia doesn't always receive the same attention.

But after looking through my Q4QS database, I'm beginning to wonder whether that might change.

Because the numbers reveal something interesting.

Malaysia has players capable of averaging over 100, beating established Asian Tour competitors and performing consistently across a substantial number of tournaments.

And this isn't based on one exceptional afternoon.

There are some genuinely impressive results here.

A Country With An International Darts History

Malaysia's involvement in international darts stretches back well before the current PDC Asian Tour.

The country has produced players who have competed in international championships, including the PDC World Championship and World Cup of Darts.

One of the important earlier names is Mohd Latif Sapup, who represented Malaysia at the PDC World Championship in both 2013 and 2014.

Those appearances were significant because they demonstrated that Malaysian players could earn opportunities on the biggest stage in professional darts.

But qualifying for a World Championship and establishing a consistent presence among Asia's leading nations are two different challenges.

And that's where Malaysia's modern story becomes interesting.

The 2025 World Cup – Malaysia Makes History

If there is one moment that deserves particular attention in this article, it's Malaysia's performance at the 2025 PDC World Cup of Darts.

The country had returned to the competition in 2024 after a ten-year absence.

Twelve months later, Malaysia went considerably further.

Represented by Tengku Hadzali Shah and Jenn Ming Tan, Malaysia was drawn alongside Canada and Denmark.

Both matches ended in 4–1 victories for Malaysia.

That meant Malaysia topped its group and reached the last 16 for the first time.

It was a remarkable achievement, particularly considering that Canada entered the tournament as one of the seeded nations.

The run eventually ended with an 8–3 defeat against the Czech Republic.

But Malaysia had made its point.

It could compete on the World Cup stage, and it could beat established darts nations.

For me, this is an important part of the story because it shows that the country's recent progress isn't confined to individual Asian Tour results.

Malaysia has already demonstrated what its players can achieve together.

Norhisame Bin Wahab – Malaysia's Statistical Standout

Now we get to the part of this series I particularly enjoy.

The numbers.

And Norhisame Bin Wahab has some outstanding ones.

My Q4QS database contains 49 matches across 17 events for Bin Wahab.

He's won 32, giving him a 65.3% win rate.

His overall match average is 84.88, while his official Q4QS Average is 84.87.

That's a particularly impressive figure because it's based on a substantial tournament sample.

But his best performances are even more interesting.

Bin Wahab has recorded three averages above 100 in my data.

His highest was 101.90 in a 4–0 victory over Conrad Resuello.

He also averaged 101.25 against Yuta Hayashi and 100.20 against Mohamed Asrul Jeffri Bin Hashim.

Those are serious numbers.

And there are some notable opponents among his victories.

He's beaten Lourence Ilagan three times, averaging 90.92, 92.52 and 94.29 in those matches.

He's also beaten Haruki Muramatsu and Paolo Nebrida.

The latter victory came with a 97.18 average.

In September, Bin Wahab reached the semi-finals of Asian Tour Event 27, defeating Nebrida, Ilagan and Yuta Hayashi along the way before losing to Lok Yin Lee.

That run demonstrated just how competitive he can be against some of Asia's strongest players.

The big question is whether he can turn that standard into regular finals, tournament victories and major international qualification.

The ability is certainly there.

Jenn Ming Tan – World Cup Hero And Asian Tour Contender

If Bin Wahab is the statistical standout, Jenn Ming Tan is another particularly important figure in Malaysia's modern darts story.

He's already helped create history at the World Cup.

And his individual performances are impressive too.

My database contains 53 matches across 22 events.

He's won 31 of them, giving him a 58.5% win rate.

His overall match average is 80.05, with an official Q4QS Average of exactly 80.00.

His best recorded average is 97.18.

Interestingly, that came in a 4–1 victory over Bin Wahab himself.

Tan has also beaten Alexis Toylo while averaging 91.91, Christian Perez and Gilbert Tulawan.

Those results tell me that he's capable of competing with the established names on the Asian circuit.

And he continued to demonstrate that ability at the 2026 PDC Asian Championship.

Tan reached the quarter-finals, recording victories over Abdul Qahar Ukail and Jizhou Li before losing to Noel Malicdem.

His last-ten match average in my data is 81.21, slightly higher than his overall figure.

Again, that suggests a player who is maintaining a competitive standard rather than relying on occasional exceptional performances.

One thing I particularly like about Malaysia's leading two players is that they provide genuine competition for one another.

Bin Wahab has the higher Q4QS Average.

Tan has the World Cup experience and a strong international record of his own.

That can only be positive for Malaysian darts.

Siik Hwang Wong – More Quality Beneath The Leading Pair

Another player worth examining is Siik Hwang Wong.

Wong has played 15 matches across eight events in my database, winning seven.

That gives him a 46.7% win rate.

His overall match average is 71.22, while his official Q4QS Average is 71.59.

His best performance was particularly impressive.

89.00 in a 4–3 victory over Silverio Magadan.

He's also beaten Alain AbiAbi, John Ray Sajol and Odkhüü Khundaganai.

Wong's results have been more variable than those of Bin Wahab and Tan, and he has suffered some difficult defeats.

But there is clearly an ability to produce competitive performances.

He also represented Malaysia at the 2024 PDC World Cup, alongside Mohd Nasir Bin Jantan.

So he's another player with international experience, rather than simply a name appearing in Asian Tour results.

Tengku Shah – Experience And A High Scoring Standard

Tengku Hadzali Shah is another particularly interesting figure.

His international darts involvement stretches back many years, including appearances in Asia-Pacific competition long before the current PDC Asian Tour became established.

And, of course, he was part of Malaysia's historic 2025 World Cup team alongside Jenn Ming Tan.

My database contains only six matches across four events for Shah.

That's not enough to qualify for an official Q4QS Average.

But the figures are intriguing.

His overall match average is 77.29, with a best of 86.78.

He's recorded victories over Christopher Low and Mohd Nasir Bin Jantan, averaging above 80 in both matches.

His defeats include matches against Paul Lim, Christian Perez and Alain AbiAbi.

So although the sample is small, there's enough to suggest that Shah remains capable of competing at a respectable standard.

And his experience provides something that statistics alone cannot measure.

He's been involved in Malaysian darts across different eras, different formats and different international competitions.

That makes him an important part of the country's story.

Kuala Lumpur And The Growth Of Asian Darts

There's another reason Malaysia deserves attention.

It's not simply producing players.

It's also helping provide opportunities for international competition.

Kuala Lumpur hosted four PDC Asian Tour events in May 2025, and the circuit returned to Malaysia in 2026.

That matters.

One of the biggest challenges for darts players outside Europe is access.

Travelling internationally to compete regularly can be expensive.

And without regular high-standard competition, improving becomes much more difficult.

Hosting Asian Tour events gives Malaysian players opportunities to compete against established names without having to travel across the continent every time.

It also brings international players into Malaysia, raising the visibility of the sport.

For a developing darts nation, that can be every bit as important as one outstanding result.

What The Q4QS Numbers Tell Us

Looking at the four Malaysian players whose profiles I've examined, there's a clear pattern.

Player	Matches	Win %	Q4QS Average	Best
Norhisame Bin Wahab	49	65.3%	84.87	101.90
Jenn Ming Tan	53	58.5%	80.00	97.18
Siik Hwang Wong	15	46.7%	71.59	89.00
Tengku Shah	6	33.3%	Not qualified	86.78

The most important figures, for me, are the first two.

Bin Wahab and Tan have played 102 matches between them, across a combined 39 tournament entries.

Both have official Q4QS Averages of at least 80.

That's not a small sample.

And both have beaten recognised Asian Tour opposition.

However, there is a gap between those two and the next players in this particular selection.

Wong has shown considerable ability, while Shah has experience and a strong scoring level in a smaller sample.

But I would like to see more players consistently producing averages in the mid-70s and above.

That would make Malaysia a much more formidable nation.

It's also worth remembering that these four profiles are not a complete census of Malaysian darts.

Other players may be performing well outside the events captured by my database.

Can Malaysia Challenge Asia's Leading Nations?

This is where things become particularly interesting.

The Philippines has developed considerable strength across the PDC Asian Tour.

Japan continues to produce internationally competitive players.

Hong Kong has an established darts tradition and a growing group of challengers.

Malaysia is trying to establish itself within that company.

And the evidence suggests it has the quality to do so.

Bin Wahab's performances show that Malaysia has a player capable of averaging over 100 and beating recognised Asian opposition.

Tan has already helped the country reach the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Wong and Shah provide additional experience and competition.

And hosting Asian Tour events gives Malaysian players valuable opportunities to develop.

The challenge is turning that individual quality into sustained success.

More players competing regularly.

More deep tournament runs.

More Asian Tour finals.

And, ultimately, more appearances at the World Championship.

Looking Ahead

I think Malaysia is in an interesting position.

It has already made history at the World Cup.

It has players producing averages that would be competitive in many tournaments around the world.

And it has a place within the developing Asian darts structure.

But there is still plenty of room to improve.

For Bin Wahab, the challenge is converting excellent scoring performances into tournament titles and further major opportunities.

For Tan, it's building on his World Cup success and continuing to compete among Asia's leading players.

For Wong, it's finding greater consistency.

And for the wider Malaysian darts scene, it's producing more players capable of competing at that level.

The foundations are there.

Now comes the difficult part.

Turning potential into sustained international success.

Q4QS Darts Nation Rating

Current Strength	8.5/10
Participation & Depth	7/10
International Achievement	7.5/10
Future Potential	8/10

OVERALL Q4QS NATION RATING

7.75/10

I'm giving Malaysia 7.75/10.

The strongest argument in its favour is the quality of its leading players.

Bin Wahab's Q4QS Average of 84.87 is excellent, particularly across 17 events.

Tan's 80.00 across 22 events is another strong figure.

And the 2025 World Cup run provides evidence that Malaysia can compete internationally as a team.

I've marked participation and depth slightly lower because the four profiles I've examined don't yet demonstrate the same strength throughout the wider player base.

That doesn't mean the depth isn't there.

It means I haven't seen enough evidence to rate it higher.

But the future potential is considerable.

Malaysia has a population of more than 30 million, an established darts community, international tournament hosting experience and players capable of beating some of Asia's best.

Malaysia has already shown that it belongs on the international darts stage.

The question now is whether it can turn those promising individual performances into something even bigger.

And with the standard currently being produced by Bin Wahab and Tan, I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Which Is the Toughest Night of the Week to Play Darts?

 

If somebody had asked me this before I started looking at the numbers, I think I'd have said Saturday.

It seems logical.

Saturday is when you tend to get the bigger opens. Players can travel further, tournaments can run for longer and organisers don't have to worry quite as much about everybody getting up for work the following morning.

But nearly 9,000 tournament records in the Q4QS database suggest there's rather more to it than that.

Because while Saturday certainly produces some of the biggest and strongest competitions, the average grassroots tournament during the week can be every bit as tough – and sometimes tougher.

The rise of regular ADC Vaults and other weekday competitions appears to have changed the landscape considerably.

How I've Worked It Out

I wanted to avoid simply adding every Tournament Strength score together and dividing by the number of events.

There's a problem with doing that.

Imagine a Saturday containing loads of ordinary tournaments but also several enormous opens, qualifiers and elite events. Those huge tournaments can pull Saturday's overall average upwards and make it look as though the typical Saturday competition is stronger than it really is.

So I've looked at each day in three different ways:

Mean – the conventional average of all the Tournament Strength scores.

Median – put all the tournaments in order and take the one in the middle.

Mode – the most commonly occurring Tournament Strength, with the scores rounded to the nearest whole number.

I then take the middle result from those three measures to produce what I'll call the Q4QS Typical Strength.

You don't really need to worry about the maths beyond that.

The idea is simply:

Don't let a handful of unusually strong or unusually weak tournaments decide the answer.

And, as always, Tournament Strength is not a three-dart average. It's the Q4QS measure of the overall strength of a tournament field.

So Which Day Comes Out Strongest?

Here's what happened.

Day	Mean	Median	Most Common	Q4QS Typical Strength
Friday	59.15	58.79	61	59.15
Monday	57.67	58.88	61	58.88
Thursday	58.38	58.86	61	58.86
Tuesday	57.47	58.56	62	58.56
Saturday	60.27	58.43	57	58.43
Wednesday	56.83	57.79	60	57.79
Sunday	56.62	56.60	59	56.62

And I don't think the most interesting part is that Friday wins.

It's what happens to Saturday.

Saturday Has The Biggest Average

Look at Saturday's first number.

60.27.

That's comfortably the highest mean of the week.

So my original assumption wasn't completely wrong.

There are some seriously strong tournaments played on Saturdays, and the bigger events help push the overall number upwards.

But now look at the other two figures.

The median drops to 58.43.

And the most common rounded Tournament Strength is only 57.

That's quite a difference.

If Saturday were simply packed with stronger tournaments from top to bottom, I'd expect all three figures to be towards the top of the table.

They aren't.

Instead, the figures suggest something slightly different:

Saturday has a very high ceiling.

The biggest Saturday competitions can be extremely strong, and those tournaments pull the conventional average upwards.

But walk into a randomly selected Saturday tournament and it isn't necessarily going to be tougher than the competition taking place on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening.

That surprised me.

Then We Get To Friday

Friday is almost the opposite.

Its mean is 59.15.

Its median is 58.79.

And its most common rounded Tournament Strength is 61.

There isn't the same enormous gap between the different measurements.

In simple terms, Friday doesn't appear to rely quite as heavily on a handful of monster tournaments to look strong.

Regular Friday darts itself is strong.

That's why Friday eventually comes out on top using my combined measure.

Its Q4QS Typical Strength is 59.15.

Monday Isn't Exactly An Easy Night Either

Monday might be an even bigger surprise.

Its conventional average is only 57.67, which wouldn't immediately attract much attention.

But the middle tournament scores 58.88, and the most common rounded score is 61.

Once those measures are combined, Monday reaches a Q4QS Typical Strength of 58.88 – narrowly ahead of Thursday.

That's enough for second place.

So much for easing yourself gently into the darting week.

And Look At Tuesday

Tuesday has another fascinating number.

Its most common Tournament Strength is:

62.

That's the highest mode of any day of the week.

It doesn't mean Tuesday is automatically the toughest day. Its mean and median are lower, which is why it finishes fourth on my combined measurement.

But it does show just how regularly decent-strength tournaments are occurring during the working week.

And I think there's a fairly obvious candidate for why.

The Weekday Vault Effect

The ADC Vault system – together with the increasing number of other regular local competitions – has created a huge weekday tournament scene.

You don't necessarily need a giant open containing 100 players to create a strong field.

Put 16, 20, 24 or 32 competitive players into the same venue every week and you can create a difficult tournament.

Then do it again the following week.

And again.

That's quite different from the traditional image of tournament darts where the biggest competitions happen at the weekend and weekday darts is predominantly local league darts.

There is now a substantial competitive tournament circuit taking place on ordinary evenings.

The numbers appear to be picking that up.

Saturday Versus The Working Week

I think this is probably the best way of describing what I've found.

Saturday is the big-event day.

If you're looking for some of the strongest individual competitions, Saturday is exactly where you'd expect to find plenty of them.

That's why its mean climbs all the way to 60.27.

But the working week has something different.

Consistency of competition.

There are Vaults, money-in-money-out competitions, round robins and established weekly series taking place night after night.

They might not have the scale of a major Saturday open.

They don't need it.

A relatively small room containing plenty of good regular tournament players can be an extremely difficult place to win.

Sunday Is Different Again

Sunday produced the lowest Q4QS Typical Strength at 56.62.

That doesn't mean there aren't strong Sunday tournaments – of course there are.

But across the database, the typical Sunday field comes out noticeably below Friday, Monday, Thursday and Tuesday.

That's another reason I think using more than the ordinary average was worthwhile.

Different days aren't just producing different standards.

They're producing different types of tournament calendars.

So What Is The Toughest Night?

If you're asking:

Which day produces the biggest tournaments?

I'd still have a very strong case for Saturday.

Its mean Tournament Strength of 60.27 is comfortably the highest.

But if you're asking:

On which day is the typical tournament toughest?

The answer from the Q4QS data is:

Friday.

And the margins behind it are tiny.

Friday – 59.15
Monday – 58.88
Thursday – 58.86
Tuesday – 58.56
Saturday – 58.43

There's less than three-quarters of a Tournament Strength point separating the top five.

So I certainly wouldn't claim that Friday night darts exists on another level.

The more interesting conclusion is that weekday tournament darts is every bit as competitive as the weekend.

Perhaps Grassroots Darts Has Changed

That's probably the biggest thing I take from this.

A few years ago, I suspect most of us would instinctively have associated the strongest grassroots tournament fields with the weekend.

And the big weekend open certainly hasn't disappeared.

But competitive darts is becoming increasingly available throughout the week.

The Vault system has been a major part of that, alongside independent competitions and venues building their own regular tournament calendars.

That creates something different from one huge Saturday field.

It creates depth.

Monday night can be tough.

Tuesday night can be tough.

Thursday night can be tough.

Friday night can be particularly tough.

And then Saturday arrives and produces some of the biggest individual competitions of the lot.

So perhaps the answer to the question isn't really that Friday has beaten Saturday.

It's that there isn't an easy night anymore.

If you turn up at a competitive grassroots tournament on almost any night of the week, there's a pretty good chance somebody in the room is capable of ruining your evening.

And looking at the Q4QS database, that now seems to be happening all week long.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Josh Sinkovits Hits 120.24, Ashton Brown 115.62 & Jamie Kay Wins – 8 October 2026

Thursday brought another 82 tournaments into the Q4QS database, with some outstanding averages, plenty of familiar winners and another busy evening across the Vault circuit.

The headline number came from Ipswich, where Josh Sinkovits hit a remarkable 120.24. Clive Langford and Ashton Brown both reached 115.62, while Ricky King produced 112.73 in Dorchester.

Closer to home, Jamie Kay won at St Breward, Jimmy Bristow came through a competitive evening at Hangar61, Robbie Roy won in Yeovil and Elliot Smith took the title in Worcester.

There was also WADC action and another busy evening of junior darts.

Sinkovits hits 120.24 in Ipswich

The highest recorded average of the day belonged to Josh Sinkovits at The Gardeners Arms in Ipswich.

Sinkovits averaged 120.24 in a 2–0 victory over Curtis Hammond, who himself recorded 97.88 in the same match.

However, it was Ash Ling who eventually won the tournament, beating Lewis Millions 3–2 in the final.

Ling finished with eight victories and recorded averages of 93.94 and 93.58.

Another example of how the biggest individual average and the tournament-winning performance can tell two different stories.

Ashton Brown hits 115.62 as Bristow wins at Hangar61

There was some exceptional scoring at Hangar61 in Patchway.

Ashton Brown averaged 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Cameron Oram and added another excellent 96.97 against Cori Wiltshire.

Jimmy Bristow also reached 96.97, while Luke Durham matched that figure against Lee Andrews.

But Bristow was the player who came through the tournament, defeating Luke Harding 3–0 in the final.

Bristow finished with nine wins, a particularly impressive return from an event featuring 96 recorded matches.

Lee Andrews, Steve Boundy, Harvey Curtis and Martyn Freeman each recorded six victories.

For me, this was one of the strongest events to look at in Thursday's results. The headline average was exceptional, but the depth of competition was just as interesting.

Jamie Kay combines 107.36 with St Breward victory

At St Breward AFC & Social Club near Bodmin, Jamie Kay produced one of the best all-round performances of the evening.

Kay averaged 107.36 against Barry Wylds and followed it with an 88.41 against William Chaffe.

He then defeated Neil Meneer 3–1 in the final to take the title.

Kay finished with eight wins, Meneer seven and Andrew Cook six.

Cook also impressed with a 93.94 average, while Chris Gill and Meneer both reached 88.41.

A strong evening of darts in Cornwall, and another title for Kay.

Ricky King hits 112.73 – Martin takes Dorchester title

Dorchester Trinity Club produced another fascinating result.

Ricky King recorded a superb 112.73 average against Andrew McDermott and added 95.00 during his run.

However, Robbie Martin emerged as the tournament winner, beating King 3–2 in the final.

Martin recorded 98.36 against Jack Bellingham and averaged 92.01 in the final.

King produced the biggest average, but Martin delivered an excellent performance to take the title.

Robbie Roy's nine-win night in Yeovil

At Yeovil Labour Club, Robbie Roy put together one of Thursday's most convincing tournament performances.

Roy recorded 96.97, 95.94 and 80.52, eventually defeating Jim Chappell 3–0 in the final.

He finished with nine wins, the highest recorded total at the venue.

It's a performance worth highlighting because it wasn't just one outstanding average. Roy produced several strong displays and finished the night with the trophy.

Elliot Smith wins in Worcester

At The Cue Corner in Worcester, Elliot Smith defeated Joe Winter 3–2 to win the Vault event.

Both players recorded six victories, while Zak Edmunds finished with five.

The highest average at the venue belonged to Pete Hughes, who reached 96.97 against Stewart Wilde.

Smith's own best recorded average was 81.98, making this another competition where the highest scorer didn't take the title.

Sanderson wins in Torquay, Gwynne impresses in Wales

At Cue Sports Bar in Torquay, Charlie Sanderson defeated Ian Thompson 3–2 in the final.

Sanderson recorded 75.15 and finished with six wins, while Thompson collected five. Robert Radvanszky also featured with a 66.80 average.

Further afield, Jacob Gwynne produced an excellent performance at The Libb in Ryhill.

Gwynne hit 104.86, recorded three separate 91.09 averages and finished with eight victories, defeating James Robins 3–1 in the final.

That was one of the strongest sequences of averages in the entire export.

More performances worth recognising

There was plenty happening beyond the featured venues.

At Coppenhall WMC in Crewe, Aaron Ayres hit 103.66, 96.97 and 90.99, winning eight matches and taking the title against Mark Jodrill.

At Llandeilo Rugby Club, Sion Thomas recorded 107.36, but Keith Evans took the title after a 3–2 final victory.

At The Newtown in Poole, Henry Cooper averaged 103.66 and won the event, finishing with seven victories.

At Locks Heath WMC near Southampton, Joey Cole recorded 100.20, 91.09 and 90.18 before beating Jarred Cole in the final. Both finished with seven wins.

At Cressex Social Club in High Wycombe, Andy Smith produced a 101.39 average in his 3–1 final victory over Jai Carlton.

And at Rusthall Club, Carl Wilson won another title, beating Rob Card 3–0 with a 93.94 average in the final.

WADC: Oldershaw impresses at Ilkeston

There were three competitions labelled WADC Vault 3.0 in Thursday's export, although the Walton WMC event appears to have a different participant field and should not automatically be treated as a women's competition.

At Sir John Warren in Ilkeston, Joanne Oldershaw produced the standout WADC performance.

Oldershaw recorded averages of 71.10, 70.45, 69.91, 63.96 and 63.31, winning five matches and defeating Michelle Adkin 3–2 in the final.

That's a very consistent set of performances across the competition.

At Phoenix in Eastbourne, Cindy Dearne defeated Becky Smeath 3–2 to win the event. Both players finished with four victories, with Smeath recording the highest average of 43.57.

These smaller events remain important. Not every WADC competition is going to produce averages in the 70s or 80s, but regular opportunities to compete are an important part of growing women's darts.

Junior darts continues to provide plenty of action

The Junior Volts programme was busy again.

At Bar 1895 in Oldham, Oscar Monkton won the Junior Volts event against Noah Woodward, with Matthew Roberts recording the highest average of 81.86.

At Buxton Working Mens Club, Adam Bines beat Angus Redfern in the final, with both players recording eight victories.

At Higher Irlam Social Club, Maxwell Payne defeated Harrison Doherty 3–2. Doherty produced an excellent series of averages: 83.50, 79.11, 79.11 and 75.15.

And at The Plough Chequers in Gillingham, Charlie Smith won the event against Blaise Welch.

There was also a substantial Boundary Park Academy programme, including an impressive 95.94 from Carl Sneyd in the over-65-average competition and nine wins for Noah Woodward in the under-65-average event.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Josh Sinkovits – 120.24, Ipswich. The biggest average recorded anywhere in Thursday's results.
2. Ashton Brown – 115.62, Hangar61. An exceptional average backed up by another 96.97.
3. Jamie Kay – 107.36 and St Breward title. Eight victories and one of the strongest local performances.
4. Jacob Gwynne – 104.86 and Ryhill title. Multiple 90-plus averages and eight wins.
5. Robbie Roy – 96.97, 95.94 and Yeovil title. Nine victories and an excellent tournament-winning performance.

Another 82 tournaments added to Q4QS

Thursday's results once again showed the depth of grassroots darts.

There were huge individual averages, strong tournament winners, regular Vault events, junior competitions and further WADC activity.

For me, the most interesting stories aren't always the players producing the single highest average. Sometimes they're the players who consistently perform throughout an evening and eventually take the title.

Another 82 tournaments means more matches, averages and results feeding into the Q4QS rankings, player histories, venue records and form data.

And there will undoubtedly be more stories hidden in those results.

Explore more grassroots darts results, rankings and player statistics at Quest For Q School.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Ciaran Forde Hits 118.66, Pete Hughes 111.33 & Ryan Palmer Wins – 7 October 2026

Wednesday was another enormous night for grassroots darts, with 106 tournaments added to Q4QS.

The highest credible average in the export came from Ciaran Forde, who produced a remarkable 118.66 at Staincross Club in Barnsley. Jake B-Smith reached 115.62 in Shrewsbury, while Pete Hughes hit 111.33 at Bengeworth in Evesham.

Closer to home, Ryan Palmer combined a 100.20 with the Sartan Club title, Kieran Smith beat Hughes in the Bengeworth final, Logan Symons Jnr won in Bodmin and Joe Bagguley took the Stonehouse event.

There were also 13 WADC Vault events, including an outstanding display from Rhian O'Sullivan in Resolven.

Forde hits 118.66 – but Jacques takes the title

The biggest believable average of the day belonged to Ciaran Forde at Staincross Club, Barnsley.

Forde produced a superb 118.66 in a 3–0 victory over Richard Dennis. He also recorded 93.94 during the tournament and finished with six wins.

But it was Al Jacques who took the title.

Jacques recorded 103.66, 96.97 and 95.94 among his leading averages, won eight matches and defeated Forde 3–1 in the final.

It's a good example of the difference between producing the single biggest average and putting together the strongest tournament-winning run.

A note on the figures: a small number of implausible averages in the export, including 174.43 and 1503.00, have been excluded from the performance rankings pending verification.

Hughes hits 111.33 – Smith wins Bengeworth

There was another fascinating evening at Bengeworth Club in Evesham.

Pete Hughes produced the biggest average of the tournament with 111.33, while Jason Reeve reached 96.97, Mitchell Leeming 93.94 and Andy Hammond 91.09.

However, Kieran Smith was the player who emerged with the trophy.

Smith beat Hughes 3–0 in the final, averaging 92.02, and finished the night with eight wins. Hughes collected seven, while Dave Honey had six.

For me, this is one of the best examples of why the daily results need a little more digging than simply picking out the biggest averages.

Hughes produced the standout number, but Smith delivered when it mattered most.

Palmer hits 100.20 and wins at Sartan

The Sartan Club in Bishopsworth produced another competitive Wednesday evening.

Ryan Palmer averaged 100.20 in a victory over Kai Carter and followed it with 96.98 elsewhere in the tournament.

Ashton Brown recorded 92.44, while Zach Quinn hit 88.41 and 86.71.

The final brought Palmer and Quinn together, with Palmer winning 3–1.

Both players collected seven victories, while Carter and Brown won six each and Steve Boundy five.

It was a strong night for Palmer, combining the tournament's highest average with the title.

Symons Jnr delivers again in Bodmin

At Bodmin Band & Social Club, Logan Symons Jnr put together one of the most consistent winning performances of the evening.

He recorded 91.09, 85.99 and 85.89, eventually beating Mason Dower 3–2 in the final.

Symons finished with eight wins, Dower seven, and both Martin Smith and William Chaffe collected six.

There may have been bigger averages elsewhere, but this was a particularly solid performance across an entire tournament.

McCready's eight-win night in Leominster

Alec McCready won at Shooters Bar in Leominster after another strong scoring display.

He averaged 90.97 in the final against Chris Hurds, winning 3–2, and had earlier recorded 88.98 and 86.65.

McCready finished with eight victories, while Hurds collected six.

With several strong averages and the title to show for it, McCready deserves a place among Wednesday's most impressive tournament performers.

Ayres wins in Salisbury, Bagguley takes Stonehouse

Two more regular Q4QS venues produced interesting results.

At Stratford Social Club in Salisbury, Shoey Ayres defeated Liam Glister 3–1 in the final.

Glister produced the tournament's highest average of 91.09, while Ayres reached 88.41. Both finished with six wins, with Ben Small also recording 85.08.

At Magpies Social Club in Stonehouse, Joe Bagguley won the title with a 3–0 victory over Alex Cantillion.

Bagguley averaged 86.71 in the final and added an 81.24 earlier in the competition. He finished with seven wins, while Paul Meyer collected six.

Another pair of local tournaments with plenty more going on than the final scores alone suggest.

More outstanding performances across the country

A few more performances deserve recognition.

At the Bagley Sports & Social Club in Shrewsbury, Jake B-Smith hit 115.62, although Oscar Saxton eventually took the title against Archie Wright.

At Sadies in Whittlesea, Phil Johnson-Hale averaged 107.36, added 92.12 and 91.09, and won the tournament with eight victories.

At Royal Sports Lounge in Farnworth, Kirk Shepherd hit 103.66 and went on to win the event, beating Steve Coote 3–2. Andy Turner also reached 103.66, while Coote produced two separate 100.20 averages.

At Rocket Ronnies in Southampton, Joey Cole combined a 103.66 with the title, defeating Jarred Cole 3–2 and collecting eight wins.

At GWRSA Club in Didcot, Johnny Haines recorded 95.94 and 93.94 before defeating Jack Marshall 3–1 in the final. Haines finished with eight victories.

And in Swansea, Louis Melville reached 99.53 on the way to winning at Oliver's Sports Bar, defeating Chris James in the final.

WADC: 13 events and O'Sullivan hits 96.97

Wednesday was a particularly busy day for women's darts, with 13 WADC Vault 3.0 competitions included in the export. Two were labelled as Tuesday events, but all were included in this reporting batch.

The outstanding performance came from Rhian O'Sullivan at Arrows Darts Venue in Resolven.

O'Sullivan hit 96.97, 88.41 and 81.24, then averaged 70.45 in a 3–0 final victory over Kayliegh Webster.

That is a particularly impressive collection of numbers, with Donna Buckley also reaching 81.50 in the same tournament.

At Walton WMC, Laura Turner was another standout. She recorded 81.24, 79.11 and 75.15 before beating Wendy Parish 3–0 in the final.

The other recorded winners were:

• Gracie Willmitt – Alford Sports & Social Club, Warrington
• Coby Voorhees – Beechwood Club, Blackburn
• Karen Williams – Bradmoor Farm, Aylesbury
• Lisa Brosnan – Castle Arms, Denbigh
• Michelle Ewins-Pointin – Challow British Legion, East Challow
• Courtney Hancock – MK Cocktail Lounge, Bodmin
• Elsie-Mai Tarrant – Stratford Social Club, Salisbury
• Alyssya Petty – The 9 Darter, Port Talbot
• Jane Price – Bengeworth Club, Evesham
• Suzanne Price – Monty Club, Newtown

The BRWCA event in Hampshire also appeared in the export, although a winner could not reliably be established from the available match rows.

There were good individual performances beyond the headline names too. Tracey Hancock hit 73.32 in Bodmin, Lisa Brosnan reached 65.35 and 62.63 in Denbigh, and Gracie Willmitt produced 65.35 and 61.35 on her way to winning in Warrington.

It's encouraging to see this many women's competitions appearing in a single reporting batch, with players at very different levels all getting competitive opportunities.

Junior Volts and youth darts

The junior programme provided another substantial set of results.

At the David Street Club in Nelson, Alfie Bracey beat Leo Posteraro 3–2 in the Junior Volts final. Posteraro recorded an excellent 90.18 during his run.

At the Kings Pub in Exeter, Joseph Lauridsen beat Aaron Rea 3–2 in the final, averaging 83.62 and finishing with eight wins.

Other Junior Volts winners included Logan Winyard at Lowestoft, Llewelyn Summerhayes at Llantwit Major, Evan Haines at Pontypool, Max Adderson at Norwich, Will Tomkinson at Crewe and Ethan Goudy at Stowmarket.

The NJDA Elite Series also produced an excellent 98.02 from Harry Childs, although Ethan Beardsley eventually won the tournament, defeating Jude Clarke 4–2 in the final.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Ciaran Forde – 118.66, Barnsley.
The highest credible average of the day, although Al Jacques took the title.

2. Jake B-Smith – 115.62, Shrewsbury.
Another enormous individual average.

3. Pete Hughes – 111.33, Evesham.
The biggest number at Bengeworth, with Kieran Smith winning the tournament.

4. Phil Johnson-Hale – 107.36 and tournament victory, Whittlesea.
An excellent eight-win performance.

5. Rhian O'Sullivan – 96.97, 88.41, 81.24 and WADC title, Resolven.
One of the most impressive sequences of averages anywhere in the results.

Another 106 tournaments added to Q4QS

Wednesday's results offered a little bit of everything.

There were huge individual averages, strong tournament-winning performances, familiar local venues, a substantial programme of junior darts and 13 WADC events.

And once again, some of the best stories were found by looking beyond the five biggest averages.

Every one of these tournaments adds more information to the Q4QS rankings, player histories, venue records and form data.

With another 106 competitions included, there's plenty more to explore.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Ciaran Forde Hits 115.62 as 78 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 6 October 2026

Tuesday was another huge night for the Q4QS database, with 78 tournaments added from across the grassroots game.

The biggest individual average came from Ciaran Forde, who hit a superb 115.62 in Barnsley — and unlike many of the biggest averages I pick out in these reports, he also went on to win the tournament.

Jack Main hit 111.33, while Trevor Burkhill, David Evans, Jack Faragher, Daniel Astbury, Mason Jackson and Dale Thomas all reached 107.36.

There was plenty happening closer to the Q4QS heartland too. Joe Quiney won at Bretforton, Mitchell Atkins took the Widden Rugby Club title in Gloucester, Josh McCarthy won at Wiltshire Darts House, Christopher Staples won in Portishead and Brooklyn Anthony took the Taunton U70 event.

And it was a particularly busy Tuesday for women's darts, with eight WADC Vault events in the results.

Forde combines 115.62 with the Barnsley title

The headline number came at Barnsley WMC.

Ciaran Forde averaged 115.62 in a 2–0 win over Karen Mellor. It wasn't the only huge performance in the tournament either: Trevor Burkhill hit 107.36, while Mason Hale and Damian Corr both reached 100.20.

Forde then completed the night with eight victories, beating Corr 3–1 in the final.

That's exactly the sort of performance that deserves top billing — the biggest average anywhere in the day's results backed up by the tournament win.

Jack Main hits 111.33 and wins at Hethersett

Jack Main produced another of the day's most complete performances.

He hit 111.33 at Hethersett Social Club and also recorded 98.55 before going on to take the title.

Main finished with seven wins and beat Oliver Howard 3–1 in the final.

Charlie Miller's 98.66 and Josh Brown's 96.97 added further quality to a strong tournament.

Archie Self puts together a superb Newbury run

One performance a simple list of the day's biggest averages doesn't fully capture came from Archie Self at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Newbury.

Self recorded 103.66, 100.20, 100.20 and 93.94 among his leading performances.

He also won seven matches and beat Jason Heaver 3–0 in the final.

Two ton-plus averages would make a good night. Three, followed by the title, makes this one of Tuesday's best all-round tournament performances.

Johnny Haines wins in Eastleigh

Johnny Haines was another player who combined a big number with the title.

At the Locomotive Engineers Social Club in Eastleigh, Haines hit 104.86 and later averaged 94.33 in his 3–1 final victory over Mike Gillet.

Both players finished with seven wins, with Gillet himself producing 96.97 and 95.02 during a strong run.

Joe Quiney takes Bretforton

Back at Bretforton Sports Club, Joe Quiney came through another competitive Tuesday Vault.

Paul Jones produced the biggest average of the tournament with 96.97, but Quiney was the player who lasted the distance.

He beat Danny Lauby 3–1 in the final, averaging 89.70, and finished the event with eight wins.

Jones and Lauby both collected six victories, while Jason Reeve reached 88.41.

Mitchell Atkins wins in Gloucester

There was another local title at Widden Rugby Club, where Mitchell Atkins beat Alfie Palmer 3–1 in the final and finished with seven victories.

Ryan Palmer produced the highest average of the tournament with 91.09, while Atkins reached 90.59 and Joe Bagguley 88.41.

Alfie Palmer finished with six wins and Joe Bagguley five, so there was plenty of depth behind the winner too.

Josh McCarthy takes Wiltshire Darts House

Josh McCarthy had an excellent night in Swindon.

McCarthy hit 93.94 twice, collected eight victories and then beat Danny Humphries 3–0 in the final.

Humphries reached 88.41 during his six-win run, while Wayne Barrett recorded 85.89.

McCarthy's combination of consistency and eight wins makes this another performance worth pulling out from deeper in the results.

Greenslade breaks 100 in Taunton

The graphic rightly picks out Ryan Greenslade's 100.20 at Darts @ The Lawns in Taunton.

The title, though, went to Brooklyn Anthony.

Anthony finished with eight wins and beat James Wellbelove 4–0 in the final. Wellbelove collected seven victories, while Greenslade won five.

It is another good example of why the highest average and the tournament's biggest story are not always the same thing.

Staples wins at Portishead

Christopher Staples took the Tuesday Open at Portishead Workmens Darts, beating Josh Rose 3–0 in the final.

Staples finished with seven wins and recorded a best of 85.89.

Logun Godbeer actually produced the event's biggest average at 88.41 and collected six victories, with Max Maggs and Josh Rose both finishing on five.

Junior Volts produce another huge programme

Tuesday also brought another substantial set of Junior Volts results.

Among the winners were Ashton John at Resolven, Tom Phillips at Ellesmere Port, Jenson Macey at Gosport, Joel Walton at Cannock, Jacob Godber at Yate, Theo Machin at Halesowen, Charlie Ely at Minehead, Charlie Smith at Gillingham, Brendan O'Reilly on the Isle of Wight and Spencer Edwards at Ogmore Vale.

There was some good scoring too, including 81.40 from Logan Ford, 81.24s from Riley Pinhorne, Charlie Ely and Charlie Smith, while Alfie Obrien reached 88.41 in the Calstep Darts Wales Newport Academy Series.

Eight WADC Vaults – and some excellent numbers

Women's darts had a particularly strong presence in Tuesday's results with eight WADC Vault 3.0 events.

The winners included Sue Davies at Denbigh, Leanne Topper at Prestatyn, Amanda Harwood at Dereham, Keri Stinton at Leominster, Eve Watson at Port Talbot, Lily Childs-Crowley at North Walsham and Dannie Hughes at Wiltshire Darts House. The Church Wicketts event was also recorded, although the export couldn't reliably detect its winner from the available match rows.

There were some particularly eye-catching performances too.

Leanne Topper hit 91.09 on her way to winning at Prestatyn, while Amanda Harwood reached 88.41 and won at Dereham.

At Port Talbot, Eve Watson put together perhaps the deepest WADC performance of the day: 81.24, 78.96, 77.08 and 75.15, winning all four of her recorded matches and taking the title.

At Wiltshire Darts House, Katie Mullis hit 75.15, with Dani Kearns recording 69.91 and 68.09.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Ciaran Forde – 115.62 and Barnsley title
The day's highest average, eight wins and the tournament victory.

2. Jack Main – 111.33 and Hethersett title
Another huge average backed up by winning the tournament.

3. Archie Self – 103.66, 100.20, 100.20 and Newbury title
Possibly the deepest scoring performance of the day.

4. David Evans – 107.36 and Leyland title
Eight wins, a 107.36 and a 3–0 victory in the final.

5. Eve Watson – 81.24, 78.96, 77.08, 75.15 and Port Talbot WADC title
Four excellent performances and four wins.

Another 78 tournaments into Q4QS

Tuesday was another example of just how much is going on below the professional game.

There were huge averages, established names, local winners, Junior Volts, eight WADC events and performances worth noticing well beyond the players who simply topped the average charts.

78 more tournaments also means another substantial block of matches feeding into the Q4QS rankings, player records, venue histories and form data.

And there will be plenty more hidden in there to dig into.

2026 Development Tour Round-Up: Tour Cards Decided and World Youth Finalists Confirmed

 

The 2026 PDC Development Tour is complete.

After 24 events, two new Tour Cards have been decided, the Development Tour World Championship places are settled, and the World Youth Championship has been whittled down to its final two players.

For me, the interesting part is comparing what actually happened with the 50,000-run simulations I published before the final weekend and again with two events remaining.

There were a few twists.

Bialecki finishes comfortably on top

Sebastian Bialecki finishes the 2026 Development Tour Order of Merit as the clear number one on £21,900.

His position had already become mathematically secure before the final two events, and nobody ultimately got remotely close to overturning it.

Behind him, however, things became incredibly tight.

The final leading positions were:

Pos	Player	Prize Money
1	Sebastian Bialecki	£21,900
2	Jurjen van der Velde	£12,350
3	Cam Crabtree	£12,350
4	Jamai van den Herik	£12,250
5	Owen Bates	£12,200
6	Jack Drayton	£12,200
7	Leon Weber	£11,350
8	Dominik Gruellich	£11,300
9	Archie Self	£10,550
10	James Beeton	£10,400

Just £1,950 separated second from tenth.

That shows just how congested the Development Tour became behind Bialecki.

Van den Herik completes the comeback

The biggest story of the Tour Card race is Jamai van den Herik.

Before the final four events, my simulation gave him just a 3.69% chance of collecting one of the two available Tour Cards.

After the first two tournaments of the final weekend, that had risen dramatically to 19.80%.

He then completed the job.

Van den Herik finishes fourth overall on £12,250, but because several players above and around him already held Tour Cards, he takes one of the two new cards available through the Development Tour.

It is a great example of why I kept stressing that the raw Order of Merit did not tell the whole story.

Fourth overall was enough.

Drayton holds on

Jack Drayton takes the other Tour Card.

That is far less surprising.

Before the final four events, the Q4QS simulation gave Drayton a 98.27% chance of securing a card.

With two tournaments left that remained at 95.91%.

He did not ultimately need a spectacular finish.

His £12,200 final total was enough to get the job done.

So our model identified Drayton as overwhelmingly likely to qualify from the start of the final weekend, and that is exactly what happened.

Weber misses out

Leon Weber is probably the player who will look back on the weekend with the most frustration.

With four events remaining, Weber had a 56.78% Tour Card probability in the simulation.

With two events left, that was still 51.96%.

He was effectively the favourite for the second available card.

But Weber finishes on £11,350, £900 behind Van den Herik.

That is not a huge difference across a 24-event season, but it proved decisive.

Gruellich and Beeton also fall short

Dominik Gruellich finishes eighth overall on £11,300, while James Beeton ends tenth on £10,400.

Both remained realistic contenders entering the final stages.

With two events remaining, Gruellich had a 10.63% Tour Card chance and Beeton 15.42%.

Neither found the final run required.

Archie Self also finishes strongly in ninth on £10,550, having come from much further back during the closing events.

Coates wins Development Tour 23

Henry Coates produced one of the performances of the final weekend by winning Development Tour 23.

He beat Owen Bates 5-1 in the final, averaging 97.41 compared with Bates' 89.55.

Coates went through the tournament unbeaten with nine wins and an overall event average of 86.89.

Bates had an excellent event himself, averaging 90.79 across his run to the final.

Jamai van den Herik and Tyler Thorpe reached the semi-finals.

That run was important for Van den Herik's eventual Tour Card position, even though Bates stopped him 5-2 in the last four.

Baysal takes Development Tour 24

The final Development Tour event of 2026 went to Kaya Baysal.

Baysal beat Jurjen van der Velde 5-3 in the final, finishing the tournament with nine straight wins and an 89.33 event average.

Van der Velde's run to the final was also significant.

The £2,000 runner-up money helped lift him to £12,350, level with Cam Crabtree and ultimately second on the final Order of Merit.

Owen Bates and Duyane Wade Decena were the beaten semi-finalists.

The World Championship places

The final Development Tour World Championship race produces another example of why eligibility mattered throughout this series.

The three highlighted Development Tour places go to:

Jurjen van der Velde
Cam Crabtree
Jamai van den Herik

Van der Velde and Crabtree both finish on £12,350, with Van den Herik just £100 behind them on £12,250.

Again, that should be read alongside the qualification rules rather than simply taking the top three names on the overall Order of Merit.

Players who had already qualified through another route did not need another Development Tour place, allowing qualification to pass down the table where appropriate.

That was the caveat I included throughout the simulation articles, and it ended up being an important one.

And then came the World Youth Championship

The action continued with the PDC World Youth Championship.

The final stage produced a 64-player knockout field, but it did not finish with a champion.

Instead, it decided the two players who will contest the eventual World Youth Championship final.

Those players are:

Cam Crabtree and Jan Schmidt.

Crabtree beat Luke Littler 6-5 in a superb semi-final.

There was virtually nothing between them statistically.

Crabtree averaged 97.91.

Littler averaged 97.89.

One leg separated them.

In the other semi-final, Jan Schmidt beat Charlie Manby 6-3, producing a 94.85 average against Manby's 91.63.

So the World Youth Championship final will be:

Cam Crabtree v Jan Schmidt

Crabtree reached the final with five wins and an overall average of 90.40.

Schmidt also won five matches and actually posted the higher tournament average of the two at 92.81.

They now advance to the showpiece final.

Littler stopped in the semi-finals

Luke Littler unsurprisingly produced the highest overall average among the leading players in the knockout stages.

His tournament average was 95.60, but that was not enough to get past Crabtree.

That 6-5 semi-final is another reminder that averages do not automatically decide knockout darts.

One leg was enough to end Littler's run.

Manby also impresses

Charlie Manby reached the other semi-final with an overall average of 90.24.

He had beaten Ansh Sood 6-1 in the opening round before progressing all the way to the last four, where Schmidt finally stopped him.

Kaya Baysal, Henry Coates, Harrison Leigh and Arthur Allston made up the quarter-finalists.

Coates again performed strongly, averaging 93.20 across his World Youth matches, only a day after winning Development Tour 23.

A fascinating end to the Development Tour season

The final weekend ultimately showed exactly why these races are difficult to call.

Jack Drayton was the obvious favourite for a Tour Card and delivered.

Leon Weber was favourite for the second available card but missed out.

Jamai van den Herik moved from an outsider at the beginning of the weekend to a Tour Card holder by the end of it.

And players who already held cards continued to have a huge influence on everybody else's prospects.

The final outcome is:

Development Tour winner: Sebastian Bialecki
New Tour Cards: Jamai van den Herik and Jack Drayton
Development Tour World Championship places: Jurjen van der Velde, Cam Crabtree and Jamai van den Herik
World Youth Championship finalists: Cam Crabtree and Jan Schmidt

For Q4QS, the 50,000-run simulations were never intended to predict an exact finishing order.

They were designed to show where the probabilities sat and how quickly those probabilities could change.

Van den Herik might be the perfect example.

He started the final weekend as a 3.69% Tour Card chance.

He finishes it with a Tour Card.

That is why they still have to throw the darts.