Famous Darts Surnames: Which Name Comes Out on Top in the Q4QS Rankings?

 

Darts has produced some legendary surnames.

Taylor immediately brings to mind the greatest player of all time, Price represents one of the leading players of the modern era, while Wilson recalls the unforgettable Scottish world champion Jocky Wilson.

But how well do these famous names hold up across the wider Q4QS rankings?

For the first edition of this series, I looked at five surnames: Taylor, Smith, Jones, Wilson and Price.

I took the ten highest-ranked players with each surname and compared their overall Q4QS positions, points, playing averages and win percentages.

Only exact surnames were counted. Players with double-barrelled or combined surnames were excluded, so names such as Taylor James-Harding, Jake B-Smith, Jaymie Hilton-Jones and Pierce Speechley-Price do not count.

Taylor

It seemed right to begin with perhaps the most famous surname in darts.

Phil Taylor dominated the sport for decades, but how do the current Taylors compare across the Q4QS database?

Pos| Player| Overall Rank| Points| Average| Win Rate

1| Dom Taylor| #435| 559.80| 79.52| 80.5%

2| Michael Taylor| #852| 498.20| 78.02| 82.5%

3| Leon Taylor| #1,169| 467.82| 69.55| 68.7%

4| Kevin Taylor| #1,186| 466.52| 70.73| 70.3%

5| Scott Taylor| #1,372| 452.41| 71.91| 51.2%

6| Elliott Taylor| #1,436| 446.95| 70.47| 72.6%

7| Leigh Taylor| #1,558| 437.59| 66.05| 77.4%

8| Sean Taylor| #1,862| 416.26| 69.99| 73.0%

9| Dean Taylor| #1,940| 411.66| 66.61| 71.2%

10| Josh Taylor| #2,114| 403.23| 63.32| 63.0%

Dom Taylor leads the group at #435 and also has the best playing average at 79.52. Michael Taylor follows at #852 and records the group's highest win rate at an impressive 82.5%.

There are no Taylors challenging at the very top of the rankings, but the surname has reasonable depth. Seven of the ten are inside the top 1,600, while the collective win rate remains strong.

Top-ten average rank: #1,392

Top-ten playing average: 70.62

Top-ten win rate: 71.1%

Smith

The Smiths — and I am not talking about Morrissey and Johnny Marr — were always likely to be serious contenders.

Smith is an extremely common surname, so there was plenty of competition for a place in its top ten. More importantly, the quality at the top is exceptional.

Pos| Player| Overall Rank| Points| Average| Win Rate

1| Ross Smith| #9| 740.68| 95.75| 66.7%

2| Raymond Smith| #64| 674.69| 89.07| 86.1%

3| Michael Smith| #85| 662.12| 89.59| 56.7%

4| Jeff Smith| #234| 600.22| 85.36| 72.0%

5| Cayden Smith| #302| 583.81| 77.76| 66.5%

6| Daniel James Smith| #535| 542.43| 77.78| 45.5%

7| Benjamin Smith| #567| 536.96| 74.68| 71.0%

8| Danny Smith| #643| 527.14| 74.90| 77.0%

9| Kieran Smith| #691| 518.84| 77.98| 83.3%

10| Ky Smith| #709| 516.21| 76.15| 63.5%

Ross Smith leads the way at #9 overall with a 95.75 average. Raymond Smith and Michael Smith are also inside the top 100, while Jeff Smith makes it four Smiths inside the top 250.

All ten are ranked inside the top 709. That level of depth is unmatched by any of the other surnames in this comparison.

Raymond Smith has the best win rate at 86.1%, with Kieran Smith also recording an excellent 83.3%.

Top-ten average rank: #384

Top-ten playing average: 81.90

Top-ten win rate: 68.8%

Jones

If we include Smith, we must also look at Jones.

The Joneses do not possess the same elite top end as the Smiths, but they produce one of the most consistent groups in the comparison.

Pos| Player| Overall Rank| Points| Average| Win Rate

1| Howard Jones| #273| 588.72| 78.69| 67.3%

2| Louis Jones| #333| 576.55| 77.15| 75.4%

3| Kacey Jones| #724| 513.22| 79.28| 91.9%

4| Lyn Jones| #795| 504.12| 69.27| 62.0%

5| Wayne Jones| #830| 500.52| 82.80| 54.0%

6| Josh Jones| #914| 491.47| 74.13| 79.0%

7| Jayden Jones| #924| 490.25| 70.96| 74.1%

8| Timothy Jones| #980| 484.40| 76.03| 80.8%

9| Damian Jones| #1,260| 460.91| 71.02| 80.3%

10| Jimmie Jones| #1,314| 455.81| 74.05| 58.1%

Howard Jones is the highest-ranked at #273, followed by Louis Jones at #333. Wayne Jones records the highest playing average at 82.80, but the standout statistic belongs to Kacey Jones.

Kacey has won 91.9% of his matches, the highest win percentage among all 50 players included in this first surname comparison.

Eight of the ten Joneses are inside the top 1,000, and their collective win rate of 72.3% is the highest of the five surnames.

Top-ten average rank: #835

Top-ten playing average: 75.34

Top-ten win rate: 72.3%

Wilson

There were not enough Lowes or Bristows in the rankings to produce meaningful top tens, so Wilson was next in line.

It is a surname with a firm place in darts history through Jocky Wilson, but how does the current group fare?

Pos| Player| Overall Rank| Points| Average| Win Rate

1| Carl Wilson| #359| 572.99| 85.89| 69.9%

2| Callum Wilson| #638| 527.62| 80.55| 48.8%

3| Jason Wilson| #720| 513.61| 78.09| 50.0%

4| Stu Wilson| #1,337| 454.94| 77.03| 42.1%

5| Dave Ian Wilson| #1,582| 435.42| 75.42| 29.0%

6| Freddie Wilson| #1,739| 423.55| 66.36| 67.1%

7| Mackenzie Wilson| #2,153| 401.35| 67.76| 62.2%

8| Kevin Wilson| #2,758| 370.48| 70.34| 61.3%

9| Noah Wilson| #2,761| 370.41| 65.05| 49.0%

10| Benjamin Wilson| #3,039| 357.56| 65.10| 68.7%

Carl Wilson is the clear leader, sitting at #359 with an excellent 85.89 average. Callum and Jason Wilson also make the top 720, giving the group a respectable leading three.

The rankings fall away after that. Only three Wilsons make the top 1,000, while three members of the top ten sit outside the top 2,700.

Freddie Wilson is the group's workhorse, having played 132 events and 711 matches, but Carl remains the only Wilson in this top ten with a win rate approaching 70%.

Top-ten average rank: #1,709

Top-ten playing average: 73.16

Top-ten win rate: 54.8%

Price

The final surname in this first edition is Price, and it contains the highest-ranked individual player in the entire comparison.

Pos| Player| Overall Rank| Points| Average| Win Rate

1| Gerwyn Price| #3| 775.41| 98.91| 69.6%

2| Samuel Price| #450| 557.52| 85.32| 58.9%

3| Eddie Price| #719| 513.63| 79.72| 74.4%

4| Steve Price| #889| 493.73| 77.41| 72.1%

5| Martin Price| #1,762| 422.33| 72.59| 70.4%

6| Lewis Price| #1,985| 409.15| 65.01| 64.2%

7| Darryl Price| #2,348| 390.67| 63.46| 67.6%

8| Jack Price| #2,551| 380.41| 61.76| 68.4%

9| Paul Price| #2,665| 374.96| 66.88| 71.4%

10| Ciaran Price| #2,753| 370.60| 63.59| 66.7%

Gerwyn Price is ranked #3 overall, with 775.41 points and a 98.91 average. All three figures are the best achieved by anyone included in this article.

Samuel Price provides strong support at #450 with an 85.32 average, while Eddie and Steve Price both make the top 900.

The weakness is the gap between the leading four and the remainder of the group. Martin Price is next at #1,762, while four of the top ten Prices are ranked outside the top 2,300.

Top-ten average rank: #1,613

Top-ten playing average: 73.47

Top-ten win rate: 68.4%

Final Standings

Position| Surname| Leading Player| Best Rank| Average Top-Ten Rank| Average Top-Ten Performance

1| Smith| Ross Smith| #9| #384| 81.90

2| Jones| Howard Jones| #273| #835| 75.34

3| Taylor| Dom Taylor| #435| #1,392| 70.62

4| Price| Gerwyn Price| #3| #1,613| 73.47

5| Wilson| Carl Wilson| #359| #1,709| 73.16

Conclusion

The Smiths take the first Q4QS surname title, and they do so comfortably.

Ross, Raymond and Michael Smith all sit inside the top 100, while every member of the Smith top ten is ranked inside the top 709. No other surname comes close to matching that combination of elite players and strength in depth.

The Joneses finish second after placing eight players inside the top 1,000. They also record the highest collective win rate, helped considerably by Kacey Jones's remarkable 91.9%.

The battle for third is more complicated. Taylor has the better depth and average ranking, while Price has comfortably the strongest individual representative. Gerwyn Price is ranked #3 and averages 98.91, but the Price rankings drop away significantly after the leading four.

On the basis of the complete top ten, Taylor narrowly takes third place. However, anyone valuing elite star quality more heavily could easily place Price ahead of them.

Wilson has a strong leading player in Carl Wilson and a respectable top three, but the surname cannot match the depth of the other four.

Taylor may remain the most famous surname in darts, and Price may supply the best current individual in this contest, but this first edition belongs to the Smiths.

For once, the most common name is also the strongest.

Yesterday's Darts Results: Quiney Hits 111 Average as Boundy, Lauby and Steed Win – 23 September 2026

Yesterday's Results – Wednesday 23 September 2026

Another 70 tournaments have gone into the Q4QS database from Wednesday, and this was a particularly good night for the South and South West.

There were titles for Steve Boundy, Alec McCready, Danny Lauby, Andy Steed, Jamie Kay and Jack Walker among the featured results, but perhaps the number that jumps off the page most is 111.33.

That belonged to Joe Quiney at Bengeworth.

Quiney hits 111.33 – Lauby takes the title

Bengeworth in Evesham produced one of the performances of the night.

Joe Quiney averaged 111.33 in a 2–0 win over Shaun Vernall. Vernall himself had already produced a 96.97, so there was some serious quality on show.

Quiney's tournament eventually ended against Danny Lauby, who beat him 3–1 with an 89.44 average before going on to defeat Shaun Vernall 3–2 in the final.

Lauby finished with eight wins, while Quiney and Vernall both recorded six.

So the title went to Lauby, but the standout number belonged to Quiney.

Boundy wins a strong night at the Sartan

The Sartan Club in Bishopsworth continues to produce interesting results.

This time Steve Boundy took the title, beating Ryan Palmer 3–1 in the final.

Boundy also broke the 100 barrier with a 100.20 average, followed by a 99.55 later in the competition.

Ryan Palmer wasn't far behind, recording 97.57, while Zach Quinn hit 94.91 and Mervyn Adams 93.94.

Palmer actually collected the most wins during the night with seven, ahead of Quinn and Boundy on six apiece.

That's a pretty strong set of numbers for one local Wednesday night tournament.

Steed wins in Barnstaple

Andy Steed followed Tuesday's 96.14 in Tiverton with another good performance, this time turning it into a tournament victory.

Steed won the Vault 19 event at Barnstaple Town FC, beating Neil Ridd 3–0 in the final.

He averaged 92.02 in the final and also recorded a 91.09 earlier in the tournament.

Steed finished with eight wins, with Ricky Preedy next on six.

Two different Devon venues in two nights and Steed has now produced 96.14, 92.02 and 91.09 performances across them.

McCready breaks 100 in Leominster

Alec McCready was the winner at Shooters Bar in Leominster, beating Chris Hurds 3–1 in the final.

McCready produced an excellent 100.20 average during the tournament and followed it with 93.71 in the final and 91.66 against Zak Turner.

That's three 90-plus performances from the eventual champion.

McCready finished the evening with seven wins, while Chris Hurds and Ryan Griffiths recorded five each.

Jamie Kay takes Bodmin title

Jamie Kay won at Bodmin Band & Social Club after beating Logan Symons Jnr 3–2 in the final.

Kay averaged 91.93 in the final, having already recorded a 90.18 earlier in the competition.

James Chudleigh also reached 90.00, while Symons Jnr produced an 83.50.

Kay finished with seven wins, one ahead of Symons Jnr.

Walker wins at Stonehouse despite huge Lewis average

There was an interesting final at Magpies Social Club in Stonehouse.

Josh Lewis averaged 98.40, but it wasn't enough to beat Jack Walker.

Walker averaged 90.41 in a 3–1 victory over Lewis and eventually went on to beat Will Jackson 3–1 in the final.

Walker produced four of the venue's five highest listed averages himself – 90.41, 85.08, 83.50 and 81.24 – and finished with six wins.

Plenty happening elsewhere in the South West

There were several other results worth mentioning.

Steven Rees won at Break N Dish in Street, where Dan Williams twice averaged 96.97. Darren Herbert won at The Choughs in Chard, beating Leighton Cox, while Andrew Cook produced a 95.94 on his way to winning at The Pitch Sports Bar in St Austell.

The junior game was represented in Exeter too, where Joseph Lauridsen won the Junior Volts event at The Kings Pub and produced the tournament's highest average of 81.24.

Five South West performances that caught my eye

1. Joe Quiney – 111.33
   Bengeworth Club, Evesham
2. Alec McCready – 100.20
   Shooters Bar, Leominster
3. Steve Boundy – 100.20
   Sartan Club, Bishopsworth
4. Josh Lewis – 98.40
   Magpies Social Club, Stonehouse
5. Ryan Palmer – 97.57
   Sartan Club, Bishopsworth

And once again, it shows why I like looking beyond simply who won the tournaments.

Quiney and Lewis didn't win their respective events, but produced two of the most eye-catching performances in the region.

The national numbers were even bigger

Across the complete set of results, Jack Johnson and Dean Rogers both recorded 115.62 averages.

Aaron Reed, Joe Quiney and Ricky King all hit 111.33, while there were several more averages above 107.

Ricky King's performance at Christchurch was particularly notable because it wasn't a one-off match: his listed averages included 111.33, 107.36, 98.02 and 93.94, and he went on to win the tournament with eight victories.

Another 70 tournaments added to Q4QS

That's another 70 tournaments feeding into the Q4QS database.

Individually, they give us Wednesday night's winners and standout performances.

Collectively, they're building something much more useful: player records, venue histories, averages, form, rankings and head-to-head data.

And when someone like Andy Steed produces big numbers on consecutive nights at different venues, or a venue such as the Sartan repeatedly produces strong fields, that growing history starts to become particularly interesting.

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10 MODUS Super Series Facts From the Q4QS Database

 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been building a separate Q4QS database for the MODUS Super Series.

Rather than simply looking at the latest results, the idea is to bring together the Portsmouth-era MODUS history and see what the numbers can tell us about the players who have competed there.

There is a lot in it.

Thousands of matches, hundreds of players, head-to-head records, averages, 180s, checkouts, Finals Night appearances and weekly victories all give me plenty to explore. In fact, there is far too much for one article.

So I’m starting relatively simply.

Here are 10 facts from the Q4QS MODUS database, covering results through Series 15, Week 195. Week 196 has begun appearing in my data, but isn't complete, so I've left it out of the record-book cutoff.

1. Neil Duff is the MODUS marathon man

If there is one player who dominates the longevity records, it is Neil Duff.

Duff has appeared across 24 MODUS weeks and has played 466 recorded matches.

He has won 292 of them.

That means Duff currently leads my database for weeks played, matches played and matches won.

It is difficult to find a better illustration of just how much darts some players have played on the MODUS stage.

2. Duff has also won nine weekly titles

Those appearances haven't simply been about turning up.

Duff has collected nine weekly titles from his 24 weeks in the database, as well as reaching 11 finals and making 19 Finals Night appearances.

So while several players have produced spectacular shorter bursts at MODUS, Duff's record combines longevity with sustained success.

3. Darryl Pilgrim owns the biggest average in the database

The highest individual match average I have recorded belongs to Darryl Pilgrim.

Pilgrim averaged an extraordinary 122.69 against Dennie Olde Kalter during Week 49.

For context, only a tiny number of performances in the entire database even get close.

Connor Scutt and David Evans are among those next in line, both having recorded 120.24.

There is another rather remarkable Pilgrim average hidden in the database too — but I'm saving that one for another article.

4. Nobody has recorded more 100+ averages than Derek Coulson

One huge average can happen on one exceptional day.

Repeatedly averaging over 100 is something different.

Derek Coulson has recorded 45 match averages of 100 or more, the highest total in the Q4QS MODUS data.

Tom Sykes and Scott Taylor are next on 32 each, followed by Andreas Harrysson on 30.

Coulson's overall numbers are impressive too: across 272 recorded matches he has won 195, a win rate of 71.69%.

5. Steve West leads the 180 race

When it comes to maximums, Steve West sits at the top.

West has hit 561 recorded 180s across 371 matches.

That works out at just over 1.5 maximums per match.

There are players with even higher rates over smaller samples, something I'll look at separately, but nobody in the database has accumulated more maximums than West.

6. Luke Littler's MODUS numbers are ridiculous

Long before some of the biggest moments of his subsequent career, Luke Littler was producing some extraordinary numbers at MODUS.

Littler played in just five recorded weeks.

He reached Finals Night in all five and won four weekly titles.

Across his 110 recorded matches, Littler won 84 — 76.36% — and averaged 94.39 overall.

Among players with at least 100 matches in the database, both figures are currently the best.

He also averaged 100+ on 21 occasions and hit 208 maximums.

That's 1.89 180s per match.

7. Neil Duff has checked out 100+ on 147 occasions

Duff returns for another record, but this time it is finishing rather than appearances.

He has recorded 147 checkouts of 100 or more.

Scott Taylor is next with 134, while Steve West has 121.

The highest possible checkout of 170 has been achieved by numerous MODUS players, but accumulating three-figure finishes over several years is another measure of consistency.

8. Two match-ups share the rivalry record

One of the things I particularly wanted the database to uncover was how often the same players have crossed paths.

At the moment, two pairings share the lead with 13 meetings.

Andreas Harrysson v Mike Warburton has happened 13 times, with Harrysson leading the series 9-4.

Conan Whitehead v Darryl Pilgrim has also happened 13 times — and remarkably, Whitehead also leads that rivalry 9-4.

There are some wonderfully close rivalries sitting just below those two as well.

I'll definitely be returning to those.

9. Beau Greaves has recorded a 114.56 average

I also want this database to allow me to look properly at the performances of women who have competed at MODUS.

One number immediately stands out.

Beau Greaves has a best recorded match average of 114.56.

Across the matches currently captured for Greaves, she has won 31 of 40, giving her a 77.5% win rate.

Her overall recorded average is 93.75, she has produced six 100+ averages and hit 76 180s.

There is much more to investigate here, particularly because the dedicated Women's Weeks need to be treated separately from the normal mixed competition.

I think the women's MODUS record book deserves an article of its own.

10. MODUS has produced far more than a handful of familiar names

Perhaps the biggest thing I've noticed while building the database isn't one individual record.

It's the scale of MODUS.

There are around 600 different players represented in the database.

Some have become household names. Others have been MODUS regulars for years. Some appeared briefly and produced a performance that still sits remarkably high in the record books.

There is also a substantial international element.

I'm currently matching the MODUS player database against my Q4QS country data so I can establish exactly how many nations and home nations have been represented rather than guessing at the number.

Once that's complete, MODUS Around the World will be another article in this series.

This is only the beginning

These are deliberately some of the more straightforward records.

I've already found plenty of stranger ones.

There are remarkable losing averages, long winning streaks, incredibly even rivalries, whitewash records, deciding-leg records and players who seem to have spent half their MODUS careers playing one another.

There are women's records to explore properly, country records, the players with the greatest title strike rates and plenty more.

That's what I want to do with this database.

Rather than simply telling you what happened at MODUS last night, I want to use the history to find the stories sitting underneath the results.

This is Part One of the Q4QS MODUS Record Book. There is plenty more to come.

Yesterday's Darts Results: 71 Tournaments, Big Averages and South West Winners – 22 September 2026

Yesterday's Results – Tuesday 22 September 2026

Tuesday was another huge night of grassroots darts, with 71 tournaments added to the Q4QS database.

There were events taking place across the country, but as usual I've concentrated this roundup on the South and South West, picking out some of the winners, performances and numbers that caught my eye.

And there was plenty to choose from.

Bagguley takes the honours in Gloucester

Joe Bagguley was the winner at the Vault 19 event at Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester, beating Cody Kibble 3–0 in the final.

Bagguley won eight matches across the night and also produced the highest average recorded at the venue, a 90.18. Cody Kibble finished with six wins, while Ryan Palmer also collected six and reached an 83.50 average.

It was a strong night's work from Bagguley and another Gloucester result to add to the growing Q4QS database.

Cleave wins in Tiverton – but Steed and Howard produce the big numbers

At Elmore Football Club in Tiverton, Finlay Cleave came through to take the title, defeating Dave Fisher 3–0 in the final.

The eye-catching numbers, though, arrived elsewhere in the tournament.

Andy Steed averaged 96.14, while Junior Howard hit 94.60 in their meeting. Howard won that match 2–1. Cleave's best recorded average was 88.53 on his way to the title.

That makes Tiverton one of the more interesting events from Tuesday's results – a tournament where the eventual winner was not necessarily responsible for the night's biggest statistical performance.

Godbeer wins at Portishead

There was another local winner at Portishead Workmens Darts, where Logun Godbeer won the Tuesday Open.

Godbeer beat Jacob Huxtable 3–1 in the final and finished the tournament with eight wins. His best recorded average was 72.12, while Josh Rose produced the highest figure of the tournament at 75.43.

Jones comes through a strong Evesham night

Bretforton Sports Club produced one of Tuesday's more interesting sets of numbers.

Paul Jones eventually won the Vault 19 event, beating Joe Quiney 3–1 in the final and recording eight victories during the tournament.

Quiney, however, produced the biggest average of the night there with 96.97, and also recorded 88.41 and 85.89 performances.

There was quality elsewhere too, with Danny Lauby averaging 91.09 and 88.41 during the tournament.

For me, Bretforton was one of the standout venues from Tuesday – plenty of depth as well as a strong winning performance from Jones.

Bywater takes WADC win at Leominster

Clare Bywater won the WADC Vault event at Shooters in Leominster, defeating Karrina Barnes 3–2 in the final.

Bywater recorded four wins and was responsible for each of her five highest listed averages in the tournament data, headed by a 60.93 against Christine Sheen.

The biggest average of the night

Away from the immediate South West, one number is difficult to ignore.

Mike Gillet produced a huge 112.73 average at the Locomotive Engineers Social Club in Eastleigh.

Gillet went on to win the tournament, beating Kieren Dobson 3–1 in the final and finishing with seven victories.

The national figures contained plenty more big numbers. Dan Grouped, Ash Mckeever, Finley Bennett and Sean Ross all reached 107.36, while Lee Wreford hit 104.86 and Darren Edwards recorded 103.66.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Joe Quiney – 96.97, Bretforton Sports Club
2. Andy Steed – 96.14, Elmore Football Club, Tiverton
3. Junior Howard – 94.60, Elmore Football Club, Tiverton
4. Danny Lauby – 91.09, Bretforton Sports Club
5. Joe Bagguley – 90.18, Widden Rugby Club, Gloucester

It's a good illustration of why I don't want Yesterday's Results to become simply a list of tournament winners. There are often some excellent performances hidden deeper inside these events.

Another 71 tournaments into Q4QS

The most important part for the longer-term project is the volume of information being collected.

Another 71 tournaments from one day have now been added to Q4QS.

Every one adds more information to the player records, rankings, venue data, form and head-to-head history I'm building.

The daily result is interesting on its own. Over time, though, it's the accumulation of all those results that should make Q4QS increasingly useful.

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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.