The ADC Vault National Finals return to Bradmoor Farm, with £10,000 awaiting the winner. But can recent form tell us who might lift the trophy?
The ADC National Finals Weekend has already provided plenty of darts, but the Vault National Finals is the competition that really brings home just how far the Amateur Darts Circuit has developed.
A £70,000 prize fund, £10,000 to the champion, and players arriving from Vault competitions across the country.
For many of those taking part, the regular weekly Vault events are where they spend much of their darting lives. They might be winning at their local club on a Monday or Tuesday evening, perhaps reaching a final elsewhere later in the week, and gradually building up the results that have brought them to this stage.
Now they have the opportunity to test themselves against some of the strongest players on the amateur circuit.
I've been looking through the Q4QS database ahead of the competition. The supplied export contains 286 matched players, and the first thing that struck me was not necessarily who was at the top of the rankings.
It was how many players I could make a reasonable case for.
Can Chas Barstow Defend His Title?
The previous winners tell an interesting story.
Neil Duff won the inaugural title in 2023, Thomas Banks followed in 2024, and Chas Barstow became champion in 2025.
Former champions receive lifetime invitations, so there is a nice sense of continuity developing around this competition.
Barstow certainly isn't returning simply to make up the numbers.
His recent results include winning an England Masters & Classic event with a tournament average of 93.94. During that run he beat Robbie Martin 5-0, averaging a remarkable 110.51.
He also won a Vault event at the Sportsman Club in Winchester and reached the final of the UK & Ireland Classic during this National Finals Weekend, where he lost to Lewis Cook.
That is pretty convincing evidence that his game is in good order.
Defending a title in a large knockout field is never straightforward, though. You can play well for several matches and still find yourself on the wrong end of one outstanding performance.
Thomas Banks is also among the entrants. His presence adds another former champion to the story, although I wouldn't automatically place him among the leading favourites purely because he has won the event before.
The Players at the Top of the Q4QS Rankings
Jack Drayton is the highest-ranked player in the supplied Q4QS field, sitting at number 42 with an overall average of 86.29.
He won an ADC Winmau Championship South event at Bradmoor Farm, averaging 87.62 across an unbeaten tournament. Among his victories was a 5-2 win over Michael Wiles with a 94.47 average.
That is useful form to bring into another major event at the same venue.
Oliver Mitchell is just one place behind Drayton in the rankings, at number 43, with an overall average of 86.49.
His Challenge Tour performances have included wins against Scott Waites, Jamie Hughes and Lewis Pride. In one Challenge Tour event he reached the last 32 with a 90.62 tournament average.
Lewis Pride is another obvious contender. His overall average of 87.41 is particularly impressive, and he recently reached the semi-finals of a National Finals Weekend money-in, money-out event, averaging 85.88 before losing to Joe Hunt.
Pride also produced a 101.90 average in a 4-0 victory over Darnell McCrory.
These three have the sort of records that suggest they should be competitive against almost anybody in the field.
But rankings don't win knockout matches.
The Development Tour Players Could Have a Big Say
One of the interesting things about the field is the number of players who have been testing themselves regularly on the PDC Development Tour.
Dylan Slevin reached the semi-finals of Development Tour Event 22, averaging 86.10, and followed that with a quarter-final appearance at Event 24.
He also reached the last 32 of the World Youth Championship Finals.
Sam Jackson's recent results are particularly eye-catching.
He reached the final of Development Tour Event 22, winning eight matches and averaging 93.63 across the tournament before losing to Archie Self.
During that run he beat Slevin 5-2 with a 98.35 average.
Cole Davey also reached a Development Tour final recently, averaging 87.83, before losing to Nunjo Dewaele. He has since added a Vault title at Groves Sports & Social in Shotton.
Arthur Allston reached the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championship Finals, where Charlie Manby ended his run, while Harrison Leigh also made the last eight of that competition before losing to Luke Littler.
I think this group is particularly interesting because they are already accustomed to competing against strong fields.
The challenge is to reproduce that standard in a different tournament environment, with different expectations and a significant prize at stake.
Graham Usher and Harry Lane – An Interesting Connection
Graham Usher has been playing some excellent darts.
He won a British Open & Classic event with an 86.00 tournament average, and his recent record includes a 6-4 victory over Harrison Leigh.
He also reached another final at the British Open & Classic, losing to Harry Lane.
Lane has been enjoying a good run himself, winning a British Open & Classic event and reaching the semi-finals of an England Masters & Classic tournament.
He also has a victory over Usher in his recent record.
It is the sort of connection I enjoy finding in the database. Two players who have already crossed paths in significant competitions, both arriving with reasons to feel confident.
If they meet again, there will be some useful history behind the fixture.
The Vault Specialists Who Know How to Win
It would be easy to concentrate entirely on the players with PDC or major open tournament experience.
But that would rather miss the point of the Vault National Finals.
Some of the most interesting contenders are players who have been winning repeatedly in their own areas.
Simon Stevenson has an overall Q4QS average of 89.14, one of the strongest figures among the leading ranked entrants.
His recent results at Legends Lounge in Plymouth include a tournament victory and a final, the latter with a 90.30 average.
Neil Wild has won nine of his last ten recorded matches. He has produced a 91.02 tournament average in a Vault victory at Hotshots in Tipton and a 91.90 average during a semi-final run at Samba Darts Academy.
Carl Wilson is another player whose recent results deserve attention.
He has won his last ten recorded matches and collected several titles at Rusthall Club in Tunbridge Wells. His most recent title came with a 90.06 tournament average.
One of those wins included a 3-1 victory over Jack Johnson, with Wilson averaging 96.70.
Johnson himself has been playing well, winning at the 6 and 1 Club in Tonbridge with a 90.73 average and reaching a final at Rusthall.
These are not players who should be dismissed simply because their names might be less familiar to a wider darts audience.
They are winning tournaments, and some of them are producing averages that would be competitive at a much higher level.
Jack Main and Darren Brown – A Regional Rivalry
Another little storyline comes from East Anglia.
Jack Main has been collecting Vault titles around Norfolk, including victories at The Greyhound in Diss and Hethersett Social Club.
He also reached the semi-finals of a National Finals Weekend money-in, money-out competition, averaging 82.89.
Darren Brown has been competing in many of the same events.
Their recent records show victories in both directions, with Main beating Brown at Pinches Cue Club and Brown getting the better of Main at Hethersett.
Brown has also produced a 90.87 average across a recent semi-final run.
I wouldn't be surprised to see either player cause problems for a more highly ranked opponent.
And if the draw brings them together, it would be another instalment in a rivalry that has already developed through the regional Vault circuit.
The Players Already Enjoying National Finals Weekend
One factor worth considering is that several entrants have already been competing at Bradmoor Farm during the weekend.
Adam Winspear won the Level Up RISE Final, recording eight victories and an 81.21 tournament average.
His run included wins over William Borland and Colin McCaughern.
That is a significant confidence boost before another major competition.
Borland reached the semi-finals of the same event and produced a 93.05 average in a victory over Dylan Sinclair.
Roger Crook reached the final of a National Finals Weekend money-in, money-out competition, beating Jack Main in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Robbie Martin reached the quarter-finals of the UK & Ireland Classic, averaging 91.49 before losing to eventual champion Lewis Cook.
For some players, this will be their first major match of the weekend. Others have already played a considerable amount of competitive darts.
Whether that proves to be an advantage or a disadvantage is difficult to judge.
Personally, I think a player who has already enjoyed a good run at the venue might have a little more confidence when the first match begins.
But confidence still has to be backed up by scoring and finishing.
So Who Are the Favourites?
This is where the size of the field makes things difficult.
There are some excellent players in the top twenty of the Q4QS rankings for this event, but there are also players further down the list who have been winning virtually everything in front of them.
Paul Rowley, Lee Evans, Roger Crook and Carl Wilson all have ten consecutive recorded wins in the supplied database.
Kevin Edwards, Danny Goddard, Daniel Astbury and Brett Claydon have similarly impressive recent form.
And there are others, such as Robbie Martin, Johnny Haines, Michael Wiles and Sean Holley, who have been regularly reaching the latter stages of Vault tournaments.
I wouldn't want to pretend that the statistics can identify one clear winner from a field like this.
What they can do is help us identify who has been performing consistently, who is capable of producing exceptional averages, and who might be worth watching as the tournament progresses.
Q4QS Six to Follow
After going through the available figures, these would be my six selections.
Chas Barstow – The defending champion, an England Masters & Classic winner and a finalist at this weekend's UK & Ireland Classic.
Jack Drayton – The highest-ranked entrant in the supplied Q4QS field, with strong ADC Winmau Championship form at Bradmoor Farm.
Oliver Mitchell – Proven Challenge Tour scoring ability, including a 90.62 tournament average and victories over established opposition.
Sam Jackson – A recent PDC Development Tour finalist with a 93.63 tournament average.
Simon Stevenson – One of the strongest overall averages in the field, backed by excellent recent results in Plymouth.
Carl Wilson – My outside selection, with ten consecutive recorded wins and several recent Vault titles.
Leaving out players such as Lewis Pride, Dylan Slevin, Graham Usher and Robbie Martin isn't easy.
In fact, I could probably pick another six without weakening the list very much.
A Tournament That Deserves Its Place on the Calendar
The thing I like most about the Vault National Finals is that it gives players from the regular grassroots circuit an opportunity to compete for a genuinely significant prize.
Some of the entrants will be accustomed to major competitions. Others will have built their records largely through weekly tournaments at local clubs.
And that is what makes it interesting.
The averages can give us an idea of what to expect, but they cannot tell us how somebody will react to a deciding leg with thousands of pounds at stake.
Nor can they tell us whether a player who has been averaging in the mid-70s might suddenly produce the tournament of his life.
My statistical shortlist would certainly include Barstow, Drayton, Mitchell and Jackson.
But in a competition of this size, I think there is every chance that somebody outside the obvious favourites will make a serious run.
I'll be following the results with interest, particularly to see how the players who have dominated their regional Vault competitions fare against the wider field.
And by the end of it, somebody will have £10,000 and a place alongside Neil Duff, Thomas Banks and Chas Barstow on the list of Vault National Finals champions.
ADC Vault National Finals 2026
Venue: Bradmoor Farm, Aylesbury
Prize fund: £70,000
Champion: £10,000
Runner-up: £4,000
Semi-finalists: £2,000 each
Format: 501 singles, knockout
The Q4QS preview is based on the supplied tournament export and recorded player performances. Rankings and averages are statistical indicators, not guarantees of results.
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