Another week of grassroots darts, another three players who caught my eye.
This week's selections are Jenson Macey, Eileen Harrison and Lee Hughes.
As I've said before, the Weekly Spotlight isn't simply about finding the three players who won the most tournaments or produced the highest averages.
Of course, outstanding performances deserve recognition. But so does consistency, improvement, determination and simply putting yourself in contention time after time.
And I think this week's three selections demonstrate that rather nicely.
We've got a junior winning tournaments and making an impression in open competition, a WADC player reaching three finals in two days, and an experienced Welsh circuit regular enjoying another excellent week.
Three very different stories.
Jenson Macey — Q4QS Rank #3,674
Player Profile
Jenson Macey is building a very impressive record in the Q4QS database.
Across 408 recorded matches, Jenson has won 324, giving him a 79.4% win rate.
He's competed in 73 recorded events, winning 21 of them, alongside another 12 runner-up finishes and 10 semi-finals.
His overall match average stands at 66.87, with a Q4QS Average of 65.61. However, his recent performances have been considerably stronger, with a last-ten match average of 76.76.
His best recorded average is 92.37, and he's already recorded victories over players including Riley Milligan and Leo Howard.
That's an encouraging record for a player who is also testing himself against experienced opposition in open tournaments.
This Week
Jenson began the week in excellent fashion, winning Sunday's Junior Volts at The Phoenix Club in Waterlooville.
He saved one of his best performances for the final, beating Joshua Price 3–0 with a superb 92.02 average.
Two days later, he was back in action at DiceHeads in Gosport, where he collected another Junior Volts victory.
His run included a 79.11 average against Aiden Styler and a 79.84 against Sausage Sharp before beating Riley Pinhorne in the final.
But it was Thursday's performance that made his week particularly interesting.
Playing in the open Vault 19 event at Fareham Social Club, Jenson reached the final after defeating a succession of opponents, including Gary Daniels in the semi-final.
He eventually lost 3–1 to Lloyd Walker, but averaged 84.35 in defeat.
So that's two junior tournament victories followed by a final in open competition.
For me, that's the standout part of Jenson's week.
It's one thing to be successful against players of a similar age. It's another to take that form into open competition and reach a final against experienced opponents.
A very good week indeed.
Eileen Harrison — Q4QS Rank #28,722
Player Profile
Eileen Harrison is a rather different selection this week, and that's precisely why I wanted to include her.
Her Q4QS record is still relatively small, with just 19 recorded matches across four events.
But she's won 13 of those matches, giving her a 68.4% win rate.
More interestingly, three of those four events have ended with Eileen reaching the final, while the other produced a semi-final appearance.
Her overall match average currently stands at 39.27, with a best of 50.09.
She hasn't yet completed the six events required to qualify for a Q4QS Average, so it's still early days as far as building a meaningful statistical profile is concerned.
But that's not what caught my attention.
This Week
On Sunday, Eileen competed in two separate WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments.
At Red Rose Darts Hub in Preston, she reached the final after recording victories over players including Grace Pownall, Kelsey Bradshaw and Celia Allen.
She eventually lost 3–1 to Gracie Willmitt, but produced her best recorded average of 50.09 in the final.
She also reached the final at The Dart and Pint in Oldham.
This time her run included a 3–2 semi-final victory over Wendy Murray before she narrowly lost 3–2 to Celia Allen.
Two finals in one day.
Then on Monday, she was back at Red Rose Darts Hub, reaching yet another WADC final.
After victories over Grace Pownall, Niamh Sergeant, Rachel Tapley and Netty Cork, she eventually lost 3–0 to Jo Clements.
Three finals in two days. Three runner-up finishes.
And not a tournament victory among them.
That's exactly the sort of week I think deserves a mention.
There's sometimes a tendency in darts coverage to concentrate on the winners and forget everyone else.
But reaching three finals in such a short period is an achievement in itself, particularly for somebody whose recorded tournament history is still developing.
It's also a good reminder of why the WADC circuit matters.
Not every player is going to average 70, 80 or 90. Not every tournament is going to attract a huge field.
But competitive darts needs opportunities for players at different levels to participate, improve and enjoy meaningful competition.
Eileen certainly made the most of those opportunities this week.
And I hope a tournament victory isn't too far away.
Lee Hughes — Q4QS Rank #2,235
Player Profile
Lee Hughes has a considerably more established record in the Q4QS database.
He's played 305 recorded matches, winning 254 of them for an excellent 83.3% win rate.
From 48 recorded events, Lee has collected 14 tournament victories and another 16 runner-up finishes.
His overall match average is 73.31, while his Q4QS Average stands at 72.62.
His best recorded average is 107.36, achieved against Cai Redman earlier in the year.
He's also recorded victories over some very capable opposition, including Kurt Parry, Jeff Bass and Mike Huntley.
One particularly notable result in his profile is a 3–0 victory over Jonny Clayton, achieved in a Vault event at New Inn, Ton Pentre, in May.
So there's clearly plenty of ability there.
This Week
Lee started his week on Sunday at the Clwb Emrys Elite Finals Day at Rack & Flight Club.
He reached the final after a run that included a 4–2 victory over Jeff Bass, averaging 77.62.
He eventually finished runner-up to Andrew Kerry.
On Monday, he went one better.
Playing at Duffy's in Pontypridd, Lee collected another Vault tournament victory.
Among his results was an impressive 3–1 win over Mike Huntley, averaging 79.76.
And he wasn't finished.
On Wednesday, Lee reached another final at the Clwb Emrys Circuit event at Rack & Flight Club in Treorchy.
He beat George Humphreys 3–0 in the quarter-final with a 79.11 average, then defeated Owen Black 3–1 in the semi-final with an 80.38.
The final went the way of Cai Redman, who won 3–1, with Lee averaging 72.38.
That completed a sequence of three finals in four days, including one tournament victory.
And perhaps that's what impressed me most.
It's not always easy to maintain that level of consistency when playing different events against different opposition.
But Lee has managed it, and his wider record suggests that reaching finals is becoming something of a habit.
Three Different Reasons to Be Noticed
What I like about this week's selections is that they demonstrate three different sides of grassroots darts.
Jenson Macey is showing what can happen when a successful junior starts producing performances in open competition.
Eileen Harrison has demonstrated that you don't need to win a tournament, or produce enormous averages, to have a week worth recognising.
And Lee Hughes has shown the value of consistency, reaching three finals in four days against some very capable opposition.
There were plenty of other players who could have made this week's three, including several who won more tournaments.
But that's never been the sole purpose of the Weekly Spotlight.
I want to recognise performances, progress and stories that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
And these are the three players who caught my eye this week.
Congratulations to Jenson, Eileen and Lee.
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