Vault 19 Tournament Strength: Pinches Still Leads After Four Weeks, but the Chasing Pack Is Growing

 

Four weeks into Vault 19, and we're starting to get a much clearer picture of which venues are regularly attracting the strongest fields.

When I began this series, I was looking at the biggest Tournament Strength scores from individual events.

Now, with several tournaments behind many of the venues, I'm increasingly interested in something else.

Which venues can keep producing strong fields, week after week?

At the very top, the answer remains familiar.

Pinches Cue Club in Norwich still leads Vault 19 with a Tournament Strength of 1.350.

But the chasing group is developing, with Barnsley WMC joining the Top 10, Hethersett continuing to improve and Sartan producing another particularly strong tournament.

Meanwhile, in WADC Vault 3.0, Wales continues to occupy the leading positions, although a new English challenger has emerged from Cornwall.

How the Rankings Work

I'm continuing with the same method used in previous updates.

Each venue appears only once, ranked by its highest Tournament Strength recorded during the current Vault series.

That prevents a venue from occupying several positions simply because it has staged multiple tournaments.

However, I also look at the other scores to judge consistency.

A venue producing one exceptional field is interesting.

A venue producing strong fields repeatedly tells me considerably more.

Vault 19 – Strongest Venues After Four Weeks

Rank	Venue	Highest Tournament Strength
1	Pinches Cue Club, Norwich	1.350
2	Faringdon Football Club	1.329
3	Tipton Sports Academy	1.297
4	Bedlinog Rugby Club	1.285
5	Bagley Sports & Social Club	1.280
6	The Brookside, Syston	1.278
7	Barnsley WMC	1.274
8	The Gardeners Arms, Ipswich	1.270
9=	Hethersett Social Club	1.265
9=	Sartan Club	1.265

Highest individual Tournament Strength per venue, using results through 10 October 2026.

Pinches Still Sets the Standard

There is no change at No.1.

Pinches' opening Tournament Strength of 1.350 remains unbeaten.

But as I've mentioned throughout this series, what makes Pinches particularly impressive isn't simply that opening score.

It's what has happened since.

Its first three Vault 19 tournaments produced:

1.350 → 1.340 → 1.331

Now its latest tournament, played on 8 October, has recorded 1.304.

That's a slight reduction, but it is still another very strong field.

Four events, all above 1.300.

That is a much stronger indication of a genuinely difficult regular venue than one exceptional opening tournament.

Pinches has now provided four consecutive pieces of evidence.

At this stage, it remains the benchmark for everyone else.

The Chasing Pack Is Getting More Interesting

Faringdon Football Club remains second with 1.329, followed by Tipton Sports Academy at 1.297.

Bedlinog Rugby Club, which made its appearance in the leading group last week, remains fourth with 1.285.

Bagley Sports & Social Club holds fifth at 1.280, while The Brookside in Syston sits sixth at 1.278.

But there is a new addition immediately behind them.

Barnsley WMC has entered the Top 10 with 1.274.

That is a strong enough figure to move ahead of several established venues.

As always, the next question is whether Barnsley can back it up.

We've already seen with Pinches that repeat performances are where the really interesting stories begin.

Hethersett Keeps Moving Up

One of the most interesting venues to follow throughout Vault 19 has been Hethersett Social Club.

Its early progression was:

1.224 → 1.237 → 1.260

Now it has reached 1.265.

That's four successive improvements.

It may not have produced the spectacular single-event figure of Pinches or Faringdon, but there is something impressive about a venue steadily strengthening its fields.

Hethersett has now moved level with Sartan's best Tournament Strength.

If it continues in this direction, it could become one of the more interesting venues in the entire series.

Sartan Produces Another Excellent Field

Sartan Club is another venue where looking at the best score alone doesn't tell the full story.

Its opening Vault 19 figure was 1.265.

It then dropped to 1.184, before recovering to 1.256.

Now its latest tournament, on 7 October, has produced 1.264.

That's almost identical to its opening score.

For me, that is important.

Sartan has already established itself as one of the stronger South West venues, and it is continuing to attract competitive fields.

It may only be joint ninth in the current national Top 10, but its repeat performances provide a stronger indication of consistency than that position alone suggests.

What About the Other Established Venues?

Not every venue that featured prominently in the earlier updates remains inside the Top 10.

Lindsay Constitutional Club, for example, remains close to the leading group with its best of 1.251.

North Star Club has also featured strongly during Vault 19.

The fact that venues producing Tournament Strength scores around 1.250 can now find themselves outside the Top 10 says something about the competition developing across the series.

The benchmark for reaching the leading group is rising.

And with every additional tournament, we're getting a better picture of which venues can maintain that standard.

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WADC Vault 3.0 – Wales Still Leads, but Bodmin Joins the Chase

The WADC Tournament Strength story has been particularly interesting over the past four weeks.

Initially, The 9 Darter in Port Talbot led the way.

Then Briton Ferry Workies produced a huge 1.151, while Penybanc RFC established itself as another strong Welsh venue.

Last week, Wales occupied the top four positions.

That hasn't changed.

But there has been movement further down the table, including a strong new result from Cornwall.

WADC Vault 3.0 – Strongest Venues After Four Weeks

Rank	Venue	Highest Tournament Strength
1	Briton Ferry Workies	1.151
2	Penybanc RFC, Ammanford	1.077
3	The 9 Darter, Port Talbot	0.997
4	Arrows Darts Venue #2, Resolven	0.986
5	Dereham Cricket Club	0.980
6	MK Cocktail Lounge, Bodmin	0.947
7	Castle Arms, Denbigh	0.944
8	Walton WMC	0.941
9	Copa #1, Caernarfon	0.936
10=	Fordham RBL	0.933
10=	London GAA, Ruislip	0.933

One venue per position, using its highest WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength. Penybanc RFC #1 and #2 are combined as one venue.

Briton Ferry Remains the Benchmark

Briton Ferry Workies continues to lead at 1.151.

Its progression earlier in Vault 3.0 was particularly impressive:

0.961 → 0.989 → 1.151

That's a substantial improvement across successive events.

The latest rankings haven't changed Briton Ferry's position, but it remains comfortably ahead of the chasing venues.

Penybanc is second at 1.077, with The 9 Darter third at 0.997.

The difference between first and second is now 0.074, while Briton Ferry is more than 0.150 ahead of The 9 Darter.

That's a significant lead at this stage.

The 9 Darter Is Showing Consistency

One of the strongest WADC developments this week actually comes from a venue that hasn't moved in the rankings.

The 9 Darter in Port Talbot has recorded another Tournament Strength of 0.995.

Its previous best was 0.997.

That's a difference of just 0.002.

It doesn't improve its ranking position, but it does provide excellent evidence that the venue can repeatedly attract fields of a similar strength.

And that is exactly what these weekly updates are designed to identify.

Bodmin Is the New English Challenger

The biggest English addition this week is MK Cocktail Lounge in Bodmin.

Its Tournament Strength of 0.947 moves it into sixth place.

That puts it behind Dereham Cricket Club, which remains the leading English venue at 0.980, but ahead of several other established WADC venues.

It is encouraging to see another English venue producing a strong field, particularly from the South West.

Bodmin now becomes one to watch as Vault 3.0 progresses.

More Welsh Venues Are Appearing

Although England has a new challenger, Wales is still well represented beyond the leading four.

Castle Arms in Denbigh has reached 0.944, while Copa #1 in Caernarfon has recorded 0.936.

That gives Wales six venues inside the leading ten positions when the tie for tenth is included.

The strength isn't confined entirely to South Wales, either.

With Denbigh and Caernarfon appearing, we're beginning to see competitive WADC fields from further north.

That's an interesting development for the women's game.

Has England Caught Wales?

Not yet.

The first four positions remain Welsh:

1. Briton Ferry Workies – 1.151

2. Penybanc RFC – 1.077

3. The 9 Darter – 0.997

4. Arrows Darts Venue #2 – 0.986

Dereham remains England's best at 0.980, with Bodmin now joining the leading group at 0.947.

But this is becoming about more than a simple England-versus-Wales comparison.

What interests me is the number of different venues beginning to produce strong WADC fields.

If those venues continue attracting players, the depth of the women's Vault circuit should become increasingly interesting to measure.

And that's something I want Q4QS to keep following.

Four Weeks In – What Have We Learned?

After four weeks, the Vault 19 Tournament Strength picture is becoming clearer.

Pinches Cue Club remains the standout venue.

Its highest score of 1.350 still leads, but four consecutive tournaments above 1.300 are the real story.

Faringdon and Tipton remain the closest challengers on highest score.

Bedlinog and Barnsley have joined the leading group.

Hethersett continues to improve, while Sartan has produced another result almost identical to its opening Tournament Strength.

In WADC Vault 3.0, Briton Ferry remains the benchmark, with Penybanc and The 9 Darter providing strong Welsh support.

Bodmin has emerged as another English challenger, while Denbigh and Caernarfon show that strong women's fields are appearing beyond South Wales.

I'm still ranking venues by their single highest Tournament Strength, but the longer this series continues, the more interested I become in the other numbers.

Because there is a difference between staging one exceptionally strong tournament and being a venue where strong tournaments happen regularly.

After four weeks, Pinches is making a very convincing case for the latter.

And that is what I'll continue looking for as Vault 19 and WADC Vault 3.0 progress.