Two national titles, £16,200 in combined prize money and a place in the ADC Global Championship at stake
The ADC National Finals Weekend continues at Bradmoor Farm in Aylesbury, and two of the competitions particularly interest me.
The Women's Vault National Finals brings together qualifiers from the women's circuit, with £3,000 in prize money available. Alongside it, the UK & Ireland Classic offers £13,200, with the champion collecting £3,000 and, perhaps more importantly, qualification for the ADC Global Championship.
Both are straight knockout competitions, so there is no opportunity to recover from a poor group stage. One bad match, and you're going home.
I've been looking through the Q4QS database to see who might be worth following. There are some obvious contenders, but there are also a few interesting stories that might not immediately stand out from the rankings.
Women's Vault National Finals – Can Recent Form Make the Difference?
One thing that strikes me about the women's competition is the contrast between players who have been competing regularly on the PDC Women's Series and those who have built their form through local Vault tournaments.
It makes the event particularly interesting because the averages tell us only part of the story.
Gemma Hayter brings Women's Series form
On the available Q4QS figures, Gemma Hayter looks one of the strongest contenders.
Her Q4QS average is 78.68, and she has won eight of her last ten recorded matches.
More importantly, her recent performances have come against some very strong opposition.
At PDC Women's Series Event 22, Hayter reached the final with a tournament average of 79.83 before losing to Beau Greaves.
She also reached the quarter-finals of Events 21 and 23, with Greaves again ending her run in the latter.
Among her recent victories are wins against Aurora Fochesato, Aoife McCormack and Robyn Byrne.
If she reproduces that standard, she will be difficult to beat.
However, the nature of knockout darts means that being the strongest statistical player doesn't necessarily make you the eventual winner.
Jo Locke has been mixing it with established names
Jo Locke is another player whose recent record deserves attention.
She reached the semi-finals of PDC Women's Series Event 20, averaging 74.75 across the tournament before losing to Aileen de Graaf.
Her results include a 5-3 victory over Deta Hedman, as well as wins against Kim Holden and Kirsi Viinikainen.
Locke also reached the semi-finals of a recent mixed Vault tournament at Bradmoor Farm itself, winning six matches before Sean Holley ended her run.
That experience of the venue might be useful, although I wouldn't put too much weight on it.
With seven wins from her last ten recorded matches, she looks capable of going a long way.
Rebecca Allen is another player moving in the right direction
Rebecca Allen has an interesting mixture of youth and senior competition experience in the database.
She won the JDC Nations Cup 2026 with a 64.70 tournament average and has since been competing on the PDC Women's Series.
Her recent Women's Series results include a last-32 appearance, followed by a quarter-final at Event 24, where Beau Greaves stopped her.
Allen's eight wins from her last ten matches suggest that she is finding results at the right time.
I wouldn't necessarily put her ahead of Hayter on the figures, but she certainly belongs in the conversation.
The Welsh contingent and the local Vault specialists
Sue Davies has one of the more eye-catching recent records.
She has won her last ten recorded matches and collected a succession of WADC Vault titles at Caernarfon and Denbigh.
Her best recent tournament average was 67.92, and she has produced individual match averages above 80.
That is excellent winning form, although the standard and format of opposition will be different here.
Tracy Ford-Jenkins has also been busy in Wales, reaching a quarter-final at Arrows in Resolven and winning seven of her last ten matches.
Meanwhile, Tracey Dean has reached a Severn Darts Organisation Challenge Series final, although her most recent results have been less encouraging.
It will be interesting to see whether the confidence gained from local events can translate into results on a national finals stage.
A rivalry worth watching
Two names I noticed were Juliet Findley and Millie Jolley.
Both have been competing regularly in WADC events at The Men of March.
Findley has collected several titles there, while Jolley reached a recent final before losing to Findley.
There have also been occasions when Jolley has got the better of her rival.
If the draw brings them together again, it would be an interesting continuation of a rivalry that has already developed on the regional circuit.
Neither has the overall average of the leading Women's Series players, but both know how to win matches.
Don't overlook the younger players
Katie-Lee Parish has JDC Girls Series experience, while several others in the field are building their competitive records through women's and mixed tournaments.
I always think these national finals are valuable for players who might not yet be among the leading names.
Even one or two victories against established opponents can be an important step forward.
And occasionally, somebody arrives at an event like this and produces a performance well above anything their previous figures suggested.
Q4QS Six to Follow – Women's Vault National Finals
Gemma Hayter – The strongest recent scoring record in the supplied field, backed by a PDC Women's Series final.
Jo Locke – Women's Series semi-finalist with strong opposition experience and recent success at Bradmoor Farm.
Rebecca Allen – JDC Nations Cup winner and a recent Women's Series quarter-finalist.
Sue Davies – Multiple recent WADC Vault titles and ten consecutive recorded match wins.
Juliet Findley – A regular winner at The Men of March who knows how to navigate tournament matches.
Millie Jolley – My outside selection, with recent finals experience and an established rivalry with Findley.
My statistical preference would be Hayter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Locke or Allen involved at the business end.
UK & Ireland Classic – A Much Deeper Field
The UK & Ireland Classic is a rather different proposition.
There are 32 qualified players, a £13,200 prize fund and a place in the ADC Global Championship for the winner.
And looking at the entry list, I think this is a very difficult tournament to predict.
The field contains players with substantial PDC Challenge Tour and Development Tour experience, recent England Masters success, and an impressive number of Vault winners.
Several of the players are averaging comfortably into the 80s.
The interesting question is whether recent winning momentum or experience against stronger opposition will prove more important.
Archie Self and Chas Barstow arrive in outstanding form
If I were looking purely at recent results, Archie Self and Chas Barstow would be near the top of my list.
Self has won his last ten recorded matches and recently collected two titles at the England Masters & Classic.
In one of those events he averaged 92.49 across eight victories, while another title came with a 91.50 tournament average.
His recent wins include victories against Callum Francis, Harry Lane and Ben Townley.
He followed those performances by winning a Vault tournament at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Newbury, averaging 88.00.
Barstow's recent figures are equally impressive.
He also has ten consecutive recorded wins and claimed an England Masters & Classic title with a 93.94 tournament average.
Perhaps the most striking result was his 5-0 victory over Robbie Martin, in which Barstow averaged 110.51.
That is an extraordinary performance, particularly against somebody who has been playing as well as Martin.
Barstow also recently won an unbeaten Vault tournament at the Sportsman Club in Winchester.
If these two reproduce their best form, they will take some stopping.
Robbie Martin has a point to prove
Robbie Martin is another player I would expect to be involved.
He has won nine of his last ten recorded matches, with a Q4QS average of 85.67.
Recent performances include a 91.29 tournament average when winning at Dorchester Trinity Club, another Vault victory at The Newtown in Poole, and a final at St Ives Club.
But there is an interesting additional storyline.
Martin reached an England Masters & Classic final and lost 5-0 to Chas Barstow.
Should the draw bring them together again, Martin would have the opportunity to put that result behind him.
His recent performances suggest he has the ability to do exactly that.
Lewis Pride and Callum Goffin – Can Experience Count?
Lewis Pride has the highest Q4QS ranking among the supplied Classic entrants, sitting at number 70 with an average of 87.68.
His recent PDC Challenge Tour results include a 97.15 match average in a 5-1 victory over Dean Brown.
Callum Goffin is ranked number 100 and has an overall average of 85.84.
However, Goffin has won only three of his last ten recorded matches.
That contrast is worth noting.
Both have the scoring ability to challenge anyone here, but the recent results suggest that Pride is arriving in somewhat better form.
A knockout competition can change very quickly, though, and a player who has struggled for results can suddenly find his game.
A familiar name from the National Finals Weekend
William Borland has already enjoyed a good run during the weekend.
He reached the semi-finals of the Level Up RISE Final, averaging 81.86 across the event before losing to Adam Winspear.
His victories included a 5-2 win over Dylan Sinclair with a 93.05 average.
He also reached the quarter-finals of the Level Up qualifier, averaging 89.60.
That means Borland has already demonstrated that he can produce results in the National Finals environment.
Whether the additional matches help him settle or leave him with less energy is something we cannot know, but his recent form makes him a serious contender.
Colin McCaughern also reached the Level Up RISE quarter-finals, losing to Winspear, and comes into the Classic with nine wins from his last ten recorded matches.
The Vault winners who cannot be ignored
This is where the depth of the field really becomes apparent.
Michael Wiles has collected several Vault titles at the Len Forge Centre in Southend, regularly averaging around the 80 mark and sometimes considerably higher.
Johnny Haines has also been in excellent form, with victories at Frimley Green, Wheatley, Didcot and Banbury. His Didcot title came with a 91.53 average.
Sean Holley has been particularly successful around Chinnor and Bradmoor Farm, including a recent unbeaten tournament victory at the National Finals venue.
Ciaran Forde won at Barnsley WMC with an 86.11 average and followed that with finals at Staincross and Sheffield.
Harrison Leigh has been playing on the PDC Development Tour and reached the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championship Finals, where Luke Littler ended his run.
And Lewis Cook has been collecting Vault titles in Braintree, as well as appearing in the PDC World Youth Championship Finals.
I could make a case for several of these players reaching the last four.
That is why I think the Classic is such an attractive tournament.
Q4QS Six to Follow – UK & Ireland Classic
Archie Self – Two recent England Masters & Classic titles and ten consecutive recorded wins.
Chas Barstow – Outstanding recent scoring, including that 110.51 average against Robbie Martin.
Robbie Martin – Consistent tournament runs, several recent titles and the ability to average well into the 90s.
Lewis Pride – The highest-ranked player in the supplied Q4QS field, with proven Challenge Tour scoring ability.
William Borland – Already a semi-finalist during the National Finals Weekend and arriving in strong form.
Johnny Haines – My outside selection from a very strong field, with several recent Vault titles and a 91.53 tournament average at Didcot.
There are some very good players missing from that six, which probably says more about the strength of the competition than it does about those left out.
Two Competitions, Two Different Challenges
What I like about these two tournaments is that they provide a useful comparison.
In the Women's Vault National Finals, the leading Women's Series players appear to have a scoring advantage, but there are plenty of regional winners who arrive with confidence and tournament experience.
In the UK & Ireland Classic, the overall standard is exceptionally competitive. Even the players outside my Six to Follow have recent results that would make them favourites in many ordinary Vault events.
The knockout format adds another complication.
There are no second chances, and the player with the best average across the last few months isn't necessarily the player who produces the best darts when the deciding leg arrives.
For the Women's Finals, my preference is Gemma Hayter.
For the Classic, I find it much harder to separate Archie Self and Chas Barstow, although Robbie Martin and Lewis Pride certainly have the ability to win.
I'll be following both competitions with interest.
And whatever happens, these are precisely the sorts of events that make the Q4QS database interesting to explore. We can compare the form beforehand, but the players still have to go out and produce it.
Tournament information
ADC Women's Vault National Finals 2026
Venue: Bradmoor Farm, Aylesbury
Prize fund: £3,000
Winner: £800
Format: 501 singles, knockout
ADC UK & Ireland Classic 2026
Venue: Bradmoor Farm, Aylesbury
Prize fund: £13,200
Winner: £3,000 plus qualification for the ADC Global Championship
Format: 501 singles, knockout
The previews are based on the supplied entry lists and Q4QS database records. Averages, rankings and recent form are statistical guides rather than guarantees of tournament performance.
