Q4QS Weekly Spotlight: Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

 Another week of grassroots darts, and another three players who caught my eye.

This week has been a little different, with the ADC National Finals Weekend providing some of the biggest stories alongside the usual programme of local Vault tournaments and junior competitions.

As always, I've tried to look beyond simply counting tournament victories or picking out the biggest averages.

There's more to a good week of darts than that.

Sometimes it's about reaching a final when nobody particularly expected you to. Sometimes it's about playing consistently across several events. And sometimes it's about a younger player proving that they can compete with experienced opposition.

This week's selections are Juliet Findley, Joey Cole and Rhodri Phillips.

Three players with very different stories, but all three deserving a little recognition.

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Juliet Findley — Q4QS Rank #9,671

Player Profile

Juliet Findley might not have the largest statistical record in the Q4QS database, but there's already enough there to suggest she's capable of competing with some very established names.

From 48 recorded matches, Juliet has won 30, giving her a 62.5% win rate.

She's appeared in 15 recorded events, collecting three tournament victories and reaching another two finals.

Her overall match average is 58.47, with a Q4QS Average of 56.40. Her highest recorded average is 81.64.

But averages don't tell the whole story.

Among her previous results are victories over Trina Gulliver, Tracey Dean and Mandy Smith.

Beating somebody with the experience and reputation of Trina Gulliver is certainly something worth having on your record.

And this week, Juliet added another chapter to her darts story.

This Week

Juliet began by winning Wednesday's WADC Vault 3.0 tournament at The Men of March.

She defeated Millie Jolley 3–0 in the final, producing an excellent 79.11 average.

That would have been a perfectly respectable week's work on its own.

But Saturday was something else entirely.

Competing at the ADC National Finals Weekend, Juliet reached the final of the Women's Vault National Finals, an event carrying a £3,000 prize fund.

Her route included victories over Caroline Breen, Sarah-Louise Kennedy, Rachel Harrison and Peri Yarrow.

She was particularly convincing in the latter stages, beating both Rachel Harrison and Peri Yarrow 4–0.

The final proved a step too far, with Gemma Hayter winning 5–1, although Juliet still averaged 64.59.

For many players, reaching a national final would be the highlight of their weekend.

Juliet wasn't finished.

She also reached the final of the WADC Money In, Money Out Knockout.

This time she defeated Nikki Eburne, Sue Davies, Tracey Dean and Millie Jolley.

Her 4–1 victory over Tracey Dean came with a 63.97 average, while the semi-final against Millie Jolley went all the way to a deciding leg.

The final against Jo Locke was another close contest, with Juliet narrowly losing 4–3, despite producing a 70.68 average.

Two major finals on the same day.

Two runner-up finishes.

And a tournament victory earlier in the week.

It's quite a remarkable return, particularly for someone who has only 15 recorded events in the Q4QS database.

I suspect Juliet will be disappointed not to have collected one of those Saturday titles.

But reaching two finals against strong opposition on the same day is an achievement in itself.

And it's exactly the sort of performance that deserves recognition.

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Joey Cole — Q4QS Rank #958

Player Profile

Joey Cole is one of those players whose statistics suggest he's become a very difficult opponent on the local circuit.

He's won 230 of his 268 recorded matches, giving him an excellent 85.8% win rate.

Across 37 recorded events, he's collected 13 tournament victories and another 12 runner-up finishes.

That means he's reached the final in 25 of his 37 recorded tournaments.

An impressive level of consistency.

His overall match average stands at 77.33, with a Q4QS Average of 76.94.

He's also produced a highest recorded average of 103.66, a figure he's achieved on three occasions.

Among his notable victories are wins over Lloyd Walker, Jason Collins and Gemma Hayter.

So there's no question about Joey's ability.

But what particularly caught my attention this week was how regularly he was finding himself in the latter stages of tournaments.

This Week

Joey started his run on Tuesday by winning the Vault tournament at Locomotive Engineers Social Club in Eastleigh.

That gave him a tournament victory to begin what would become a very productive few days.

On Thursday, he was at Fareham Social Club, where he reached another final.

His route included a 3–1 quarter-final victory over Bailey Wilkinson and a convincing 3–0 semi-final win against Brandon Harper.

The final against Lloyd Walker was a particularly good contest.

Joey averaged 91.92, but narrowly lost 3–2.

It's worth remembering that a player can produce one of their better performances and still end up on the losing side.

And in this case, Joey had little time to dwell on it.

On Friday, he was back in action at Sarisbury Green Social Club in Southampton.

Once again, he reached the final.

He opened his campaign with a 91.57 average against Thomas Lacey and later defeated Michael Phillips 3–0 in the quarter-final, averaging 81.98.

A 3–0 semi-final victory over Lionel Webster followed.

But another title proved elusive, with Jason Collins winning the final 3–1.

So Joey finished the week with three finals in four days, including one tournament victory.

And while he might have hoped for another trophy or two, there's something to be said for regularly giving yourself the opportunity to win.

With 25 finals from 37 recorded events, Joey is clearly doing that rather well.

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Rhodri Phillips — Q4QS Rank #2,238

Player Profile

Rhodri Phillips is another young player whose record is becoming increasingly interesting.

Across 358 recorded matches, he's recorded 264 victories, giving him a 73.7% win rate.

He's competed in 65 recorded events, winning 13 tournaments and reaching another 12 finals.

He's also made 12 semi-finals and 10 quarter-finals.

His overall match average stands at 66.19, with a Q4QS Average of 64.62.

His highest recorded average is an impressive 104.86, achieved against Llion Goddard in August.

And he's already recorded some notable victories over experienced opposition, particularly Sion Thomas.

That last point is especially relevant to this week's performances.

This Week

Rhodri enjoyed an excellent Sunday, winning the Junior Volts tournament at Towy Sports Bar.

But he also made his mark in open competition.

At The Glanyrafon Arms in Llandysul, he won the Vault 19 event, defeating Sion Thomas 3–1 in the final.

He averaged 73.22 in that match, having earlier beaten the same opponent 2–0 during the tournament.

His semi-final victory over Jamie Lee Evans was particularly impressive, coming with an 88.41 average.

Winning a junior event is always encouraging.

Winning an open tournament against established players is another matter.

And it suggests Rhodri is developing the ability to compete successfully beyond junior darts.

Later in the week, he also took part in the ADC National Finals Weekend.

He recorded victories in the Level Up qualifying competitions before exiting in the last 128 on both occasions.

Those results might not grab the headlines, but gaining experience in larger competitions can be valuable.

Then on Saturday, Rhodri returned to familiar surroundings at Glanyrafon Arms, where he won another Junior Volts event.

He defeated Steffan Thomas 3–2 in the semi-final, averaging 78.84, before beating Oliver Williams 3–2 in the final.

That completed a week featuring two junior tournament victories and an open Vault title.

For me, the most encouraging part isn't necessarily the number of trophies.

It's the fact that Rhodri is already demonstrating that his game can transfer into open competition.

There will undoubtedly be tougher tests ahead, but weeks like this suggest he's moving in the right direction.

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Three Different Stories, One Common Theme

This week's three players couldn't really have been more different.

Juliet Findley reached two national finals on the same day, coming agonisingly close to a title in the WADC Money In, Money Out competition.

Joey Cole demonstrated the sort of consistency that many grassroots players would love to achieve, reaching three finals in four days.

And Rhodri Phillips continued to make progress in junior darts while also proving capable of winning against experienced open-circuit opposition.

There were plenty of other players who could have been included this week.

Some won more tournaments. Others produced higher averages.

But I don't want the Weekly Spotlight to become another rankings table.

We've already got plenty of those.

The idea is to recognise performances and stories that deserve a mention, whether that's a national finalist, a consistent local competitor or a young player beginning to make an impression.

And this week, Juliet, Joey and Rhodri certainly caught my eye.

Congratulations to all three.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight: Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Which Is the Toughest Night of the Week to Play Darts?

 

If somebody had asked me this before I started looking at the numbers, I think I'd have said Saturday.

It seems logical.

Saturday is when you tend to get the bigger opens. Players can travel further, tournaments can run for longer and organisers don't have to worry quite as much about everybody getting up for work the following morning.

But nearly 9,000 tournament records in the Q4QS database suggest there's rather more to it than that.

Because while Saturday certainly produces some of the biggest and strongest competitions, the average grassroots tournament during the week can be every bit as tough – and sometimes tougher.

The rise of regular ADC Vaults and other weekday competitions appears to have changed the landscape considerably.

How I've Worked It Out

I wanted to avoid simply adding every Tournament Strength score together and dividing by the number of events.

There's a problem with doing that.

Imagine a Saturday containing loads of ordinary tournaments but also several enormous opens, qualifiers and elite events. Those huge tournaments can pull Saturday's overall average upwards and make it look as though the typical Saturday competition is stronger than it really is.

So I've looked at each day in three different ways:

Mean – the conventional average of all the Tournament Strength scores.

Median – put all the tournaments in order and take the one in the middle.

Mode – the most commonly occurring Tournament Strength, with the scores rounded to the nearest whole number.

I then take the middle result from those three measures to produce what I'll call the Q4QS Typical Strength.

You don't really need to worry about the maths beyond that.

The idea is simply:

Don't let a handful of unusually strong or unusually weak tournaments decide the answer.

And, as always, Tournament Strength is not a three-dart average. It's the Q4QS measure of the overall strength of a tournament field.

So Which Day Comes Out Strongest?

Here's what happened.

Day	Mean	Median	Most Common	Q4QS Typical Strength
Friday	59.15	58.79	61	59.15
Monday	57.67	58.88	61	58.88
Thursday	58.38	58.86	61	58.86
Tuesday	57.47	58.56	62	58.56
Saturday	60.27	58.43	57	58.43
Wednesday	56.83	57.79	60	57.79
Sunday	56.62	56.60	59	56.62

And I don't think the most interesting part is that Friday wins.

It's what happens to Saturday.

Saturday Has The Biggest Average

Look at Saturday's first number.

60.27.

That's comfortably the highest mean of the week.

So my original assumption wasn't completely wrong.

There are some seriously strong tournaments played on Saturdays, and the bigger events help push the overall number upwards.

But now look at the other two figures.

The median drops to 58.43.

And the most common rounded Tournament Strength is only 57.

That's quite a difference.

If Saturday were simply packed with stronger tournaments from top to bottom, I'd expect all three figures to be towards the top of the table.

They aren't.

Instead, the figures suggest something slightly different:

Saturday has a very high ceiling.

The biggest Saturday competitions can be extremely strong, and those tournaments pull the conventional average upwards.

But walk into a randomly selected Saturday tournament and it isn't necessarily going to be tougher than the competition taking place on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening.

That surprised me.

Then We Get To Friday

Friday is almost the opposite.

Its mean is 59.15.

Its median is 58.79.

And its most common rounded Tournament Strength is 61.

There isn't the same enormous gap between the different measurements.

In simple terms, Friday doesn't appear to rely quite as heavily on a handful of monster tournaments to look strong.

Regular Friday darts itself is strong.

That's why Friday eventually comes out on top using my combined measure.

Its Q4QS Typical Strength is 59.15.

Monday Isn't Exactly An Easy Night Either

Monday might be an even bigger surprise.

Its conventional average is only 57.67, which wouldn't immediately attract much attention.

But the middle tournament scores 58.88, and the most common rounded score is 61.

Once those measures are combined, Monday reaches a Q4QS Typical Strength of 58.88 – narrowly ahead of Thursday.

That's enough for second place.

So much for easing yourself gently into the darting week.

And Look At Tuesday

Tuesday has another fascinating number.

Its most common Tournament Strength is:

62.

That's the highest mode of any day of the week.

It doesn't mean Tuesday is automatically the toughest day. Its mean and median are lower, which is why it finishes fourth on my combined measurement.

But it does show just how regularly decent-strength tournaments are occurring during the working week.

And I think there's a fairly obvious candidate for why.

The Weekday Vault Effect

The ADC Vault system – together with the increasing number of other regular local competitions – has created a huge weekday tournament scene.

You don't necessarily need a giant open containing 100 players to create a strong field.

Put 16, 20, 24 or 32 competitive players into the same venue every week and you can create a difficult tournament.

Then do it again the following week.

And again.

That's quite different from the traditional image of tournament darts where the biggest competitions happen at the weekend and weekday darts is predominantly local league darts.

There is now a substantial competitive tournament circuit taking place on ordinary evenings.

The numbers appear to be picking that up.

Saturday Versus The Working Week

I think this is probably the best way of describing what I've found.

Saturday is the big-event day.

If you're looking for some of the strongest individual competitions, Saturday is exactly where you'd expect to find plenty of them.

That's why its mean climbs all the way to 60.27.

But the working week has something different.

Consistency of competition.

There are Vaults, money-in-money-out competitions, round robins and established weekly series taking place night after night.

They might not have the scale of a major Saturday open.

They don't need it.

A relatively small room containing plenty of good regular tournament players can be an extremely difficult place to win.

Sunday Is Different Again

Sunday produced the lowest Q4QS Typical Strength at 56.62.

That doesn't mean there aren't strong Sunday tournaments – of course there are.

But across the database, the typical Sunday field comes out noticeably below Friday, Monday, Thursday and Tuesday.

That's another reason I think using more than the ordinary average was worthwhile.

Different days aren't just producing different standards.

They're producing different types of tournament calendars.

So What Is The Toughest Night?

If you're asking:

Which day produces the biggest tournaments?

I'd still have a very strong case for Saturday.

Its mean Tournament Strength of 60.27 is comfortably the highest.

But if you're asking:

On which day is the typical tournament toughest?

The answer from the Q4QS data is:

Friday.

And the margins behind it are tiny.

Friday – 59.15
Monday – 58.88
Thursday – 58.86
Tuesday – 58.56
Saturday – 58.43

There's less than three-quarters of a Tournament Strength point separating the top five.

So I certainly wouldn't claim that Friday night darts exists on another level.

The more interesting conclusion is that weekday tournament darts is every bit as competitive as the weekend.

Perhaps Grassroots Darts Has Changed

That's probably the biggest thing I take from this.

A few years ago, I suspect most of us would instinctively have associated the strongest grassroots tournament fields with the weekend.

And the big weekend open certainly hasn't disappeared.

But competitive darts is becoming increasingly available throughout the week.

The Vault system has been a major part of that, alongside independent competitions and venues building their own regular tournament calendars.

That creates something different from one huge Saturday field.

It creates depth.

Monday night can be tough.

Tuesday night can be tough.

Thursday night can be tough.

Friday night can be particularly tough.

And then Saturday arrives and produces some of the biggest individual competitions of the lot.

So perhaps the answer to the question isn't really that Friday has beaten Saturday.

It's that there isn't an easy night anymore.

If you turn up at a competitive grassroots tournament on almost any night of the week, there's a pretty good chance somebody in the room is capable of ruining your evening.

And looking at the Q4QS database, that now seems to be happening all week long.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight

 

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

Another week of grassroots darts, and my three selections this time are Tyler Garrett, Jack Johnson and Ryan Davies.

As always, this isn't simply about finding the three players who won the most tournaments or produced the biggest averages. The Weekly Spotlight is about performances that made me take notice.

This week we've got a junior producing a ton-plus average in a final, another young player hitting one of the biggest averages I've seen in the Q4QS data, and an experienced Welsh circuit regular who followed a final appearance with a tournament victory.

Three very different reasons for catching my eye.

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Tyler Garrett — Q4QS Rank #1,861

Player Profile

Tyler Garrett may still be a long way down the overall Q4QS rankings, but his record already suggests that number doesn't tell the whole story.

Across 549 recorded matches, Tyler has won 406, giving him a 74.0% win rate from 102 events.

He's already collected 18 tournament victories, alongside 13 runner-up finishes, 16 semi-finals and 20 quarter-finals.

His overall recorded average stands at 70.17, while his best is 107.36. His last-ten average is considerably higher at 78.45, another indication of the level he's capable of producing. Tyler Garrett_profile

There are some impressive names among his best recorded victories too, including Robbie Martin and Stephen Cake, while he's beaten Harley Glycos on several occasions. Tyler Garrett_profile

This Week

Wednesday's Junior Volts at Pilcs Sports & Social Club in Pontypool was the performance that really caught my attention.

Tyler didn't just win it.

He produced some excellent darts along the way.

He averaged 96.97 in a 2–0 victory over Alfie O'Brien before beating Cody Sheppard 2–0.

Then came the knockout stages.

Tyler beat Oliver Williams 3–0 with an 85.08 average, Evan Flowers 3–0 with an 83.50, and reached the final against Joshua Russell.

And that's where he saved his best.

Tyler won the final 3–0 with a 100.20 average. Tyler Garrett_profile

A ton-plus average in a junior final is going to catch my eye every time.

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Jack Johnson — Q4QS Rank #222

Player Profile

Jack Johnson is already much higher up the Q4QS rankings, and his wider record helps explain why.

He's played 205 recorded matches, winning 162 of them for an excellent 79.0% win rate.

From only 47 recorded events, Jack has already collected nine tournament victories, with another six runner-up finishes.

His overall match average is 82.48, while his Q4QS Average is slightly higher at 83.11. Jack Johnson_profile

There is some serious quality on his list of victories as well. He's beaten Owen Bates with a 95.24 average, Mitchell Lawrie, Jack Drayton with a 97.35, and Lewis Cook. Jack Johnson_profile

But one number from this week jumps off the page.

This Week

125.25.

That's the average Jack produced in a 2–0 victory over Robert Barton at the 6 and 1 Club in Tonbridge on Wednesday. It's also Jack's highest recorded average in the Q4QS database. Jack Johnson_profile

And it wasn't simply one spectacular match followed by an early exit.

Jack went on to win the tournament.

He averaged 99.95 in his 3–1 semi-final victory over Tony Balcombe before beating George Whyte 3–1 in the final with an 87.53 average. Jack Johnson_profile

Two days later he was back at the business end again at Walderslade Club in Chatham.

Jack reached the semi-final there, with his run including two separate 93.94 averages, against Jordan Walkling and George Whyte. Jack Johnson_profile

A tournament victory, another semi-final and a 125.25 average.

Jack was very close to making my three last week. This time he's made the decision rather easy.

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Ryan Davies — Q4QS Rank #1,063

Player Profile

Ryan Davies is the most experienced of this week's three in terms of matches recorded by Q4QS.

He's played 897 matches, winning 704 of them for a 78.5% win rate across 146 events.

Ryan has won 25 tournaments, reached another 31 finals and made 34 semi-finals.

His overall recorded average is 77.43, with a Q4QS Average of 77.80 and a best of 115.62. Ryan Davies_profile

His record also includes multiple victories over Connor Hopkins, including averages of 89.36 and 100.20, as well as a win over Ashton Brown. Ryan Davies_profile

This Week

Ryan's week was more about sustained performance than one spectacular result.

On Tuesday he reached the final of the Vault at Lindsay Constitutional Club in Cefn Hengoed.

Ryan produced a 96.97 average during the event before eventually finishing runner-up to Connor Hopkins in a close 3–2 final.

Then on Friday he went one better at Wattsville National Club.

Ryan won the Friday Night Fun event, with his run including victories over John Prosser, Gordon Davies, Mason McCann, Callum Jenkins, Lozza Woods, Ieuan Podmore and Xavier Jones before beating Corey Evans 2–1 in the final.

His best recorded average during the event was 85.89, against John Prosser. Ryan Davies_profile

So a final early in the week followed by a tournament victory to finish it.

Ryan has now won nine of his last ten recorded matches. Ryan Davies_profile

Another very solid week from a player who seems to spend plenty of time at the business end of tournaments.

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Three Different Stories

That's another week where I think the three selections show what this feature is supposed to be about.

Tyler Garrett produced a 100.20 average when it mattered most — in the final of a Junior Volts tournament.

Jack Johnson had an extraordinary 125.25 performance during a title-winning run, then reached another semi-final two days later.

And Ryan Davies backed up a Vault final with another tournament victory later in the week.

It doesn't always have to be the player who won the most tournaments.

Sometimes it's a performance, sometimes it's consistency, and sometimes one number simply makes you stop and look twice.

These are my three this week.

Q4QS Most Improved Players – September 2026

 

One of the things I want Q4QS to do is recognise improvement, not just concentrate on the players at the top of the rankings.

So this is the first Q4QS Facebook Group Most Improved Players table.

The idea is fairly simple. I have compared each qualifying player's Q4QS Average at 31 August 2026 with their Q4QS Average at 30 September 2026. The players are then ranked by how much that figure has increased.

This is worth explaining because it isn't simply a list of who averaged highest during September. The Q4QS Average is based on a player's wider tournament record, so moving it upwards becomes increasingly difficult as more results are accumulated.

This particular feature is also exclusively for players who are members of the Quest For Q School – Grassroots Darts Facebook group. The main Q4QS rankings remain open to everybody in the database, but this monthly feature is a little extra for the people who have joined the group.

If you're in the Q4QS database and want the chance to appear in future editions, join the Facebook group.

September 2026 Top 50 Most Improved

Pos	Player	31 Aug Avg	30 Sep Avg	Improvement
1	Arran Cundick	53.83	55.12	+1.29
2	Luke Yates	62.84	63.92	+1.08
3	George Nurdin	58.48	59.36	+0.87
4	Kai Carter	63.02	63.81	+0.79
5	Henry Povey	69.46	70.22	+0.76
6	Will Parker	56.64	57.39	+0.75
7	Joe Quiney	76.88	77.61	+0.73
8	Owen Smith	66.55	67.26	+0.71
9	David Farmer	74.65	75.35	+0.70
10	Andrew Smith	54.47	55.12	+0.65
11	Tom Pearce	60.11	60.67	+0.56
12	Alfie Palmer	64.65	65.20	+0.55
13	Jamie Kay	82.65	83.19	+0.54
14	Liam Glister	69.21	69.76	+0.54
15	Martyn Freeman	69.60	70.12	+0.52
16	Jack Kempster	53.22	53.74	+0.52
17	Dale Mills	65.07	65.57	+0.50
18	Daryl Beaven	64.77	65.24	+0.47
19	Shane Reidy	58.40	58.87	+0.47
20	Ant Pratley	57.49	57.94	+0.44
21	Charlie Shears	52.17	52.58	+0.41
22	Jamie Rhodes	53.21	53.62	+0.41
23	Matt Yarrow	75.90	76.30	+0.40
24	Ashton Brown	80.68	81.04	+0.36
25	Adam Lea	67.89	68.24	+0.35
26	Joe Bagguley	74.22	74.54	+0.32
27	David Moule	75.88	76.16	+0.28
28	Claire Spencer	48.54	48.82	+0.28
29	Lewis Richards	57.07	57.34	+0.27
30	Stuart Melbourne	52.40	52.67	+0.26
31	Wayne Barrett	64.77	65.02	+0.26
32	Zac Rendell	62.08	62.33	+0.25
33	Jeff Saunders	56.83	57.07	+0.24
34	Mark Wilson	57.61	57.84	+0.23
35	Dexter Cornes	48.91	49.09	+0.18
36	Scott Mc	80.77	80.94	+0.17
37	Steve Boundy	71.68	71.84	+0.16
38	Dan Sperring	41.32	41.48	+0.16
39	Liam Moore	65.70	65.85	+0.15
40	Thomas Goodrich	48.23	48.37	+0.14
41	Mason Beaven	64.44	64.58	+0.14
42	Steve Wynn	60.63	60.75	+0.12
43	Jamie Treacher	51.11	51.22	+0.10
44	Jay Anderson	69.86	69.95	+0.08
45	Jamie Shovelton	65.78	65.86	+0.08
46	Cameron Oram	60.99	61.06	+0.08
47	Pete Evans	41.96	42.03	+0.08
48	Dan Cornes	59.66	59.73	+0.07
49	Martin Haines	63.69	63.75	+0.06
50	Paul Philpot	46.71	46.77	+0.06

Arran leads the first table

The biggest mover during September was Arran Cundick, whose Q4QS Average rose from 53.83 to 55.12.

That's an increase of 1.29 points, and it was achieved while his qualifying event count increased from seven to 13. That gives him a fairly clear lead in the first monthly table.

Luke Yates was the other player to gain more than a full point, climbing from 62.84 to 63.92 for an improvement of 1.08.

George Nurdin completes the top three after moving from 58.48 to 59.36, a rise of 0.87.

Kai Carter and Henry Povey round out the top five.

Improvement at every level

This is probably the part of the table I like most.

There isn't one standard of player dominating it.

Joe Quiney was already averaging 76.88 and still managed to push that up to 77.61.

Jamie Kay started September at an already excellent 82.65 and finished it at 83.19. Ashton Brown moved beyond the 81 mark, while Scott Mc also managed to improve an average that was already above 80.

At the other end of the scale, there are players improving from averages in the 40s and 50s.

That's exactly what I hoped this feature would show.

Improvement doesn't have to mean suddenly becoming an 80-average player. If somebody moves from 48.54 to 48.82, or from 53.83 to 55.12, they have moved forward relative to where they were a month ago.

Some impressive workloads as well

A few names further down the table are worth highlighting because of the amount of darts behind their numbers.

Henry Povey added 17 events during the period and still increased his Q4QS Average by 0.76.

Steve Boundy's average moved from 71.68 to 71.84 despite his recorded event total increasing from 139 to 154.

Cameron Oram now has 163 events in the figures and still managed to edge his average upwards.

The more established a player's figures become, the harder it can be to shift the overall number noticeably, so smaller gains can still represent worthwhile progress.

And, yes, I've even sneaked into the bottom of the first Top 50 myself — 46.71 to 46.77. Improvement is improvement!

A new monthly Q4QS feature

I'll run this again at the end of October.

The aim isn't to turn it into another ranking of who the best players are. We already have plenty of rankings for that.

This one is about who is moving forward.

The full Top 50 will be published here each month, while I'll put the Top 10 into the Q4QS Facebook group.

If you're already in the database but aren't in the group, joining gives you the chance to feature in a future Most Improved list.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight Week Ending 26th September 2026

 

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

Another week of grassroots darts, and this time my three selections are Andy Steed, Kirsten Casley and Tony Chapman.

As always, this isn't simply about finding the three highest averages or counting who collected the most trophies. The idea of this feature is to pick out performances and stories that caught my attention for different reasons.

This week I've got a player who reached four finals in five days, a young player mixing success in girls' darts with impressive performances in open competition, and a player who managed to win four tournaments during the week.

Three very different stories, but all three deserve a closer look.

---

Andy Steed

Player Profile

Andy Steed has become one of the most familiar names in the South West events covered by Q4QS.

His record now stands at 943 matches, 784 wins and 159 defeats, giving him an excellent 83.1% win rate across 144 events.

He's collected 52 tournament victories, alongside 31 runner-up finishes, and his overall recorded match average is 76.16. His best is a huge 111.33.

What's particularly noticeable at the moment is his form. Andy's last ten recorded matches have all been victories, while his last-five average has climbed to 87.20. Andy Steed_profile

He's also shown that he can beat some very strong players. His recorded victories include Owen Bates, Simon Stevenson, Gareth Griffiths, Neil Wild and Robbie Martin. Andy Steed_profile

This Week

Andy had one of those weeks where he seemed to be appearing at the business end of virtually everything he entered.

He started with a final at Legends Lounge in Plymouth on Sunday, losing out to Simon Stevenson. The following night brought another runner-up finish, this time at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton.

Then came the wins.

On Wednesday at Barnstaple Football Club, Andy took the title, beating Neil Ridd 3–0 in the final with a 92.02 average. Andy Steed_profile

Twenty-four hours later he did it again at Cue Sports Bar in Torquay. He averaged 85.08 in his quarter-final, 93.94 in the semi-final, and 87.61 when beating George Butcher 3–1 in the final. Andy Steed_profile

That's four finals in five days, two titles, and he finished the week with ten consecutive recorded victories.

That's some week.

---

Kirsten Casley

Player Profile

Kirsten Casley's selection is perhaps the best example of why I don't want this feature simply to become a list of the week's most prolific tournament winners.

She has now played 319 recorded matches across 75 events, winning 193 of them for a 60.5% win rate.

There are already eight tournament victories, ten runner-up finishes and eight semi-finals on her record. Her overall average is 54.11, but there are plenty of signs of a much higher ceiling — including a personal best of 85.89. Kirsten Casley_profile

She's also already recorded wins against players including Eve Watson, Lloyd Sterio and Rhys Evans. Kirsten Casley_profile

This Week

Kirsten first caught my attention on Tuesday when she reached the final of the WADC Vault 3.0 at The 9 Darter in Port Talbot, finishing runner-up to Eve Watson.

But Friday was the real highlight.

Kirsten won the JDC Girls Series and also came through the JDC Wales Girls Series Event 6 at Arrows Darts Venue.

In the latter, she beat Erin O'Sullivan 3–0 in the quarter-final, Tia Sterio 3–1 in the semi-final and Celyn Saunders 3–1 in the final, averaging 65.09 for the title match. Kirsten Casley_profile

There was another interesting performance the following day. Playing in a Money In Money Out event, Kirsten produced an 81.24 average in a 2–0 victory over Lloyd Sterio, one of the highest averages of her recorded career. Kirsten Casley_profile

A WADC final, success in the girls' events and then an 81-plus performance in open competition.

Exactly the sort of week this feature is designed to notice.

---

Tony Chapman

Player Profile

Tony Chapman doesn't yet have the huge volume of matches in the Q4QS database that Andy Steed has, but what is there makes impressive reading.

Across 88 recorded matches, Tony has won 77 and lost just 11 — an 87.5% win rate.

His record currently contains six tournament wins, three runner-up finishes and two semi-finals from just 12 events. His overall average stands at 74.13, with a best of 103.66. Tony Chapman_profile

That 103.66 only came on 18 September, so his current run of form hasn't suddenly appeared from nowhere.

This Week

Tony's week is the easiest of the three to summarise:

Four tournament victories.

He started on Sunday by winning the Vault at Fordham RBL, beating Jon-Sebastian Wright 3–0 in the final. During that event he also produced a 93.68 average against Dylan Waites.

On Monday he moved on to Legends Sports Bar in Wisbech and won again, with a 93.94 average among his performances.

Thursday brought title number three at Thetford Pool Club, where he defeated Adam Fellingham 3–0 in the final.

And then came Saturday's invite-only competition back at Fordham RBL.

Tony won seven matches on the day and finished it by beating Liam Ticehurst 5–0 in the final with an 81.68 average. His knockout run also included a 3–0 quarter-final win and a 4–0 semi-final victory. Tony Chapman_profile

So that's Fordham, Wisbech, Thetford and Fordham again.

Four tournament wins on four different days.

A fairly straightforward reason for making this week's three.

---

Three Different Reasons to Catch the Eye

That's what I like about this week's selection.

Andy Steed demonstrated remarkable consistency, reaching four finals in five days before finishing with back-to-back titles.

Kirsten Casley showed why looking beyond the obvious tournament winners can uncover a much more interesting story, combining girls' success with a WADC final and an 81-plus performance in open competition.

And Tony Chapman simply kept winning — four tournaments across the week.

Three players at different stages, playing different circuits and catching the eye for different reasons.

I'll be looking through the results again next week to see who stands out.

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.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight (week ending 19th September 2026)

 

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week

Another week of grassroots darts, and this time my three selections are Steve Boundy, Edward Manley and Ellie Harwood.

Once again, this isn't simply about finding the three highest averages or counting who collected the most trophies. One player reached three finals during the week, another put together three consecutive tournament victories, while the third followed a run to an open Vault final by winning a ladies event the following day.

Three very different weeks — and three players who caught my eye.

---

Steve Boundy

Player Profile

Steve Boundy's record shows just how consistently he has performed across the events covered by Q4QS.

He has played 1,043 recorded matches, winning 849 of them for an 81.4% win rate. Across 148 events he has recorded 53 tournament victories, as well as another 14 runner-up finishes and 27 semi-finals. His current form is also excellent, with nine wins from his last ten matches.

Boundy's overall match average stands at 71.62, with a best recorded performance of 100.20. His record includes victories over the likes of Nick Eggbeer, Dom Taylor, Shaun Vernall and Geoff James.

This Week

It was the consistency of Boundy's week that caught my attention.

He reached three finals across the week, winning two of them. After taking the title at Minehead, he reached another final at the Sartan Club before finishing the week with another tournament victory on Saturday night.

That Saturday success required another lengthy run. Boundy beat Sam Wilkes, Cori Wiltshire and Louis Dance before edging Paul Meyer 4–3 in the semi-final. He then defeated Leon Taylor 4–1 in the final to take the title.

It means this wasn't one standout evening. Boundy repeatedly put himself in position to win tournaments across the week.

With 53 recorded tournament victories now on his profile and another two titles added during this seven-day period, his consistency continues to stand out.

---

Edward Manley

Player Profile

Few players in the Q4QS database have accumulated a record quite as extensive as Edward Manley's.

Manley has played 1,085 recorded matches, winning an extraordinary 917 of them. That's an 84.5% win rate, while his 163 recorded events have produced 64 tournament victories and 27 runner-up finishes.

He's also currently on a perfect run of 10 wins from his last 10 matches.

His overall average is 75.39, with a best of 107.36. That peak has actually been reached twice — most recently earlier this month against Morgan Dobbs at Duffy's in Pontypridd.

This Week

Manley's week was much easier to describe:

Three nights. Three tournament victories.

He won at Duffy's in Pontypridd, followed it by another Vault victory at County Cons in Cardiff, and then completed the sequence at Splott Albion Pavilion.

The Friday run was particularly impressive.

Manley began with a 91.09 average, before progressing through the tournament and producing 79.71 against Tom Breward, 82.27 in the quarter-final and 81.98 in the semi-final. Liam Forward was waiting in the final, where Manley completed the hat-trick of titles with a 3–2 victory.

Three consecutive Vault titles is impressive enough on its own. Doing it as part of a current 10-match winning streak makes the week even stronger.

Manley was one of the more obvious contenders for this week's three — but sometimes a run is simply too good to overlook.

---

Ellie Harwood

Player Profile

Ellie Harwood is perhaps my favourite example this week of why I don't want this feature to become simply a list of serial tournament winners.

Harwood has played 437 recorded matches, winning 251. She has seven tournament victories, ten runner-up finishes, seven semi-finals and 15 quarter-finals from her 81 recorded events.

Most importantly for this feature, her current form reads nine wins and just one defeat from her last ten matches.

Her overall match average is 56.06, while her best recorded performance is 83.50. Her record also contains three victories over Steve Boundy, including averages of 78.00 and 75.58.

This Week

Harwood's two days at Pegasus were exactly the sort of story I was looking for.

First came Friday's Vault 19 at Pegasus 68 Club — an open event.

Harwood progressed all the way to the final, beating Sam Leitch 3–0, Harry Cave 3–1 and Paul Gardiner 3–0 during the knockout stages.

In the final she produced her best average of the knockout run, 69.46, but was edged 3–2 by Ryan Greenslade.

Twenty-four hours later, she was back at Pegasus for the Ladies Round Robin.

This time she finished the job.

Harwood recorded six consecutive victories, including a 71.57 average against Kaye Megit, before beating Sally Chinn 3–0 in the quarter-final, Amy Pearce 3–0 in the semi-final and Shelley Cotterell 3–1 in the final.

So across two days she reached two finals, won one of them and compiled nine victories from ten matches.

That's exactly what I want the Weekly Spotlight to find: not necessarily the week's biggest average or biggest collection of trophies, but a performance that deserves a little more attention.

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week (6-12th September 2026)

 

Another week of grassroots darts, and another three players who stood out for very different reasons.

This week I've gone with Tyler Thorpe, Michael Wiles and Oscar Shipwright.

Thorpe put together back-to-back tournament victories and produced a 103.66 average along the way. Wiles enjoyed an exceptional run of results across the week, culminating in a remarkable scoring display at Clacton. And Shipwright takes his place after winning the Bucks Youth County Open Day at Bradmoor Farm.

As always, this feature isn't simply about finding the three biggest averages or the players who won the most tournaments. It's about performances and stories that caught my eye over the previous seven days.

Tyler Thorpe

Player Profile

Tyler Thorpe's overall numbers perhaps don't immediately tell the story of the player he has become.

Across 182 recorded matches he has 108 victories, giving him a 59.3% win rate, but his current form is on another level: 10 wins from his last 10 matches. His overall match average stands at 85.00, rising to 91.49 across his latest five matches.

There is also considerable quality on Thorpe's wider CV. He has beaten Sebastian Bialecki three times, while victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode and Andrew Gilding show that he is more than capable of competing against established PDC opposition.

His best recorded average is 107.36, while performances of 103.79, 103.66 and 103.30 further demonstrate the level he can reach.

This Week

Thorpe's week was built around back-to-back tournament victories.

The first came at Monday's Daventry Town Football Club Round Robin. His profile shows an 88.41 quarter-final average against Anthony Coleman before a 3–0 semi-final victory over Jack Waker.

A day later, he did it again at the MDC Round Robin.

This time the scoring really caught the eye. Thorpe produced a 96.97 early in the event before firing in 103.66 against Charlie Symons. He then averaged 90.18 in the quarter-final, 98.02 in the semi-final and 88.53 in a 4–2 final victory over Carl Green.

Two tournaments. Two victories. Ten consecutive wins on his current profile.

A very easy choice for this week's Spotlight.

---

Michael Wiles

Player Profile

Michael Wiles has considerably fewer recorded events than many of the players who appear in this feature, but what he has done in them is impressive.

Wiles has won 74 of 85 recorded matches, an 87.1% win rate, with five tournament victories from only 15 recorded events. He is also currently 10 wins from 10.

His overall average is an excellent 85.37, but his recent numbers are considerably higher. Wiles is averaging 90.52 across his last ten matches and 96.09 across his last five.

His record also includes victories over Nathan Potter, Sam Spivey, Jack Johnson and Robbie Martin.

This Week

Wiles was arguably the most sustained success story I found in this week's results.

He kept appearing at the business end of Vault events during the week, but Friday's Vault 19 at Clacton Sports Bar was particularly impressive.

Wiles opened with a 103.66, followed it with 71.57 and then produced 96.97 and 98.14 in successive rounds.

Then came another 107.36 against Max Haley, before Wiles produced 107.36 again in a 3–0 quarter-final victory over James Hare. He eventually beat CJ Everrit 3–1 in the final to take the title.

That means three ton-plus performances in the same event — 103.66, 107.36 and 107.36 — alongside another two performances above 96.

His current profile now shows five tournament victories from just 15 recorded events and a perfect 10–0 recent record.

Whatever measure you use — winning, consistency or scoring — Wiles had a week worthy of the Spotlight.

---

Oscar Shipwright

Player Profile

Oscar Shipwright gives me a very different reason for making this week's three.

Shipwright has already accumulated 281 recorded matches, winning 202 of them for a 71.9% win rate. His 49 events have produced nine tournament victories, three runner-up finishes, nine semi-finals and ten quarter-finals.

His overall average is 70.47, but his ceiling is considerably higher. His best recorded performance is 103.66, with another 100.20 on his record.

Perhaps most interestingly, his best wins include two victories over Danny Lauby. One of those came in a tournament final, where Shipwright averaged 96.69 in a 3–2 victory.

That's a pretty good indication of the level he can produce.

This Week

This week's achievement came at the Bucks Youth County Open Day at Bradmoor Farm, and this wasn't a tiny knockout.

There were 147 recorded matches, with Shipwright collecting nine victories on his way to the title.

Among them was a 93.94 average against Harvey Chapman, followed later by 79.11 against Alfie Kirk, 69.91 against Sid Hopcroft and an excellent 83.50 in his 3–0 semi-final victory over Kieran Colley.

Shipwright then beat Jayden Laming 4–2 in the final to complete the run.

For me, this is exactly the sort of performance that belongs in the Weekly Spotlight.

Shipwright wasn't selected because he recorded the week's biggest average or accumulated several titles. He came through a substantial youth tournament, won nine matches and produced some very good darts along the way.

At a time when I'm increasingly looking for performances beyond the obvious names and serial winners, his week definitely caught my eye.

Q4QS Rankings Centre Has Had a Big Upgrade

 

I’ve given the Q4QS Rankings Centre a major revamp, and there’s now a lot more to explore than simply seeing where a player sits in the overall rankings.

Alongside the Overall Q4QS Rankings and Colour Grades, you can now explore rankings by city, county and Q4QS region, giving a much better picture of who is performing well in different parts of the country. There are also dedicated Women’s and JDC rankings, including the option to look at performances across all Q4QS events or specifically within recognised Women’s and JDC competitions.

You can search for individual players, compare averages, win percentages, events played and Q4QS Points, and move between the different ranking views from one place.

The geographic side is something I’m particularly excited about. The areas available will continue to grow as more venues and tournaments are added to the Q4QS database, so this is very much the beginning rather than the finished map. More cities, counties and regions will gradually appear as the coverage expands.

There’s plenty more planned for Q4QS, but for now you can head over to the Q4QS Rankings Centre and have a look around.

ADC & WADC Winmau Championship North Events 9–12 Preview: Who Can Make the Headlines in Middlesbrough?

 

The ADC and WADC Winmau Championship North returns to Middlesbrough Sports Village this weekend, with Events 9–12 taking place across 5–6 September.

Eight events into the 2026 North series, there has already been plenty of variety in the men's competition and a fascinating pattern developing in the women's events.

The ADC side has produced seven different title winners across the opening eight events, with only Daniel Ayres and Steve Lennon managing to win twice. David Sumner, Lewis Pride, Scott Winder and Danny Trueman have also taken titles, while the scoring standard has remained consistently high. Across Events 1–8, the average of each event's top ten match averages stands at 98.54, with Danny Trueman's 109.61 in Event 8 the highest individual performance so far.

The WADC series has followed a very different pattern. Every title so far has been shared between just four players: Natalie Gilbert, Vicky Pruim, Kim Holden and Steph Clarke, each winning twice.

That gives this weekend an obvious question on both sides: do the established North winners extend their grip on the series, or are Events 9–12 where somebody new finally breaks through?

ADC: A strong field with several players arriving in serious form

Daniel Ayres has arguably been the benchmark of the North campaign so far. He won Events 2 and 4, reached the final of Event 7 and has produced some of the strongest individual numbers of the series.

His recent form away from the ADC adds another layer. Ayres reached the Last 32 at Players Championship 28 with a 92.93 event average, beating Cameron Menzies, Niels Zonneveld and Ritchie Edhouse along the way.

But the man arriving with perhaps the most eye-catching recent record is Ryan Hogarth.

Hogarth already showed his ceiling during the earlier North events, producing a 105.64 average in Event 3 and reaching back-to-back semi-finals in Events 7 and 8. He has since won at the Welsh Open, Masters & Classic, going 9–0 with an 89.16 event average. His recorded last-ten form is a perfect 10–0.

Jack Drayton brings similarly imposing momentum. He won ADC Championship South Event 11 with an 87.62 tournament average and is also 10–0 across his most recent ten recorded matches.

That potentially gives us an intriguing collision between players who have already dominated the North series and others arriving with outstanding form from elsewhere.

Six ADC players to watch

Ryan Hogarth – A Welsh Open title, an 89.16 winning event average and a 10–0 recent record make Hogarth one of the clearest headline candidates this weekend.

Jack Drayton – Another player arriving 10–0, with his recent ADC Championship South Event 11 title showing he can sustain his level through a long tournament run.

Daniel Ayres – Already a two-time North winner and now coming off a strong Players Championship 28 run; few entrants combine his North record with such a high current scoring ceiling.

Stuart Dutton – An 88% win rate in the selection data is backed up by genuine recent tournament form. Dutton has won at the Riverside with an 87.47 event average and more recently reached another final, while going 8–2 in his last ten.

Lewis Cook – Cook has been producing plenty of scoring power, including a 91.09 match average during Championship South Event 10, where he reached the quarter-finals. He is 7–3 across his last ten recorded matches.

Tom Baughan – Perhaps the less obvious name among the six, but his form warrants attention. Baughan is 9–1 across his last ten and has made two recent Riverside finals as well as a semi-final and quarter-final in his last five tournaments.

There are plenty of dangers beyond those six.

Danny Trueman comes back as the defending Event 8 champion after recording that huge 109.61 during his title run, while Steve Lennon has already won twice. Lewis Pride, Graham Usher, Carl Batchelor, Danny Lauby and Ciaran Forde all have enough evidence in the numbers to make deep runs.

The strength of these events has been their depth rather than simply one or two dominant names. Event 5, for example, had a top-ten average of 100.05, while every ADC event so far has had a top-ten figure above 96.

That makes four more tournaments over one weekend a particularly interesting test.

WADC: Can anybody break the four-player title monopoly?

The women's competition has a clearer established hierarchy.

After eight tournaments, Natalie Gilbert, Vicky Pruim, Kim Holden and Steph Clarke have won every single title between them.

Pruim won Events 2 and 6, Holden took Events 3 and 4, Gilbert won Events 1 and 7 and Clarke claimed Events 5 and 8.

And Pruim may be the player arriving in the strongest form of all.

She has since won at the Welsh Open, Masters & Classic with an 80.24 tournament average and followed it with another semi-final. Her recent notable wins include Deta Hedman and Fallon Sherrock.

The North events already showed what her scoring ceiling can look like. Pruim's 88.41 in Event 6 remains the highest WADC North match average across the first eight events.

Steph Clarke is another obvious threat. She has already won twice in Middlesbrough, including Event 8, and recently reached the final of Championship South Event 8 with a 72.53 tournament average.

But perhaps the player with the biggest unfinished business is Angela Kirkwood.

Kirkwood reached the final of North Event 1 and again in Event 8 without taking the title. She also produced an 87.38 average during Event 2 — one of the highest performances of the entire WADC North series.

Could Events 9–12 finally turn those deep runs into a win?

Six WADC players to watch

Vicky Pruim – Already a two-time North champion, and now arriving with another title and semi-final from the Welsh Open weekend. She remains the player with the highest WADC North match average so far.

Angela Kirkwood – Twice a North finalist and still searching for that first title. Her recent Women's Series quarter-finals and 7–3 last-ten record suggest another deep run would be no surprise.

Steph Clarke – Two North titles already, including Event 8, plus another recent final on the South circuit. Clarke has repeatedly shown she can convert a good day into a tournament run.

Jackie Brighton – The 82% selection win rate is backed by a recent WADC Vault title, where she went 5–0 with a 70.72 event average, followed by a regional final.

Eleanor Cairns – Already a North finalist in Event 2, when she produced 76.23 and 75.75 averages in the latter stages. Cairns also reached the quarter-finals of Championship South Event 5 and has remained competitive across the recent Women's Series.

Sarah Roberts – A recent WADC Vault winner who went unbeaten through that event with a 65.99 average. She also defeated Kirsty Hutchinson on her way to the quarter-final stages of North Event 8.

The six are certainly not the only names capable of making an impact.

Natalie Gilbert and Kim Holden deserve particular mention simply because both have already won twice in this series. Kirsty Hutchinson has reached a recent Women's Series semi-final, while Rebecca Allen's results include a JDC Girls Series title and a JDC Nations Cup win.

Four events could change the picture quickly

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this weekend is the volume.

Four tournaments means one poor event does not necessarily define the weekend. Players have time to adjust, build confidence or suddenly find a scoring level that changes everything.

On the ADC side, Daniel Ayres and Steve Lennon currently lead the way with two titles each, but neither has yet established outright control of the series.

On the WADC side, the symmetry is even more remarkable: four players, two titles each.

By Sunday evening that picture could look very different.

Hogarth and Drayton arrive carrying outstanding winning runs. Ayres has combined North success with strong PDC performances. Dutton and Baughan are quietly putting together some excellent tournament results.

Pruim and Clarke already know how to win in Middlesbrough, Kirkwood has repeatedly gone close, while Brighton, Cairns and Roberts all have reasons to believe they can challenge the established four.

Events 9–12 may therefore tell us whether the first half of the North series established a genuine hierarchy — or merely set the stage for somebody else to break into it.