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

 Another week, another three players who caught my eye while going through the grassroots darts results.

I keep saying that this feature isn't simply about picking the players who win the most tournaments or throw the highest averages. There are plenty of other things worth recognising, whether that's consistency, a good run in a bigger competition or simply performing well across several events.

This week's selections are Rich Hosey, Finley Bennett and Jake B-Smith.

All three reached multiple finals, but there's a little more to their stories than that.

And having looked at their wider records in the Q4QS Database, there are some interesting numbers behind their recent performances too.

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Rich Hosey — Taking His Form Into a Regional Final

Rich Hosey enjoyed a particularly productive week, winning three tournaments before reaching the ADC Midlands Vault 19 Level Up Emerging Regional Final on Saturday 31 October.

It was that final appearance which really caught my attention.

Winning local tournaments is always satisfying, but carrying that form into a regional competition is another matter.

Rich had already been playing well during the week, including a victory in the Abbeydale Round Robin on Thursday, where he defeated Matt Heath 3–0 in the final with an 88.41 average.

On Friday, he added another title at Bostin Darts 180 Bar, beating Phil Jones 3–1 in the final. Earlier in that competition, he had beaten Jordan Grainger 3–1 and Jake Shipley 3–0.

Then came Saturday's regional final at Bostin Darts 180 Bar.

Rich began his knockout run with a narrow 4–3 victory over Caleb Day before beating Andrew Fletcher and Nathan Russell, both by 4–1.

The quarter-final against Jack Chatterton was another close one, with Rich coming through 4–3.

He then faced Kyle Davis in the semi-final and won another deciding-leg contest, again 4–3.

That put him into the regional final against Tom Foxon.

This time Rich couldn't quite get over the line, losing 4–1, but reaching that stage after several close knockout matches was an excellent achievement.

What the Q4QS Database Says

Rich has played 382 recorded matches, winning 278 of them.

That's a 72.8% win rate across 63 recorded events.

His overall match average is 65.13, while his Q4QS Average stands at 64.65.

His best recorded match average is 100.33, achieved against George Grove in February.

But it's his recent form that interests me most.

His latest ten recorded matches show nine victories and just one defeat, while his average across those matches is 72.46.

That's comfortably above his overall match average, although ten matches is only a short snapshot.

I also noticed that he's recorded wins against players such as Dan Nicholls, Robbie Long and Ian Mackenzie during the year.

There's a good competitive record there, and this week's regional-final appearance adds another chapter.

For me, Rich's week demonstrates the value of regularly competing. You can build momentum through local events, but eventually you have to test it against a wider field.

This week, he did exactly that.

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Finley Bennett — Three Finals Across South Wales

Finley Bennett is another player who enjoyed an excellent week, reaching three finals in five days.

What stood out was that these performances came across different competitions in South Wales.

He began with a runner-up finish on Sunday 25 October, followed by a tournament victory at Tredegar Constitutional Club on Tuesday.

Then, on Thursday, he reached another final at Brynmawr Social Club.

One win and two runner-up finishes is a very good return.

And when I looked more closely at his Thursday performance, there was plenty to like.

At Brynmawr, Finley opened with a 2–0 victory over Steve Griffiths before recording further straight-leg wins against Gus Davies, Ryan Tonkin, Rhys Wertheim and Adam Lomas.

He averaged 96.97 against Ryan Tonkin and 91.09 against Rhys Wertheim.

In the quarter-final he defeated Paul Jarvis 3–1, averaging 82.50.

Then came a particularly impressive semi-final against Dean Rossiter.

Finley won 3–0 with a 93.94 average.

That put him into the final against Ben Bevan, where he eventually lost 3–1.

The final itself wasn't his strongest performance, but I don't think that should take anything away from the run.

Getting to the final means winning the matches beforehand, and Finley had put together some very good darts to get there.

What the Q4QS Database Says

Finley's wider record is substantial.

He's played 588 recorded matches, winning 436, giving him a 74.1% win rate.

He's competed in 104 recorded events, winning 15 tournaments and finishing runner-up on another 13 occasions.

He's also reached 20 semi-finals and 19 quarter-finals.

His overall match average stands at 73.47, with a Q4QS Average of 72.78.

His highest recorded average is 115.62, achieved against Kobi Thomas in January.

But there's another number that caught my attention.

Across his latest ten recorded matches, Finley has averaged 84.06, compared with his overall match average of 73.47.

That's a difference of more than ten points.

It doesn't automatically mean he's improved by ten points permanently, of course. A short run of matches can be affected by opponents, formats and how well somebody happens to play.

But it's certainly an encouraging sign.

Finley's record also includes PDC Development Tour appearances and a victory over Dylan Dowling in October.

So there's a mixture of local and wider competition in his playing history.

For me, the story this week is about repeatedly putting himself in contention.

Three finals across five days, with some excellent individual performances along the way, is well worth a mention.

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Jake B-Smith — Another Productive Week in Shrewsbury

Jake B-Smith completes this week's selection after reaching three finals in four days, winning two of them.

Jake's week included a victory at Telford on Sunday 25 October, a runner-up finish on Tuesday and another title at Bagley Sports & Social Club in Shrewsbury on Wednesday.

It's the Wednesday competition that particularly interests me because it used a slightly different format.

Rather than standard 501, it was a double-in, double-out competition.

That changes the challenge. You can't simply start scoring straight away; you first have to hit a double to get going.

For some players, that can make a big difference.

Jake certainly handled it well.

His results included a 3–0 quarter-final victory over Ben Ellis-Dean, followed by another 3–0 win against Sam Morris in the semi-final.

In the final, he faced Jamie Chaplin.

Jake won 4–1, averaging 80.03.

He'd also recorded an 83.50 average against Callum Lester earlier in the competition.

It's a nice example of performing well in a format that asks slightly different questions of a player.

And Jake wasn't finished there.

On Thursday, he competed in the Boundary Park Academy Intermediate Round Robin League at Bar 1895 Darts.

His recorded results included five consecutive 2–0 victories, with a particularly impressive 91.09 average against Adam Balme.

What the Q4QS Database Says

Jake's playing record is particularly interesting because it covers a substantial number of matches.

The fuller Q4QS profile contains 975 recorded matches, of which he's won 800.

That's an 82.1% win rate.

He's competed in 151 recorded events, winning 46 tournaments and finishing runner-up on another 27 occasions.

His overall match average is 79.24, with a Q4QS Average of 78.90.

His highest recorded match average is 115.62, achieved against Ella Bailey at Bagley Sports & Social Club on 7 October.

His record also includes several victories over Paul Rowley, along with wins against Mark Crutchley and other strong opponents.

There's plenty of experience behind those numbers.

And while his recent average over the last ten recorded matches is slightly below his overall figure, he's still won nine of those ten matches.

That's an important reminder that averages don't tell the whole story.

You don't always have to produce your best scoring performance to win.

Sometimes it's about taking the chances that come along, finding a way through a difficult match or adjusting to a different format.

Jake has certainly done plenty of winning this week.

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Three Players, Three Different Stories

Looking back at this week's selections, I think they demonstrate why it's worth going beyond the obvious headlines.

Rich Hosey carried his good local form into a regional final, coming through several close matches along the way.

Finley Bennett reached three finals across South Wales, with some excellent individual averages and a particularly strong recent run of form.

And Jake B-Smith collected two titles from three finals, including a victory in a double-in, double-out competition.

There were plenty of other players who could have featured.

Some won several tournaments, others reached finals without managing to win one, and there were players whose individual performances deserved recognition even though they didn't make the last two.

That's the difficulty with choosing just three.

But it's also the enjoyable part.

The more results I look through, the more I realise how many interesting stories are happening in grassroots darts every week.

And they aren't always about the biggest names or the highest averages.

Sometimes it's simply about somebody having a particularly good few days.

Congratulations to Rich, Finley and Jake.

Who caught your eye this week?

If there's somebody whose performances deserve a mention, I'd be interested to hear about them.

ADC Vault 19 in Numbers: The Winners, the Records and the Strength of the Competition

 

With Vault 19 completed, we've already looked at the venues that produced the strongest competition. But what about the players themselves, and what do the numbers tell us about the series as a whole?

One of the attractions of Vault darts is the sheer range of players involved. You can have someone taking their first steps into competitive darts, somebody who has played for years, and a player capable of producing a professional-standard average, all competing within the same series.

Using the Q4QS Database, we've taken a closer look at Vault 19 to find some of the standout numbers, performances and players.

Over 100,000 Matches

Let's start with the scale of the competition.

Across the main Vault 19 tournament records, the Q4QS Database contains:

• 101,382 match records

• 8,841 distinct player names

• 1,827 tournament records

• 1,815 recorded finals

The player figure is based on distinct names rather than a fully audited count of individuals, so it may include occasional spelling or identity variations.

Nevertheless, these are substantial numbers, and they demonstrate just how much competitive darts takes place throughout a single Vault series.

The Players Who Kept Winning

Winning one match is satisfying enough, but accumulating victories throughout an entire series requires both consistency and plenty of tournament appearances.

Lee Evans leads the Vault 19 match-win standings in the Q4QS Database with 202 victories, ahead of George Whyte on 190.

The leading ten were:

Player	Match wins
Lee Evans	202
George Whyte	190
Louis Melville	160
Edward Manley	157
Jake B-Smith	150
Tony Chapman	147
Curtis Hammond	146
Pete Hughes	145
Bobby Short	141
George Cressey	140

Of course, the number of tournaments entered makes a difference. A player attending regularly has more opportunities to collect wins than somebody who plays occasionally.

Even so, passing 200 victories across one series is an achievement worth recognising.

And Who Won the Tournaments?

Lee Evans also heads the recorded final-victory figures, with 24 wins in tournament finals.

George Cressey, Michael Wiles and Steve Haggerty each recorded 14, while Kevin Leadenham, Johnny Haines and Mark Stafford each had 13.

These figures are based on recorded final-round victories, rather than an independently audited list of tournament champions.

What is interesting is that the players collecting the most match victories aren't necessarily the same players winning the most tournaments. Playing consistently well is one thing; getting over the line in a final is another.

From Under 30 to Over 130 — The Winning Averages

This is perhaps my favourite set of numbers from Vault 19.

We talk a great deal about averages in darts, but an average doesn't always tell you whether somebody has won a match.

In Vault 19, there were 231 match victories with a winning average below 30.

At the opposite end, there were 818 match victories with a winning average of 100 or more.

Here is how the figures break down:

Winning average	Number of victories
Under 30	231
Under 40	2,709
Under 50	14,617
80 or more	12,267
90 or more	3,575
100 or more	818
110 or more	104
120 or more	11
130 or more	2

These are cumulative categories. For example, the 104 victories at 110+ are included in the 818 at 100+.

I don't think we need to name the players at the bottom end. Everybody has difficult matches, and a win is still a win.

But those figures tell us something important about Vault darts. There is room for players of very different abilities to compete, enjoy themselves and experience the satisfaction of winning.

And when you consider that there were more than 800 winning performances of 100-plus, there was certainly no shortage of quality either.

Some Exceptional Performances

At the very top end, the highest recorded winning average was 136.64 by Shaun Fox, in a 2–0 victory over Martin Steward at United Services Club in Harwich.

Kurt Parry also recorded a remarkable 130.70, while Connor Hopkins and Jack Johnson each produced winning averages of 125.25.

These are extraordinary figures, although individual match averages should always be viewed in the context of match length. A short format can produce spectacular numbers.

Nevertheless, they demonstrate the level of scoring that can appear at Vault events.

Where Was the Competition Strongest?

In our previous Vault 19 tournament-strength analysis, we looked beyond the number of entrants or the reputation of a venue to examine the strength of the competition.

The five leading venues in that analysis were:

Venue	Tournament strength
Pinches Cue Club, Norwich	1.350
Faringdon Football Club	1.329
Clive Arms, Cardiff	1.325
Cressex Social Club, High Wycombe	1.317
Hethersett Social Club	1.298

The tournament-strength figures are Q4QS measures of competitive strength, not player averages.

What I find interesting about these rankings is that the strongest competition isn't necessarily concentrated in the places people might automatically expect.

There is quality throughout the country, and the Vault gives that quality an opportunity to show itself.

What Does It All Tell Us?

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is the variety.

We have players winning more than 200 matches, others collecting tournament titles on a regular basis, and winning averages ranging from below 30 to well beyond 100.

But the numbers don't tell every story.

For some players, Vault 19 will have been about winning tournaments or improving their rankings. For others, it might have been about winning a first match, reaching a first knockout stage or simply gaining more experience.

And that, to me, is part of what makes the Vault worthwhile.

There are plenty of ways to measure success in darts. Not all of them involve being top of a table.

Next up: WADC Vault 3.0. Tomorrow we'll turn our attention to the women's series, looking at the players, performances and numbers that stood out.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight: Kelson Hughes, Keegan Brown and Tracey Dean Shine | 18–24 October 2026

 

Another week of grassroots darts, another mountain of results to look through, and another three players who caught my eye.

One thing I particularly like about putting these weekly articles together is that there's always more than one way to have a good week.

You can win several tournaments, of course. But you can also play consistently well without picking up every trophy, or reach a final that means more to you than half a dozen ordinary victories.

That's why I don't want this feature to become simply a list of the players with the highest averages or the most wins.

This week I've chosen Kelson Hughes, Keegan Brown and Tracey Dean.

Between them, they've produced some excellent performances, but there are three quite different stories behind those results.

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Kelson Hughes — Q4QS Rank #606

Player Profile

Kelson Hughes has been building an impressive record in the Q4QS Database.

From 110 recorded matches, he's won 96, giving him an outstanding 87.3% win rate.

He's competed in 17 recorded events, winning five tournaments and reaching another four finals. He's also made four semi-finals.

His overall match average stands at 77.42, with a Q4QS Average of 78.36.

His highest recorded average is a remarkable 115.62, achieved against Lucas Martin at the Castle Arms in Denbigh on 13 October.

That performance was actually from the previous week, but it gives an indication of the standard Kelson can produce.

And this week, he certainly made his presence felt around North Wales.

This Week

Kelson began his run on Tuesday 20 October by winning the Vault 19.0 tournament at Castle Arms, Denbigh.

Among his performances was a 100.20 average against Max Messham, while he also recorded a 3–0 victory over Baz Tym.

On Wednesday, he followed that with another tournament victory at The Nelson in Rhyl.

Two evenings, two titles.

Then on Thursday he completed a hat-trick of consecutive Vault victories, this time at Cross Foxes, Prestatyn.

One of the standout performances came against Jason Boulton, with Kelson producing a 107.36 average in a 2–0 victory.

Three tournaments on three consecutive evenings is an excellent return, regardless of the standard you're playing at.

But there was still more to come.

On Saturday, Kelson competed in the Keith Woodfine Memorial at Prestatyn Town Football Club.

This time he reached the final after defeating Richard Martin 3–0, Adam Paxton 3–1 and Alex Williams 4–3 in the knockout stages.

His semi-final against Alex Williams was particularly close, with Kelson averaging 84.03.

The final against Andy Courtney proved a step too far, with Kelson losing 5–1, although he still averaged 83.84.

So, across the week, Kelson collected three Vault titles and a memorial tournament runner-up finish.

What I like about this run is that it wasn't simply one outstanding evening.

He kept turning up, kept winning matches and kept putting himself in contention.

There's obviously a big difference between winning a local Vault event and reaching the final of a larger tournament.

But doing both in the same week is certainly worth recognising.

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Keegan Brown — Q4QS Rank #388

Player Profile

Keegan Brown is a name many darts followers will already recognise, but I'm looking at his performances here in exactly the same way as everyone else's: through the results recorded in the Q4QS Database.

And those results make interesting reading.

Across 259 recorded matches, Keegan has won 220, giving him an 84.9% win rate.

He's appeared in 48 recorded events, winning 13 tournaments and finishing runner-up on another eight occasions.

His overall match average stands at 81.42, while his Q4QS Average is slightly higher at 82.52.

His best recorded match average is 115.62, achieved at the Simeon Arms in Ryde on 14 October.

Again, that was the previous week, but it's a reminder of the level he's capable of reaching.

His recorded victories also include wins over Scott Waites and Tommy Morris on the PDC Challenge Tour.

This week, however, it was his consistency across several local competitions that caught my attention.

This Week

Keegan enjoyed an extremely productive few days, reaching four finals in four days.

His run included two tournament victories and two runner-up finishes, with appearances across the Isle of Wight and Southampton area.

On Tuesday 20 October, he was competing at the Ambassador Freehouse on the Isle of Wight.

One particularly impressive performance came against Connor Mitchell, whom he defeated 2–0 with a 103.66 average.

Later in the week, Keegan crossed over to the Southampton area.

On Thursday, he competed at Locks Heath Working Men's Club, producing a superb 111.33 average in a 2–0 victory over Jason Collins.

He also beat Gary Stafford 3–0 in the quarter-final, averaging 93.94, before defeating Bart Blake 3–0 in the semi-final.

Then on Friday he reached another final, this time at Sarisbury Green Social Club.

His route included a 3–0 quarter-final victory over Thomas Lacey, averaging 86.71, followed by another 3–0 win against Archie Davies-Eade in the semi-final.

That semi-final came with a 93.94 average.

The final went to Jarred Cole, who won 3–1, although Keegan still averaged 84.24.

There's a temptation when looking at a player with Keegan's experience to take performances like these for granted.

But I don't think we should.

Whatever level you've played at previously, you still have to turn up, win your matches and earn your place in the final.

And reaching four finals in four days is an excellent achievement.

The two titles are obviously welcome, but it's the consistency that stands out for me.

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Tracey Dean — Q4QS Rank #4,976

Player Profile

Tracey Dean is probably the player whose story best illustrates why I started doing these Weekly Spotlights.

She's not someone whose record is built around winning a tournament every other night.

Instead, there's a substantial amount of competitive darts behind her, and this week she enjoyed a couple of performances that deserve recognition.

The Q4QS Database currently contains 421 recorded matches for Tracey, of which she's won 243.

That gives her a 57.7% win rate.

She's competed in 98 recorded events, winning three tournaments and finishing runner-up on another nine occasions.

She's also reached six semi-finals and 18 quarter-finals.

Her overall match average is 62.28, with a Q4QS Average of 62.37.

Her highest recorded average is 97.66, achieved against Archie Wright in June.

She's also recorded victories over players including Angela Kirkwood, Jake B-Smith and Jamie Chaplin.

But this week's story isn't really about her best averages.

It's about reaching a major final and then coming close again just two days later.

This Week

On Sunday 18 October, Tracey reached the final of the WADC Red Dragon National Singles.

I think that's worth emphasising.

This wasn't simply another local weekly tournament. It was a national final, and Tracey had played her way into the last match of the competition.

She eventually finished runner-up to Jo Locke.

Of course, losing a national final is going to be disappointing, particularly when you've worked your way through the field to get there.

But reaching that stage is an achievement in itself.

And Tracey's week wasn't finished.

On Tuesday 20 October, she was back competing in the SDO Challenge Series 3.

Once again, she reached the final.

Her route included a 3–1 quarter-final victory over Steven Thomas, averaging 65.41, followed by a much closer semi-final against Sam Jones.

Tracey won that match 3–2 with a 70.85 average.

The final against Keegan Green was another close contest, but this time Tracey was on the wrong end of a 3–2 result.

She averaged 68.57 in defeat.

So, in the space of three days, Tracey had reached two finals, including a national final, without quite managing to collect the winner's trophy.

And that, for me, is precisely why she deserves a place in this week's article.

It's very easy to look at a results page, see who won, and move on.

But the player who finishes runner-up has often won just as many difficult matches to get there.

Tracey's wider record shows someone who has competed regularly, experienced plenty of defeats as well as victories, and kept putting herself into tournaments.

That persistence deserves credit.

And reaching a national final is something she can rightly take pride in.

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Three Players, Three Different Stories

This week's selections are quite a contrast.

Kelson Hughes enjoyed a superb run around North Wales, winning three Vault events on consecutive evenings before reaching the Keith Woodfine Memorial final.

Keegan Brown demonstrated remarkable consistency, reaching four finals in four days and producing some outstanding averages along the way.

And Tracey Dean reached the WADC Red Dragon National Singles final on Sunday 18 October, then followed it with another runner-up finish on Tuesday.

Three very different achievements.

There were plenty of other players who could have been featured this week, including those who won several tournaments, reached finals without winning, or produced performances well above their usual level.

But that's what makes grassroots darts so interesting.

There are stories everywhere, and not all of them finish with somebody lifting a trophy.

I'll keep looking for those stories each week.

Congratulations to Kelson, Keegan and Tracey on performances that caught my eye.

Who caught yours?

The Little Wins – Why Every Darts Tournament Doesn't Have to Be About Winning

 

Sometimes the best thing you take home from a darts tournament isn't a trophy, a good average or even a victory. Sometimes it's just one visit to the board.

I was playing in an Under-55 average darts tournament today, and something happened that got me thinking.

One of the players hit his first-ever 180 in a tournament.

Now, to some players, a 180 is almost routine. Some hit several in a single match. But at our level, particularly for somebody who has never managed one in competitive darts before, it's a big moment.

And you could see how much it meant to him.

He was absolutely delighted, and rightly so.

The interesting thing was that he actually lost the match.

But I suspect when he looks back on today's tournament, he won't be thinking too much about the defeat. He'll remember that first 180.

And why shouldn't he?

It got me thinking about something that perhaps we don't do enough of in darts.

Celebrate the little wins.

We Can't All Win the Tournament

The reality of competitive darts is that, unless you're fortunate enough to win the whole thing, you're eventually going to lose.

That's true whether you're playing in a local Under-55 competition or on the biggest stages in the world.

But does that mean the tournament has been a failure?

I don't think it does.

We spend an awful lot of time measuring ourselves against results. Did we win? Did we qualify from the group? What was our average? Did we play better than last week?

And those things matter, of course they do.

But perhaps there's another way of looking at it.

What if, before every tournament, we gave ourselves one or two smaller goals?

Not necessarily winning the tournament. Not even necessarily winning a match.

Just something achievable that would represent a little bit of progress.

Maybe it's hitting your first 180. Maybe it's getting through a match without becoming frustrated with yourself. Perhaps it's finally managing that checkout you've been struggling with.

There are plenty of possibilities.

And if you manage one of them, then surely you've taken something positive away from the day?

What If You Don't Achieve Your Goals?

This is where I think it gets a little more interesting.

Let's say you've gone to a tournament with a couple of goals in mind.

You don't achieve either of them.

You lose your matches, your average is disappointing, and you come away feeling that you've played terribly.

We've all been there.

So is there still a little win somewhere?

Perhaps you checked out with your first dart at a double in one leg.

Perhaps you played somebody considerably better than you and managed to take them all the way down to a deciding double.

Perhaps you produced one really good leg, even though the rest of the match was pretty awful.

Or maybe you recovered from a bad start and showed a bit of determination.

None of these things is going to get you a trophy.

But they might just be something worth remembering.

And if you can find one little thing you've done well, perhaps the journey home doesn't feel quite so disappointing.

Sometimes There Really Isn't a Positive

Now, I don't want this to turn into one of those motivational articles where we're told that every defeat is secretly a victory.

Because it isn't.

Sometimes you have an absolute mare.

You can't score, you can't finish, nothing feels right, and the more you try, the worse it gets.

You look back over the tournament, try to find something positive, and genuinely can't think of anything.

And you know what?

That's fine too.

There's no point inventing a positive just for the sake of it.

Accept that you played badly. Own it. Don't make excuses, and don't spend the next three days beating yourself up about it either.

Every darts player has those days.

Every single one.

Even the players you look up to, who seem to throw effortlessly and rarely miss a double, have tournaments where absolutely nothing goes right.

You might not notice it because you're too busy comparing your worst performances with their best ones.

But it happens.

And the wonderful thing about grassroots darts is that, more often than not, there's another tournament just around the corner.

Another chance to start again.

Give Yourself Something to Aim For

I think there's a lot to be said for setting small personal targets before a tournament.

Not huge ambitions that depend on who turns up or who you happen to draw.

Just little things you can work towards.

Something that makes you feel you're improving, even if the results haven't quite caught up yet.

And perhaps those targets should change as you improve.

For somebody relatively new to competitive darts, hitting a first 180 might be a massive milestone.

For somebody else, it might be recording their first 60 average, winning a group match or finally managing to beat a player they've lost to several times.

For a more experienced player, the target might be maintaining concentration, improving finishing or producing a more consistent performance throughout the day.

The important thing is that they're your goals.

Not somebody else's.

Because we're all at different stages of our darts journey, and progress doesn't look the same for everybody.

Something I'd Like to Bring to Q4QS

This is actually something I'm hoping to develop as part of QuestForQSchool in the new year.

I've got plans for a training and player-development section, and one of the things I'd like to introduce is the ability for players to set themselves personal tournament goals.

Nothing overcomplicated.

Just a way of deciding what you'd like to achieve, recording how you got on and hopefully seeing those little improvements add up over time.

Because while Q4QS already looks at rankings, results, averages and performances, I think there's another side to darts development that's just as important.

Recognising progress, however small it might be.

And sometimes the numbers alone don't tell the whole story.

One Visit Can Make Your Day

So I'll finish by going back to that player from today's tournament.

He didn't win his match.

He didn't win the tournament.

But he hit his first competitive 180, and he was absolutely delighted.

And I thought that was brilliant.

Because in years to come, he might not remember who knocked him out today, what his average was or even how many matches he played.

But I reckon he'll remember that 180.

And that, to me, is what a little win is all about.

Next time you play a tournament, give yourself something to aim for. And when you get home, ask yourself what you can take away from the day.

Hopefully there'll be something positive.

And if there isn't?

Put the darts away, forget about it and have another go next time.

There's always another tournament.

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QuestForQSchool – Following the numbers, celebrating the players and recognising the little wins along the way.

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Jenson Macey — Q4QS Rank #3,674

Player Profile

Jenson Macey is building a very impressive record in the Q4QS database.

Across 408 recorded matches, Jenson has won 324, giving him a 79.4% win rate.

He's competed in 73 recorded events, winning 21 of them, alongside another 12 runner-up finishes and 10 semi-finals.

His overall match average stands at 66.87, with a Q4QS Average of 65.61. However, his recent performances have been considerably stronger, with a last-ten match average of 76.76.

His best recorded average is 92.37, and he's already recorded victories over players including Riley Milligan and Leo Howard.

That's an encouraging record for a player who is also testing himself against experienced opposition in open tournaments.

This Week

Jenson began the week in excellent fashion, winning Sunday's Junior Volts at The Phoenix Club in Waterlooville.

He saved one of his best performances for the final, beating Joshua Price 3–0 with a superb 92.02 average.

Two days later, he was back in action at DiceHeads in Gosport, where he collected another Junior Volts victory.

His run included a 79.11 average against Aiden Styler and a 79.84 against Sausage Sharp before beating Riley Pinhorne in the final.

But it was Thursday's performance that made his week particularly interesting.

Playing in the open Vault 19 event at Fareham Social Club, Jenson reached the final after defeating a succession of opponents, including Gary Daniels in the semi-final.

He eventually lost 3–1 to Lloyd Walker, but averaged 84.35 in defeat.

So that's two junior tournament victories followed by a final in open competition.

For me, that's the standout part of Jenson's week.

It's one thing to be successful against players of a similar age. It's another to take that form into open competition and reach a final against experienced opponents.

A very good week indeed.

---

Eileen Harrison — Q4QS Rank #28,722

Player Profile

Eileen Harrison is a rather different selection this week, and that's precisely why I wanted to include her.

Her Q4QS record is still relatively small, with just 19 recorded matches across four events.

But she's won 13 of those matches, giving her a 68.4% win rate.

More interestingly, three of those four events have ended with Eileen reaching the final, while the other produced a semi-final appearance.

Her overall match average currently stands at 39.27, with a best of 50.09.

She hasn't yet completed the six events required to qualify for a Q4QS Average, so it's still early days as far as building a meaningful statistical profile is concerned.

But that's not what caught my attention.

This Week

On Sunday, Eileen competed in two separate WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments.

At Red Rose Darts Hub in Preston, she reached the final after recording victories over players including Grace Pownall, Kelsey Bradshaw and Celia Allen.

She eventually lost 3–1 to Gracie Willmitt, but produced her best recorded average of 50.09 in the final.

She also reached the final at The Dart and Pint in Oldham.

This time her run included a 3–2 semi-final victory over Wendy Murray before she narrowly lost 3–2 to Celia Allen.

Two finals in one day.

Then on Monday, she was back at Red Rose Darts Hub, reaching yet another WADC final.

After victories over Grace Pownall, Niamh Sergeant, Rachel Tapley and Netty Cork, she eventually lost 3–0 to Jo Clements.

Three finals in two days. Three runner-up finishes.

And not a tournament victory among them.

That's exactly the sort of week I think deserves a mention.

There's sometimes a tendency in darts coverage to concentrate on the winners and forget everyone else.

But reaching three finals in such a short period is an achievement in itself, particularly for somebody whose recorded tournament history is still developing.

It's also a good reminder of why the WADC circuit matters.

Not every player is going to average 70, 80 or 90. Not every tournament is going to attract a huge field.

But competitive darts needs opportunities for players at different levels to participate, improve and enjoy meaningful competition.

Eileen certainly made the most of those opportunities this week.

And I hope a tournament victory isn't too far away.

---

Lee Hughes — Q4QS Rank #2,235

Player Profile

Lee Hughes has a considerably more established record in the Q4QS database.

He's played 305 recorded matches, winning 254 of them for an excellent 83.3% win rate.

From 48 recorded events, Lee has collected 14 tournament victories and another 16 runner-up finishes.

His overall match average is 73.31, while his Q4QS Average stands at 72.62.

His best recorded average is 107.36, achieved against Cai Redman earlier in the year.

He's also recorded victories over some very capable opposition, including Kurt Parry, Jeff Bass and Mike Huntley.

One particularly notable result in his profile is a 3–0 victory over Jonny Clayton, achieved in a Vault event at New Inn, Ton Pentre, in May.

So there's clearly plenty of ability there.

This Week

Lee started his week on Sunday at the Clwb Emrys Elite Finals Day at Rack & Flight Club.

He reached the final after a run that included a 4–2 victory over Jeff Bass, averaging 77.62.

He eventually finished runner-up to Andrew Kerry.

On Monday, he went one better.

Playing at Duffy's in Pontypridd, Lee collected another Vault tournament victory.

Among his results was an impressive 3–1 win over Mike Huntley, averaging 79.76.

And he wasn't finished.

On Wednesday, Lee reached another final at the Clwb Emrys Circuit event at Rack & Flight Club in Treorchy.

He beat George Humphreys 3–0 in the quarter-final with a 79.11 average, then defeated Owen Black 3–1 in the semi-final with an 80.38.

The final went the way of Cai Redman, who won 3–1, with Lee averaging 72.38.

That completed a sequence of three finals in four days, including one tournament victory.

And perhaps that's what impressed me most.

It's not always easy to maintain that level of consistency when playing different events against different opposition.

But Lee has managed it, and his wider record suggests that reaching finals is becoming something of a habit.

---

Three Different Reasons to Be Noticed

What I like about this week's selections is that they demonstrate three different sides of grassroots darts.

Jenson Macey is showing what can happen when a successful junior starts producing performances in open competition.

Eileen Harrison has demonstrated that you don't need to win a tournament, or produce enormous averages, to have a week worth recognising.

And Lee Hughes has shown the value of consistency, reaching three finals in four days against some very capable opposition.

There were plenty of other players who could have made this week's three, including several who won more tournaments.

But that's never been the sole purpose of the Weekly Spotlight.

I want to recognise performances, progress and stories that might otherwise pass unnoticed.

And these are the three players who caught my eye this week.

Congratulations to Jenson, Eileen and Lee.

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

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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.

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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.