Week 5 update | Week ending 17 October 2026
Five weeks into Vault 19, and just when I thought the Tournament Strength picture was beginning to settle, we've had another interesting week.
Some of the familiar names remain near the top, but there are new challengers appearing, and one venue has produced a particularly impressive response to a slight drop in its recent figures.
Pinches Cue Club in Norwich has recorded another Tournament Strength of 1.350.
That's exactly the same as its opening Vault 19 score, which has led the rankings since the beginning.
Meanwhile, Cressex Social Club has made a big move, Coppenhall and Bostin Darts have entered the leading group, and WADC Vault 3.0 has produced another strong Welsh result.
The more tournaments I look at, the more interesting the comparison becomes between venues producing one exceptional field and those doing it repeatedly.
How the rankings work
As with the previous updates, each venue appears only once in the rankings, using its highest Tournament Strength recorded during the current Vault series.
Other results are still important because they help me judge consistency, but they don't give a venue additional positions.
I'm also continuing to treat Penybanc RFC #1 and #2 as one venue.
Vault 19 – Strongest Venues After Five Weeks
Rank | Venue | Tournament Strength |
|---|---|---|
1 | Pinches Cue Club, Norwich | 1.350 |
2 | Faringdon Football Club | 1.329 |
3 | Cressex Social Club, High Wycombe | 1.317 |
4 | Tipton Sports Academy | 1.297 |
5= | Coppenhall WMC, Crewe | 1.292 |
5= | Bostin Darts 180 Bar, Blackheath | 1.292 |
7 | Bedlinog Rugby Club | 1.285 |
8 | Bagley Sports & Social Club | 1.280 |
9= | The Brookside, Syston | 1.278 |
9= | Pendlebury Social Club, Manchester | 1.278 |
Highest individual Tournament Strength per venue, through 17 October. Equal scores share a position.
Pinches Is Still the Venue to Beat
I've written quite a bit about Pinches over the past month, but it keeps giving me a reason to return to it.
Its opening three events produced:
1.350 → 1.340 → 1.331
It subsequently recorded 1.324 and then 1.304.
There was a gradual reduction, although even that lowest figure remained above 1.300.
Then, on 15 October, Pinches returned to 1.350.
That gives it six consecutive Vault 19 tournaments with a Tournament Strength above 1.300.
And two of those have reached 1.350.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to argue that Pinches' original score was simply one exceptional night.
The venue has repeatedly attracted fields of a remarkably high standard.
I still wouldn't declare the competition settled after five weeks, but Pinches is building a very convincing case.
Cressex Makes the Biggest Move
One of the most eye-catching results this week came from Cressex Social Club in High Wycombe.
Its tournament on 15 October produced a Tournament Strength of 1.317.
That puts Cressex straight into third place, behind only Pinches and Faringdon.
What's particularly interesting is the difference between that figure and its previous results.
Its preceding four events had recorded 1.119, 1.119, 1.068 and 1.080.
So the latest 1.317 represents a substantial jump.
It's a good reminder that a venue can suddenly attract a much stronger field than it has been producing previously.
Whether Cressex can repeat that performance will be worth watching.
Coppenhall and Bostin Join the Leading Group
Two more venues have entered the Top 10 with identical best scores.
Coppenhall WMC in Crewe — 1.292
Bostin Darts 180 Bar in Blackheath — 1.292
Coppenhall is particularly interesting because it had already been producing respectable Tournament Strength figures before reaching this new high.
Its recent scores included 1.203, 1.182, 1.211 and 1.235 before its 1.292 on 15 October.
That suggests a venue capable of producing competitive fields fairly regularly.
Bostin's 1.292 came on 16 October, following several considerably lower scores.
Both have now moved into the leading group, but their routes there have been quite different.
That's another reason why I think the individual tournament histories are becoming as interesting as the rankings themselves.
Pendlebury Is Another New Name
Pendlebury Social Club in Manchester has also entered the Top 10.
Its two recorded Vault 19 figures are:
1.263 → 1.278
That's an encouraging start.
Two strong scores are more useful evidence than one, and Pendlebury now joins a growing group of venues that I'll be watching over the coming weeks.
What About Last Week's Leaders?
Faringdon remains second at 1.329, although it hasn't improved on that best score.
Tipton is fourth at 1.297.
Bedlinog, Bagley and The Brookside remain among the leading venues.
However, the arrival of Cressex, Coppenhall, Bostin and Pendlebury means some familiar names have slipped outside the Top 10.
That includes Sartan Club and Hethersett Social Club, both of which have best scores of 1.265.
Sartan's latest tournament dropped to 1.128, while Hethersett recorded 1.223.
Neither has suddenly become a weak venue. Their earlier strong performances still count.
But other venues have produced higher individual scores.
That's the nature of ranking by each venue's best event.
It also explains why I want to keep following the repeat performances rather than judging everything by the table alone.
WADC Vault 3.0 – Another Welsh Challenger Emerges
The WADC Tournament Strength rankings have been dominated by Wales throughout these updates.
Briton Ferry Workies has led since its outstanding 1.151, while Penybanc, The 9 Darter and Resolven have occupied the positions behind it.
This week, another Welsh venue has joined that leading group.
And this time the result has come from North Wales.
WADC Vault 3.0 – Strongest Venues After Five Weeks
Rank | Venue | Tournament Strength |
|---|---|---|
1 | Briton Ferry Workies | 1.151 |
2 | Penybanc RFC, Ammanford | 1.077 |
3 | Copa #2, Caernarfon | 1.009 |
4 | The 9 Darter, Port Talbot | 0.997 |
5 | Arrows Darts Venue #2, Resolven | 0.986 |
6 | Dereham Cricket Club | 0.980 |
7 | MK Cocktail Lounge, Bodmin | 0.947 |
8 | Castle Arms, Denbigh | 0.944 |
9 | Walton WMC | 0.941 |
10 | Copa #1, Caernarfon | 0.936 |
Highest individual WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength per venue. Penybanc entries are combined; Copa #1 and #2 are shown separately as recorded in the export.
Copa Gives North Wales a Place Among the Leaders
The major WADC development this week is Copa #2 in Caernarfon, which recorded 1.009 on 11 October.
That takes it straight into third place.
It also means that three WADC venues have now recorded Tournament Strength figures above 1.000:
Briton Ferry at 1.151, Penybanc at 1.077 and Copa #2 at 1.009.
All three are Welsh.
Until recently, much of the WADC story centred on South Wales.
But with Copa joining the leading group and Castle Arms in Denbigh also featuring, North Wales is beginning to make its presence felt.
Briton Ferry Remains Top
There is no change at No.1.
Briton Ferry's 1.151 remains comfortably ahead of the rest.
However, its latest event on 16 October produced 0.999.
That is an improvement on the previous week's 0.937 and another score very close to 1.000.
Briton Ferry has now recorded a variety of figures, including 0.961, 0.989, 1.151, 0.937 and 0.999.
That variation is perfectly normal.
But the fact it keeps returning to around 1.000 or better is another reason why it remains one of the standout WADC venues.
England Is Still Chasing
Dereham Cricket Club remains England's highest-ranked WADC venue at 0.980.
MK Cocktail Lounge in Bodmin follows at 0.947, while Walton WMC has a best of 0.941.
Those are strong figures, but Wales has now extended its advantage at the very top.
The first five positions are all Welsh.
And the Welsh strength is no longer coming exclusively from one part of the country.
That's probably the biggest development in the WADC picture this week.
A Word About Consistency
There's another interesting example further down the WADC rankings.
Derby Arms in Birkenhead has recorded Tournament Strength figures of 0.889 and 0.888.
Those numbers aren't enough to enter the Top 10, but they're almost identical.
That's precisely the kind of consistency I want to keep an eye on.
As more tournaments are played, it should become possible to identify venues that regularly attract fields of a particular standard, even if they never produce the single highest score.
Five Weeks In – What Have We Learned?
The main Vault 19 rankings have become considerably more competitive.
Pinches remains the benchmark, but the really impressive part is that it has now returned to its original 1.350 after several other strong performances.
Cressex has jumped into third place.
Coppenhall, Bostin and Pendlebury have joined the leading group.
And some established venues have slipped down the rankings without necessarily becoming any less competitive.
In WADC Vault 3.0, Briton Ferry remains the leader, but Copa's arrival in third place gives the Welsh story another dimension.
South Wales continues to provide some of the strongest fields, while North Wales is now making an impact too.
England has strong challengers, particularly Dereham and Bodmin, but the top five positions currently belong to Wales.
Five weeks ago, I was mainly interested in finding the biggest Tournament Strength numbers.
Now I'm beginning to see something much more useful.
Which venues are capable of producing strong tournaments again and again?
Pinches is setting an impressive example.
But with new challengers emerging every week, there is still plenty to discover before Vault 19 is over.
