Showing posts with label Henry Cooper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Henry Cooper. Show all posts

Sunday, September 13, 2026

MODUS Super Series Week 7 Preview: A Field Full of Form



The MODUS Super Series returns for Week 7, and this might be one of those weeks where simply looking at the names – or indeed the early bookmaker prices – doesn't tell the whole story.

The 12-player field contains plenty of experience, with the likes of David Evans, Benito van de Pas, Keegan Brown, Richie Howson and Fallon Sherrock, but when I look through the latest Q4QS data there are some fascinating form stories elsewhere in the field.

In fact, several players arrive in Portsmouth having been almost impossible to beat in recent weeks.

And that could make Week 7 considerably more open than it initially appears.

Cooper arrives on a remarkable run

If I'm looking purely at recent form, Henry Cooper is impossible to ignore.

Cooper is currently Q4QS ranked No.516 with an 83.68 Q4QS Average, but it's his recent tournament record that really catches the eye.

His last five recorded events read:

Finalist – Winner – Winner – Winner – Winner.

Two of those victories came with extraordinary tournament averages of 92.33 and 93.95, while he has subsequently started Vault 19 by winning twice at The Newtown in Poole.

There are some huge individual performances in there too – including 109.98 and 104.86 match averages.

Cooper arrives in Portsmouth 10–0 across his latest ten recorded matches.

That's some way to enter a MODUS week.

Spivey leads the Q4QS rankings

While Cooper has the eye-catching recent results, Sam Spivey is actually the highest Q4QS-ranked player in the Week 7 field.

Spivey sits at Q4QS No.159 with an 85.42 Q4QS Average.

His recent win/loss record isn't as spectacular at 5–5, but the scoring numbers show the threat. His recent Challenge Tour event averages include 84.55, 87.99 and 81.00, while an ADC Championship South run included a 93.43 match average.

In a week containing plenty of players in excellent winning form, Spivey's underlying scoring numbers make him one of the obvious benchmarks.

Keegan Brown keeps winning

Keegan Brown provides a very different form line.

The former PDC Tour Card holder is 9–1 across his latest ten recorded matches, and there have been plenty of trophies along the way.

Brown won a Vault 18 event at Hotshots with an 86.14 tournament average, including individual performances of 95.94 and 93.90.

More recently, he won a Vault 19 event on the Isle of Wight before going 9–0 to win the Isle of Wight Grand Prix 3.

He's clearly arriving knowing how to get tournaments won.

One of the most interesting players could be 26.00

Perhaps my favourite storyline of the entire Week 7 field belongs to Ben Flanagan-McClelland.

There isn't quite enough data yet for a full Q4QS Average – he's currently at five of the six qualifying events required – but what is there is extremely interesting.

His recent results include a MODUS Super Series Qualifier quarter-final, a Midlands Vault Series 17 MODUS Super Series Qualifier victory, a final and then another tournament win.

That latest victory came in Vault 19 at The Cue Club in South Wigston.

Flanagan-McClelland went 8–0 and averaged 86.72, with individual performances including 83.76, 83.50, 80.93 and 91.09.

He's currently 10–0.

We'll come back to him when we look at the bookmaker market.

Steve Green's consistency stands out

Steve Green doesn't have quite the same string of titles, but his numbers might be among the most consistent in the field.

Green has an 84.04 Q4QS Average and is 8–2 across his latest ten.

His recent ADC Championship South tournament averages include:

85.16 – 87.22 – 82.74 – 84.21.

He's also produced a 91.50 individual match average.

Those aren't isolated peaks. Green has repeatedly been operating in roughly the same scoring territory, and that consistency could be important across a MODUS week.

Sherrock arrives with plenty of deep runs

Fallon Sherrock brings another strong recent record.

Sherrock is 8–2 across her latest ten and recently won PDC Women's Series Event 18, going 7–0 with an 83.51 tournament average.

Since then, the deep runs have continued.

Her latest five recorded events include a Last 32, quarter-final, two finals and another quarter-final. Her latest tournament was one of those finals, where she averaged 82.67 before losing to Deta Hedman.

She therefore arrives with both scoring form and plenty of experience of playing important matches late in tournaments.

Don't overlook Pete Hughes

It's difficult to find many players anywhere with a recent tournament record much better than Pete Hughes.

His latest five read:

Winner – Winner – Winner – Finalist – Winner.

He's 9–1 across his latest ten recorded matches and has already started Vault 19 with victories at Bridley Moor and The Cue Corner, either side of a final at Bengeworth.

His recent tournament averages include 82.02, 82.64 and 80.02, while he's also produced a remarkable 104.86 individual average in a win over Shaun Vernall.

Hughes doesn't make my Six to Follow – which probably demonstrates the problem I had choosing only six this week.

What about the favourite?

The bookmakers have installed David Evans as the early 4.50 favourite.

There is certainly enough in the Q4QS data to show why Evans commands respect. He's ranked No.281 with an 82.65 Q4QS Average, and recent Challenge Tour performances include tournament averages of 91.73, 86.01 and 84.09.

However, his latest ten recorded matches stand at 4–6, and his most recent Challenge Tour appearance ended at 72.53.

So there is certainly some contrast between the market position and the most recent results.

That doesn't mean the market is necessarily wrong – but it does make the comparison interesting.

Do the odds tell the whole story?

I'm not turning Q4QS into a tipping site, but the early bookmaker market is worth mentioning this week because it looks rather different from some of the patterns in my database.

The early prices have David Evans at 4.50, followed by Benito van de Pas at 6.00 and Sam Spivey at 6.50.

Further down come Richie Howson at 8.00, Henry Cooper at 9.50, Keegan Brown at 11.00, Pete Hughes at 12.00 and Steve Green at 13.00.

But then things become particularly interesting.

Fallon Sherrock is 21.00 despite arriving 8–2 with a recent Women's Series victory.

And Ben Flanagan-McClelland is 26.00 despite being 10–0 and coming straight from an unbeaten tournament victory averaging 86.72.

Perhaps the bookmakers have priced this one correctly. Perhaps they haven't.

But the Q4QS numbers certainly suggest Week 7 could be considerably more competitive than the prices at the top of the market imply.

There is an important caveat. Q4QS currently has no matching data in this export for Benito van de Pas or Kai Fan Leung, so I can't make the same data comparison for those two players.

Six Players to Follow

🎯 Henry Cooper

Four wins in his latest five tournaments

The form player of the field. Cooper has won four consecutive recorded tournaments, has recently produced event averages of 92.33 and 93.95 and arrives 10–0.

🎯 Sam Spivey

The highest-ranked Q4QS player in Week 7

Q4QS No.159 with an 85.42 Average. The recent results have been mixed, but the scoring ceiling remains extremely high.

🎯 Keegan Brown

Titles are becoming a habit

Brown arrives 9–1 with multiple recent tournament victories, including an 86.14-average Vault win.

🎯 Steve Green

Perhaps the most consistent scorer in the field

An 84.04 Q4QS Average and a sequence of recent ADC tournament averages consistently sitting in the 82–87 range.

🎯 Ben Flanagan-McClelland

The fascinating outsider

Currently 10–0 and fresh from an unbeaten Vault 19 victory with an 86.72 tournament average. One of the most interesting stories of Week 7.

🎯 Fallon Sherrock

Winning and going deep

A recent Women's Series champion who has continued reaching finals and quarter-finals since. Sherrock arrives 8–2 and in strong scoring form.

A difficult week to call

There are still unknowns here.

Q4QS doesn't currently have sufficient data to properly assess Benito van de Pas or Kai Fan Leung, while Richie Howson's available sample is also extremely limited – just one qualifying event in this particular dataset.

Panagiotis Chrysospathis is another with a relatively small Q4QS sample, although the database does contain recent international competition from Romania and Cyprus.

That's why I wouldn't simply rearrange the bookmaker market according to Q4QS ranking and declare that the answer.

What the database does show is just how much winning form there is among several players sitting outside the favourites.

Cooper: 10–0.
Flanagan-McClelland: 10–0.
Brown: 9–1.
Hughes: 9–1.
Green: 8–2.
Sherrock: 8–2.

That's an awful lot of confidence arriving in Portsmouth at the same time.

The bookmakers may have their favourites.

The recent results suggest MODUS Super Series Week 7 might not be quite that simple.

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight: Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week (weekending 23rd August 2026)


Another week of grassroots darts, and again the difficult part wasn't finding three players worth talking about — it was narrowing the list down.

This week's final three have arrived here in very different ways.

Mat Caste simply kept winning, collecting three titles during the week and producing one of the best averages anywhere in the results. Henry Cooper delivered when the stakes were considerably higher, winning the South West MODUS Super Series regional qualifier. And Logun Godbeer finished the week in outstanding fashion, winning two events on consecutive days and extending his latest run to ten straight victories.

As always, this feature isn't intended to be a simple list of the highest averages or biggest names. These are three performances and stories that caught my eye over the last seven days.

Mat Caste

Player Profile

Mat Caste has built an enormous body of work during 2026.

His Q4QS database now contains 712 matches, of which he has won 591, giving him an excellent 83% win rate across 112 recorded events. Those appearances have produced 32 tournament victories, along with 23 runner-up finishes and 21 semi-finals.

His overall match average of 77.34 perhaps doesn't immediately reveal how high his ceiling can be. Caste has a best recorded average of 120.24, while his top five also contain four separate performances of 103 or better.

He's also shown that level against strong opposition. His recorded victories include Dylan Dowling and Nunjo Dewaele on the Challenge Tour, while he has beaten Danny Lauby on several occasions, including a 3–0 victory accompanied by a 100.20 average.

This Week

This was a week when Caste seemed to be permanently around the business end of tournaments.

It began at The Carlton House Club in Olney, where he collected the title after eight victories. His best performances during the event included averages of 93.94, 88.41 and 86.94.

Two days later came the week's headline performance.

At Windmill Hill Golf Centre, Caste produced a huge 112.69 average, followed later by 100.63 in his semi-final against Mark Boardman. He then defeated Adam King 3–0 in the final to take another title.

Thursday brought another victory at Hotshots Sports Bar in Bletchley. Caste beat Bailey Martin and Charlie Collins before overcoming Addison Hefferon 3–1 in the final with an 85.85 average.

And even after three tournament victories, his week wasn't finished.

Caste reached the quarter-finals of the MODUS Super Series South East & London Regional Qualifier, beating Stuart Woodmore and Gary Stafford before narrowly losing 6–5 to eventual finalist Connor Levett.

Three titles plus a MODUS regional quarter-final would be an exceptional week by any measure. Add a 112.69 average into the equation and Caste was impossible to overlook.


Henry Cooper

Player Profile

Henry Cooper's numbers are extraordinary.

Across 377 recorded matches, Cooper has won 341, producing a 90.5% career win rate within the Q4QS database. From 55 events he has already recorded 33 tournament victories, meaning he has won well over half of all the events in which he has appeared.

The scoring figures are equally impressive.

Cooper's overall match average stands at 84.49, while his last ten matches average a remarkable 94.25. His best recorded performance is 115.62, with further peaks of 111.33 and two separate 109.98 averages.

He also arrived at the end of this week's data with a perfect 10 wins from his last ten recorded matches.

This Week

Cooper only needed one tournament to earn his place in this week's feature.

And it was an important one.

At St Breward AFC & Social Club, Cooper won the ADC South West Series 18 MODUS Super Series Qualifier.

He produced a 92.02 average in a 6–0 victory over Jamie Kay, before defeating Ricky King 6–2 in the final with a 90.28 average. Cooper finished the event with four victories and the two highest averages recorded by any player in the tournament.

It also continued a remarkable period of form. Cooper's profile shows a last-five average of 97.53 and last-ten figure of 94.25, numbers which underline just how strongly he has been playing recently.

Some selections in this series come from winning several events in a week.

This one comes from winning the event that mattered.


Logun Godbeer

Player Profile

Logun Godbeer's database tells a slightly different story from the other two.

He has already accumulated a remarkable 815 recorded matches, winning 573 of them for a 70.3% win rate across 132 events. Those tournaments have yielded 22 victories, 15 runner-up finishes and 36 semi-finals.

His overall average is 63.50, but there are plenty of indications of a significantly higher ceiling. Godbeer has produced three recorded 93.94 averages, while he also hit 91.09 earlier this week at Portishead.

Perhaps most interestingly, his record already includes wins over considerably higher-rated opposition, including Jimmy Bristow, Robbie Long, Luke Harding and Rich Griffee.

This Week

Godbeer saved his best results for the end of the week.

On Friday at Portishead Workmens Darts, he came through the open tournament with eight victories.

The knockout stages included a 3–0 win over Luke Adams with an 80.52 average, followed by a 3–1 semi-final victory over Steve Boundy. Godbeer then defeated Ellie Harwood 4–1 in the final to take the title.

Less than 24 hours later, he did it again.

This time it was the JDC Volts at Highbridge Social Club.

Godbeer defeated Alfie Coles, George Miller, Ben Miller and Woody Littlewood before another win over Miller in the semi-final. A 3–1 victory over Tai Anderson completed his second tournament triumph in two days.

Those results also mean his current recorded form reads a perfect 10 wins from his last ten matches.

Two different events. Two consecutive days. Two titles.

That's a pretty good way to finish a week — and a very good reason for Logun Godbeer to make his first appearance in the Weekly Spotlight.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Cooper Retains Vault Crown as Martin, Court and Crook Impress

 


Saturday produced another fascinating day across the grassroots game, with 20 tournaments added to the Q4QS database from 22 August.

There were strong fields, big performances and plenty of different levels of the game represented, but one result that certainly deserves highlighting was Henry Cooper successfully retaining his ADC South West crown.

Elsewhere, Robbie Martin produced a superb display at Dorchester, Gary Court came through a competitive Wiltshire Darts House Open, Roger Crook booked his MODUS opportunity and Logun Godbeer continued to impress on the junior circuit.

Cooper retains his South West crown

Henry Cooper may not have made the six featured winners on today's graphic, but his victory at the ADC South West Series 18.0 MODUS Super Series Qualifier was undoubtedly one of Saturday's major stories.

Cooper came through the event at St Breward AFC & Social Club, beating Ricky King 6-2 in the final to retain his Vault crown.

The numbers backed up the result too. Cooper produced the tournament's highest recorded average, 92.02, in a 6-0 victory over Jamie Kay before averaging 90.28 in the final against King. Jamie Kay reached 90.99, Neil Meneer 89.29 and Gareth Griffiths 88.14 in what was clearly a competitive South West field.

For Cooper, though, it is another significant regional title and further evidence of the consistency he continues to show in South West competition.

Martin dominates at Dorchester

One of the performances of the day came from Robbie Martin at the DTC August 2026 Open.

There were 118 matches recorded at Dorchester Trinity Club and Martin eventually emerged as champion with a 5-2 final victory over Alfie Yarrow.

Martin's scoring throughout the tournament was particularly impressive. He recorded a 100.20 average alongside two separate 95.94 performances and collected ten wins across the event.

Yarrow also enjoyed an excellent tournament, winning nine matches and reaching the final, with a best recorded average of 92.02.

That makes Martin's victory one of the standout achievements from Saturday's results.

Court takes Wiltshire Open

There was another excellent tournament at Wiltshire Darts House, where Gary Court came through a 75-match competition to take the title.

Court defeated Josh McCarthy 5-3 in the final, finishing the tournament with nine victories. McCarthy collected eight on his way to the runner-up spot.

Court also joined the century club with a 100.20 average, while McCarthy reached 93.94.

With Will Jackson, Dave Geale and Mitch McCarthy among those also accumulating plenty of wins, it looks to have been another strong local field.

Crook books MODUS opportunity

Another significant result came in the MODUS Super Series South East & London Regional Qualifier.

Roger Crook emerged victorious, edging Connor Levett in the deciding match after producing the tournament's best recorded average of 95.39 during his run.

Crook collected five victories, with Levett winning four, while John Power, Jack Seymour and Jack Roddis were among the other players making progress.

The regional qualifying route continues to provide opportunities for players outside the traditional professional circuits, and Crook has now made the most of his.

Godbeer wins again

There was another success for Logun Godbeer, this time in the JDC VOLTS Series 7 event at Highbridge Social Club.

Godbeer beat Tai Anderson 3-1 in the final and collected six wins during the competition. He also recorded the event's three highest averages at 75.87, 71.25 and 69.63.

Saturday was a busy day for the VOLTS circuit generally. Tyler Shuck won at Bostin Darts 180 Bar, Callum Williams took the Llandysul event and Joel Walton won at the Bullseye Bar in Lichfield.

Tauringana takes South West Under-55 regional title

The South West also staged its Vault 18.0 Level Up Core Regional Finals, with Panashe Tauringana coming through to take the title.

Tauringana defeated Fraser Pearce in the final, while Pearce accumulated seven victories across the competition. The biggest recorded average belonged to Zayn Paterson at 93.94.

It's another example of why the restricted-average competitions are becoming such an interesting part of the grassroots calendar, providing meaningful competition and progression opportunities at different levels of the game.

Plenty more winners

The depth of Saturday's schedule stretched well beyond the headline events.

Rich Hosey won a huge 301 DIDO round robin at Bostin Darts 180 Bar, with 113 matches recorded and ten victories for the eventual champion.

Harley Glycos won the 120-match Its 4LIAM. BiG 30 tournament in Newport, collecting nine victories, while Dave Fisher won ten matches on his way to success in the Princess Royal round robin.

There was also an impressive ten-win title run from Aaron Beeney, while Wayne Halliwell won the Shaftesbury Monthly and Ben Spencer came through the SSNAP Charity Event.

Another strong Saturday

Twenty more tournaments have now been added to Q4QS, and once again the results demonstrate just how much competitive darts is taking place away from the biggest televised stages.

For me, Cooper retaining his South West crown deserves to be right among the headline stories, alongside Martin's excellent Dorchester performance, Court's Wiltshire success and Crook earning his MODUS opportunity.

And with Godbeer winning again at Highbridge, there was plenty happening among the next generation as well.

Saturday, August 22, 2026

One Place on the MODUS Stage – South West Vault 18 Regional Final Preview

 


The road through Vault 18 reaches its conclusion in the South West on Saturday 22 August, when 20 of the region’s leading players battle it out for one of the biggest prizes available on the grassroots circuit.

A place on the MODUS Super Series stage awaits the winner.

For the last seven weeks, players across the South West have been competing in Vault events, collecting points and trying to position themselves high enough in the regional standings to reach this final day.

Now, the points race is over.

There are no more calculations to make and no more weeks to recover from a bad result.

For these 20 players, it comes down to one tournament.

Win it, and the reward is a televised MODUS Super Series opportunity.

That pathway has already shown just how significant these regional qualifiers can be. In Vault 17, Henry Cooper won the South West MODUS qualifier at Shaftesbury Football Club, defeating Andy Steed 6-4 in the final and averaging 85.51 across the event.

Now Cooper is back trying to do it all again.

Cooper Bids for Back-to-Back Qualification

There could hardly be a better starting point.

Henry Cooper enters the Vault 18 Regional Final as the defending South West qualifier champion — and his current form suggests another run is entirely possible.

Cooper is 10-0 across his last ten recorded matches in the Q4QS database and comes into Saturday after winning at The Kings Arms in Wallisdown with an exceptional 93.95 tournament average.

His recent sequence is formidable.

Three wins from his last five recorded events, another final, and tournament averages of 83.91, 84.02, 92.33 and 93.95 underline just how consistently well he has been playing.

He also has individual recorded performances of 109.98 and 104.86 among his recent results.

Repeating a regional qualifier victory is a difficult ask, but Cooper appears to be arriving at exactly the right level.

Gareth Griffiths Might Be the Man to Beat

If Cooper has the previous regional title, Gareth Griffiths may have the strongest current case.

Griffiths is ranked 83rd in the Q4QS database, with an overall average of 87.07, and he is also 10-0 across his last ten matches.

His latest appearance was spectacular.

Griffiths went 8-0 to win at Indian Queens WMC with a 93.35 tournament average, having already recorded victories over Kevin Mitchell, Neil Meneer and Logan Symons Jr during his recent run.

There is also unfinished business here.

Griffiths reached the semi-finals of the previous South West MODUS qualifier, averaging 90.08, before his run was ended by Andy Steed.

This time, he'll be looking to go two rounds further.

Spurdle Has Been Consistently in Contention

Kieran Spurdle is another player whose recent record makes a strong case.

He comes into Saturday 8-2 across his last ten, having won Vault 18 events at both The Choughs in Chard and Pegasus 68 in Taunton.

His recent five-event sequence contains two wins, two finals and a semi-final, making him one of the most consistently successful players in this field.

Spurdle's best recent winning average was 77.44, while individual performances have climbed as high as 88.41.

He might not carry the same headline scoring numbers as Griffiths or Cooper, but tournament darts is about repeatedly getting through matches — and Spurdle has been doing exactly that.

Cleave Comes in With Winning Form

Finlay Cleave is another who has been accumulating deep runs.

Cleave is also 8-2 in his last ten, and his recent results include victory at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton, where he went a perfect 8-0 with a 76.78 tournament average.

He followed that with semi-finals in Taunton and at Galaxy Sports Bar, while his recent wins include an 89.24 performance against Andy Steed and an 88.41 against Charlie Wiles.

Again, that gives him precisely the sort of profile that can work well in a one-day knockout.

Andrews Has Already Been Winning Around Bristol

Lee Andrews comes into Saturday with slightly less impressive immediate win-loss numbers than some of the favourites, but his recent record contains plenty of evidence that he belongs in the conversation.

Andrews recently won a Vault at Bessellscotts in Bristol, while his other recent results include semi-finals at North Star Club and Saintbridge Sports Club.

He has also shown a ceiling well above his overall 70.86 database average, with the preview data recording a best performance of 100.20.

In a shorter field where only a handful of wins separate somebody from the MODUS stage, that makes him a genuine threat.

Guilfoyle Provides the Unknown Element

My sixth player to follow is rather different.

Dan Guilfoyle doesn't have anywhere near the amount of Q4QS data behind him that the other leading names do.

He has only one qualifying event in the current database sample, but that appearance produced a 5-2 record and a quarter-final at St Breward, including several wins in the mid-to-high 50s.

So rather than presenting him as one of the statistical favourites, I'd see Guilfoyle as the intriguing unknown among my six.

Sometimes these regional finals throw up players whose broader level hasn't yet been fully captured by the database.

Saturday gives us a chance to find out more.

⭐ Q4QS Six to Follow

🎯 Gareth Griffiths
The highest-ranked player among my six, 10-0 recently and coming off an 8-0 title-winning performance with a 93.35 average.

🎯 Henry Cooper
The defending South West MODUS qualifier champion, also 10-0 recently and producing some outstanding 90+ tournament numbers.

🎯 Kieran Spurdle
Two wins, two finals and a semi-final among his latest five events make him one of the most consistent players in the field.

🎯 Finlay Cleave
Another 8-2 player who has already shown he can put together an unbeaten Vault-winning run.

🎯 Lee Andrews
A recent Bristol Vault winner with several other deep runs and enough scoring power to threaten anyone in the draw.

🎯 Dan Guilfoyle
The least exposed of the six in the Q4QS database, but his 5-2 Vault appearance makes him an interesting player to keep an eye on.

Plenty of Threats Beyond the Six

As with the South East & London qualifier, selecting six does not mean the rest can be ignored.

Danny Humphries comes into Saturday 9-1 across his last ten, has recently won a Vault at Matson Rugby Club with an 81.34 tournament average and has been gaining valuable Challenge Tour experience as well.

Callum Harrison is 7-3 and recently reached a Sturminster final, while Trevor Pengelly has the same 7-3 recent record and has reached semi-finals during both Vault 17 and Vault 18.

Then there are several significant names for whom the uploaded preview pack doesn't contain enough current detail to analyse in the same way — including Jamie Kay, Ricky King, Neil Meneer, C-Jay Pipe, Robbie Roy, Andy Steed, Sean Taylor, Martin Walker and Barry Wylds.

And Andy Steed in particular hardly needs explaining as a danger: he reached the final of the Vault 17 South West MODUS qualifier before losing to Cooper.

A Smaller Field – But Not an Easier One

The South West qualifier has an interesting difference to the South East & London event.

There are 20 players rather than 32 after the final field was confirmed, with Zach Quinn, Brooklyn Anthony and Josh McCarthy no longer taking part.

On the surface, that means fewer matches and fewer players standing between somebody and MODUS.

But it doesn't necessarily make the tournament easier.

With Cooper and Griffiths both arriving 10-0, Spurdle and Cleave at 8-2, Humphries at 9-1 and several proven regional performers elsewhere in the field, there is quality throughout the entry list.

And with only one prize that really matters, eventually somebody has to beat those players.

One More Opportunity

This is what seven weeks of Vault 18 have been building towards.

The weekly wins, ranking points and long evenings at venues across Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Gloucestershire have created the field.

On Saturday, all of that disappears.

Whether somebody qualified first or twentieth doesn't matter once the darts begin.

Twenty players.

One South West Regional Final.

One MODUS Super Series place.

Henry Cooper has already travelled this road successfully once.

On Saturday we'll discover whether he can do it again — or whether somebody else takes the South West's latest opportunity to step out of the Vault and onto the televised MODUS stage.

Monday, August 17, 2026

Vault 18 Regional Finals: Wales Shows the Depth, but the South West Has Plenty of Firepower

 


Vault 18 came to an end on 16 August, bringing seven weeks of qualification to a close and setting up the next stage: the Regional Finals.

For the players who have made it through, the rewards are significant. There is serious prize money available, but perhaps even more importantly, an opportunity to progress towards the MODUS Super Series and the exposure that comes with playing live on Pluto TV.

That can open doors well beyond one weekend.

For this first look at the Regional Finals, I am concentrating mainly on the two areas I have covered most closely throughout Vault 18: the South West and Wales.

I am not making outright predictions yet. That will come closer to the Regional Finals themselves.

Instead, I wanted to answer a different set of questions.

How strong were the Vault events in each region? Which venues consistently produced the toughest fields? How do the final Top 32s compare? And does the regional table necessarily tell us who the most dangerous players actually are?

The results are fascinating.


Wales Has the Deeper Top 32

The clearest finding comes from comparing the actual Vault averages of the 32 qualifiers in each region.

At the very top, there is virtually nothing between them.

The five strongest averages in the South West produce a combined figure of 83.32, while the equivalent five in Wales come out at 83.48.

That is effectively level.

Move further down the field, however, and Wales begins to pull away.

Field depthSouth WestWales
Best 5 average83.3283.48
Best 1080.7582.70
Best 1678.8481.49
Best 2077.8280.69
Full Top 3274.5578.26

The contrast becomes even clearer when looking at the number of players reaching certain standards.

The South West has four players averaging 80 or more.

Wales has 11.

The South West has 15 players averaging at least 75.

Wales has 26.

So the story is not that Wales necessarily possesses a far stronger group of favourites.

It is that the Welsh field appears to lose much less quality as you travel through the draw.

That could make the Welsh Regional Final particularly unforgiving.


Henry Cooper Sets the Standard in the South West

If Wales wins the depth argument, the highest individual average across the two fields belongs to the South West.

Henry Cooper leads the South West rankings with a superb 87.22 average.

He finished on the maximum 320 points despite competing in only 12 events, making his qualification particularly impressive.

And he isn't alone at the top.

Gareth Griffiths sits seventh in the regional table but averaged 85.59.

Josh McCarthy is sixth at 81.66.

Robbie Martin, despite being only the 14th seed, averaged 82.40.

That latter number is particularly interesting when cross-referenced with the wider Q4QS database.

Martin is one of the strongest South West qualifiers in the wider data and arrives with a 10-0 recent record, including consecutive Vault 18 titles.

That immediately shows why simply following the regional seedings could be dangerous.


The South West Players Whose Seeds Could Be Misleading

The wider Q4QS data throws up several players who look considerably stronger than their Vault position might initially suggest.

Gareth Griffiths ranks extremely highly in the wider Vault-filtered Q4QS data despite qualifying seventh.

Robbie Martin is 14th.

Zach Quinn, with a 78.32 Vault average, qualified only 22nd.

Then comes perhaps the most eye-catching example.

Declan Cox qualified 32nd.

Last place in the Regional Final field.

Yet Cox has already demonstrated that his ceiling is considerably higher than that seed suggests. At North Star Club in Calne he produced a 103.66 average, while Josh McCarthy hit 100.20 at the same event. Cox went on to win the tournament.

That is not the profile of somebody you would necessarily want as the bottom seed in your section of the draw.

The South West may not have the same depth of 80-plus averages as Wales, but it contains plenty of players capable of producing very high-level darts on the right day.


Wales: Danger Almost Everywhere

The Welsh field looks different.

The eye-catching feature is not just the top of the rankings.

It is how many strong players appear deep into the 32.

The first 12 qualifiers all finished on 320 points, but even that does not tell the full story.

Some of the strongest statistical players are much further down.

Llew Bevan is only the 26th seed but averaged 84.39 — the highest average in the entire Welsh Top 32.

Keenan Thomas is 29th with an 81.38 average.

Luke Newport is 17th at 81.59.

Ryan Davies is 20th at 79.98.

Gavin Sterio is 27th at 79.46.

That is extraordinary depth.

It means drawing somebody ranked in the twenties in Wales offers no guarantee whatsoever of getting an easier match.


Connor Hopkins Leads the Wider Q4QS Picture

Cross-referencing the Welsh qualifiers with the larger Vault 18 database produces another significant name.

Connor Hopkins ranks second across the entire Vault-filtered Q4QS player pool.

He qualified fifth in Wales.

That demonstrates just how little the regional seed alone tells us about underlying playing standard.

And we already have evidence of his ceiling.

At Wattsville National Club, Hopkins produced averages of 98.92 and 95.94, while Stephen Cake hit 100.20 and 95.94 at the same event.

Cake eventually finished top of the Welsh Regional rankings.

Alec Small, another of the Welsh 320-point qualifiers, also appeared prominently in that same event and later won at Tredegar, where he produced a 92.02 average.

So the Welsh depth isn't merely the product of accumulated averages.

There have been plenty of high-level performances behind those numbers.


Points Do Not Tell the Whole Story

This is another important part of the Vault 18 picture.

Players competed in very different numbers of events.

That means points partly reflect performance, but they also reflect opportunity and volume.

Take the South West.

Henry Cooper reached 320 points from just 12 events.

Gareth Griffiths earned 212 from only eight.

Jamie Kay reached 208 from nine.

Compare that with some players who competed in more than 20 tournaments.

Wales provides an even more extreme example.

Alex Williams reached 320 points from only 11 events.

Stephen Cake also scored 320 but competed in 26.

Timothy Jones required 28 events to reach the same total.

None of this makes one player automatically better than another.

But it does highlight why points, averages and underlying Q4QS strength should all be considered together rather than treating the regional standings as a simple power ranking.


Which Region Had the Strongest Vault Events?

The tournament-strength export produces one of the more surprising findings.

I use a calculated Tournament Strength score in the Q4QS database. It is important to stress that this is not simply an average. Player strength and the quality of the field contribute to the calculation.

Looking across the Vault 18 series, Wales and the South West were actually much closer than the Regional Final averages might suggest.

Across the events I could confidently classify, the average Tournament Strength multiplier was approximately:

Wales — 1.085

South West — 1.081

That is almost nothing between them.

The median figures are similarly close.

So this isn't a case of Wales simply having much stronger Vault tournaments throughout the seven-week series.

The everyday playing environments in the two regions were broadly comparable.

The bigger difference appears when we get to which players accumulated enough points to form the final 32.

That is a much more interesting conclusion.


Lindsay Constitutional Club Leads the Way in Wales

When the venues are separated out, one stands above the rest.

Lindsay Constitutional Club, Cefn Hengoed

Across seven recorded Vault 18 events, Lindsay produced an average Tournament Strength multiplier of approximately 1.254.

Its strongest individual event reached 1.350, comfortably the highest figure I found across the South West and Welsh comparison.

The average Top-20 figure across its events was also around 67.82.

And the results data supports that strength.

Stephen Cake won there during Vault 18, producing 91.69 and 90.73 performances on the night.

Behind Lindsay, some of the other strongest recurring Welsh venues included:

Cardiff County Conservative Club

Brynmawr Social Club

PILCS Sports & Social Club

Mile End Inn, Swansea

Brynmawr is particularly noteworthy because it produced 14 recorded Vault events while still maintaining a strong overall field level.

That suggests sustained depth rather than one unusually strong tournament.


Sartan Leads a Strong South West Group

The strongest recurring South West venue was:

Sartan Club, Bishopsworth

Across eight events, Sartan produced an average Tournament Strength multiplier of approximately 1.235, with a best event of 1.305.

That makes it the South West benchmark for Vault 18.

Behind it came:

North Star Club, Calne

Elmore Football Club, Tiverton

Yeovil Labour Club

Indian Queens WMC, Cornwall

with Magpies Social Club, Stonehouse and Saintbridge Sports Club, Gloucester very close behind.

Again, this is useful context.

The South West doesn't rely on one strong pocket of darts.

There are competitive fields spread across Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Gloucestershire.

At Indian Queens, for example, Gareth Griffiths and Neil Meneer met in a Vault final after both producing 96.97 averages during the event. Griffiths also hit 91.84 in the final.


South West v Wales: What Have We Actually Learned?

There are three different comparisons here.

And they don't all produce exactly the same answer.

At the very top of the Regional Finals

Almost nothing separates the regions.

South West even possesses the highest individual average through Henry Cooper.

Across the full Top 32

Wales looks significantly deeper.

The Welsh field contains far more 80-plus players and very few qualifiers whose averages drop much below the mid-70s.

Across the Vault tournaments themselves

The regions were surprisingly similar in overall tournament strength.

Wales has the strongest individual venue in Lindsay Constitutional Club and a slightly higher average strength figure, but the difference across all events is relatively small.

That leads me to perhaps the most interesting conclusion of all.

The strength difference in the Regional Finals isn't necessarily because Wales had vastly harder Vault events.

It appears to be more about the depth of players who successfully emerged from them.


Some Seeds May Mean Almost Nothing

This is perhaps the thing I'll be watching most closely once the actual Regional Finals begin.

There are players buried deep in both rankings whose underlying numbers look far stronger than their seed.

In the South West:

Robbie Martin — #14

Zach Quinn — #22

Joe Bagguley — #27

Logan Symons Jr — #30

Declan Cox — #32

And in Wales:

Luke Newport — #17

Llew Bevan — #26

Gavin Sterio — #27

Keenan Thomas — #29

Dean Reynolds — #30

A draw involving some of those players could look favourable on paper while being anything but.


What Comes Next?

For now, I'm stopping short of predicting winners.

That will come closer to the Regional Finals themselves, when I'll look at the actual draws, recent form and the strongest routes through each field.

That is where the likes of Cooper, Griffiths, Hopkins, Cake, Bevan, Martin and others can be assessed properly as potential winners rather than simply interesting statistical profiles.

But one thing is already clear.

The jump from a local Vault night to the Regional Finals represents a significant opportunity.

There is prize money to be won, but beyond that lies the prospect of appearing in the MODUS Super Series, playing in front of a much larger audience and potentially opening doors that simply aren't available on an ordinary local darts night.

For 64 players across the South West and Wales, the seven weeks of Vault 18 have got them this far.

Now the serious part begins.

Friday, July 24, 2026

Yesterday's Grassroots Darts Round-Up – 23 July 2026

 Thursday is always one of the busiest nights of the week on the grassroots circuit, and yesterday was no exception. I added 42 tournaments to the Q4QS database, with hundreds of players competing across England and Wales in Vault 18 events, local leagues, round robins and junior competitions.

The evening produced some outstanding performances, with several players breaking the 100-average barrier and plenty of familiar names continuing their excellent recent form.

Robbie Long Continues His Incredible Run

One of the standout stories came at Hangar61, where Robbie Long defeated Cori Wiltshire 3-2 in a closely fought final.

Robbie's recent form has been exceptional and another tournament victory continues an impressive winning streak. Although Ashton Brown recorded the highest average of the night at the venue with 105.68, Robbie produced two 96+ averages on his way to lifting the trophy, showing both scoring power and consistency.

Andy Steed Claims Plymouth Honours

At Vault 18.0 @ Legends Lounge, Plymouth, Andy Steed enjoyed another excellent evening, defeating Finlay Cleave 3-0 in the final.

Steed also produced the highest average of the tournament at 91.09, underlining why he continues to be one of the strongest performers in the South West.

Robbie Martin Stars In Yeovil

The performance of the night in the South West arguably belonged to Robbie Martin, who won the Vault 18.0 event at Yeovil Labour Club.

Martin defeated Mike Harper in the final and produced a superb 111.33 average, one of the highest recorded anywhere in the country during Thursday's action.

Henry Cooper Hits A Huge Average

The highest average recorded across all competitions came from Henry Cooper, whose incredible 115.62 average helped him win the Vault 18.0 event at The Kings Arms, Wallisdown.

It's a performance that will certainly catch plenty of attention and demonstrates the quality regularly being produced on the grassroots circuit.

Other Notable Winners

Elsewhere there were victories for:

  • Johnny Haines at Farnborough.
  • Jamie Kelling at Andover.
  • Jack Seymour at Locks Heath.
  • Lee McNulty at Fareham.
  • Pete Hughes at Worcester.
  • Keith Selby and Brandon Appleby in the two Crawley Green events.
  • Shane Turner at Bradmoor Farm.
  • Bryan Flew at Brynmawr.
  • Sion Thomas at Llanelli.
  • Dean Reynolds at Cardiff.
  • Craig Gaynor at Faringdon.

Standout Performances

A number of players produced outstanding individual averages during the evening.

  • Henry Cooper115.62
  • Joseph James Blunt Quiney111.33
  • Robbie Martin111.33
  • Lloyd Walker107.36
  • Ashton Brown105.68
  • Stuart Dutton104.86
  • James Richardson104.42
  • Sion Thomas103.66
  • Joey Cole103.66

Looking Ahead

With another busy weekend of darts just around the corner, there will be plenty more opportunities for players to climb the Q4QS rankings.

As always, congratulations to everyone who picked up titles, reached finals or produced personal best performances,

Friday, July 17, 2026

Yesterday's Results Round-Up – Thursday 16 July 2026

 


Thursday night was another busy one for the grassroots game, with 46 tournaments added to the Q4QS database. Across the South West there were plenty of familiar names collecting titles, while several players produced outstanding performances on another action-packed evening.

Josh McCarthy Continues His Winning Form

One of the standout stories came at The Carlton Club, Stroud, where Josh McCarthy added yet another Vault 18 title to his growing collection.

Josh defeated Paul Meyer in a closely fought final and once again showed why he remains one of the form players in the region. Averaging over 91 in the final, he continued the consistency that has made him one of the toughest opponents on the South West circuit.

Andy Steed Back on Top

At the rearranged Vault 18 at Stalbridge RBL, Andy Steed claimed another title after defeating Callum Harrison in the final.

Andy produced a superb 92.02 average during the evening and once again demonstrated the quality that has kept him among the leading performers in the Q4QS rankings throughout 2026.

Henry Cooper Triumphs in Yeovil

The Yeovil Labour Club hosted another competitive Vault 18, with Henry Cooper lifting the trophy after overcoming Steve Donohue.

Henry impressed throughout the evening, producing multiple 90+ averages and finishing strongly to secure another excellent title.

Robbie Long Returns to Winning Ways

The weekly Hangar 61 Thursday Night Round Robin once again delivered a highly competitive field.

Robbie Long defeated Martyn Freeman in the final after both players enjoyed excellent evenings. Martyn recorded the night's highest average at 93.94, while Robbie responded with an 88.06 average in the final to seal the title.

Miles O'Toole and Mark Jennings also enjoyed strong runs to the latter stages.

Jamie Shovelton Wins at DartAsylum

Another quality field assembled for the Thursday Night Round Robin at DartAsylum HQ.

Jamie Shovelton emerged victorious after beating Ashton Brown in the final. Although Ashton narrowly missed out on the title, he produced some of the best darts of the evening, recording three averages above 91 during another impressive run.

Morgan Fowler Keeps Momentum Going

Morgan Fowler continued his recent excellent form by winning the Purton Red House Under 70 Round Robin.

His victory over Dillon Moran in the final was built on another consistent night's scoring, while Dave Legg posted the event's highest average with an impressive 91.09.

Performance of the Day

There were several outstanding performances across Thursday's tournaments, but Andy Steed, Josh McCarthy and Henry Cooper all continued their excellent recent form with another title.

Martyn Freeman's 93.94 average at Hangar 61 and Ashton Brown's scoring display at DartAsylum also deserve special mention despite both falling just short in their respective finals.

Congratulations to all of Thursday night's winners, and good luck to everyone back on the oche over the weekend.

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Yesterday's Results Round-Up – Tuesday 14 July 2026

 


Tuesday brought another packed evening of grassroots darts, with more than 40 tournaments added to the Q4QS database. Across the South West there were plenty of familiar names lifting trophies, some standout averages and another night of quality competition.

Neil Meneer Continues Winning Ways

Neil Meneer was back in the winner's enclosure at Vault 18.0 at Indian Queens WMC & Institute.

Neil defeated Jason Truscott in the final and produced one of the performances of the evening with a superb 102.48 average. It is another excellent result for one of the South West's most consistent performers, who continues to collect titles throughout 2026.

Darren Davies Wins in Portishead

A competitive field gathered for the Last Minute Open in Portishead, where Darren Davies claimed the title with a convincing victory over Luke Harding in the final.

Darren also recorded the highest average of the night at 91.09, while Steve Boundy and Luke Harding both impressed during strong runs to the latter stages.

Richie Hunt Claims Tuesday Night Title

The Tuesday Night Sub-70 Average Round Robin produced another entertaining evening.

Richie Hunt edged out Liam Moore in a close 3-2 final, while Liam produced the highest average of the event at 81.20. Dan Cornes, Teddy Sheppard and Collis Palmer were also among the players enjoying productive evenings.

Chard Delivers More Quality

At Vault 18.0 in Chard, Daren Field lifted the trophy after defeating Kieran Spurdle in the final.

Although he narrowly missed out on the title, Darren Herbert produced several excellent performances, including a 92.02 average, while Leighton Cox also impressed with a best of 96.97 during the evening.

Luke Reed Triumphs in Tiverton

The Tiverton Vault saw Luke Reed emerge victorious after overcoming Martin Walker in the final.

David Yeaman, James Head, Neil Ridd and Andy Steed were all among the players enjoying strong evenings as another competitive Devon event was added to the books.

Henry Cooper Wins Rearranged Event

The rearranged Kings Arms Vault saw Henry Cooper produce a dominant display, defeating Tommy Brooks in the final.

Henry fired two 93.94 averages during his successful run and rounded off an impressive night's work with eight match victories.

Charlie Mossman Leads the Next Generation

The JDC circuit continued to showcase some exciting young talent.

Charlie Mossman claimed victory in Minehead after edging Kyle Chivers in a close final, while another busy evening of junior darts highlighted the strength of the next generation across the region.

Performance of the Day

While there were several outstanding displays across the country, Neil Meneer's brilliant 102.48 average and another tournament victory stands out from a South West perspective. Darren Davies, Richie Hunt, Henry Cooper and Daren Field also enjoyed memorable evenings as another busy night of grassroots darts came to a close.

Congratulations to all Tuesday night's winners, and good luck to everyone back on the oche over the coming days.

Friday, July 10, 2026

South West Results Round-Up – Robbie Long, Josh McCarthy and Liam Blakeley Among Thursday's Winners

 


Thursday produced another excellent evening of grassroots darts across the South West, with ADC Vault 18 events and Opens delivering plenty of quality performances, big averages and several familiar names lifting titles.

From Patchway and Stroud to Yeovil, Plymouth, Faringdon and Bournemouth, another busy night saw players battling for valuable Vault ranking points as the summer season gathered momentum.

Robbie Long Produces Huge Performance At Hangar61

One of the standout performances of the night came at Hangar61, Patchway, where Robbie Long claimed the Thursday Night Round Robin title.

Long defeated Lewis Kendall 3-1 in the final, producing a magnificent 107.36 average against Jacob Godber earlier in the evening before following it up with another outstanding 98.02 average against recent Hangar61 champion John Brown.

Lewis Kendall continued his impressive recent run by reaching another final, while Matt Jackson and Chris Williams were also among the players making deep runs.

Josh McCarthy Wins Strong Stroud Vault

A competitive field assembled at The Carlton Club, Stroud, where Josh McCarthy edged Cori Wiltshire 3-2 in an excellent final.

McCarthy produced one of the performances of the evening with a superb 105.86 average, while Cori Wiltshire continued his excellent recent form with averages of 95.49 and 89.25. Lee Andrews also featured among the leading performers in another high-quality Gloucestershire event.

Liam Blakeley Stuns Henry Cooper

At Yeovil Labour Club, Liam Blakeley produced arguably the performance of the South West evening.

Blakeley defeated the in-form Henry Cooper 3-0 in the final, firing a brilliant 107.36 average. Cooper still impressed with averages of 94.57 and 90.93, while Matt Yarrow also topped the century mark with 102.48 earlier in the competition.

Ricky King Continues His Fine Form

Another familiar winner emerged at The Kings Arms, Wallisdown, where Ricky King defeated Jayden Walker 3-1 in the final.

Walker posted the event's highest average of 96.04, but King's consistency across the evening earned him another impressive Vault title.

Scott Lawrey Claims Plymouth Success

The Legends Lounge in Plymouth hosted another competitive Vault event.

Scott Lawrey edged Sean Taylor 3-2 in the final after both players enjoyed excellent evenings, while Darren Pearce and Aiden Stenson also featured among the strongest performers.

Sam Jackson Wins At Faringdon

At Faringdon Football Club, Sam Jackson lifted the title after defeating Mac Goves 3-1 in the final.

Gary Court once again demonstrated his scoring power with the highest average of the evening at 93.94, but Jackson proved the most consistent performer over the course of the tournament.

Other South West Highlights

  • Jamie Shovelton won the Thursday Night Round Robin at DartAsylum HQ.
  • Chris Clark claimed victory at Highridge United FC in Bristol.
  • Dave Legg won the Deers Leap Under-70 event.
  • Evesham's Night Two produced another excellent standard, with Joe Quiney leading the averages on 88.41 despite no overall winner being identified in the available results.

South West Winners

🏆 Robbie Long – Hangar61, Patchway

🏆 Josh McCarthy – Stroud

🏆 Liam Blakeley – Yeovil

🏆 Ricky King – Wallisdown

🏆 Scott Lawrey – Plymouth

🏆 Sam Jackson – Faringdon

🏆 Jamie Shovelton – DartAsylum HQ

🏆 Chris Clark – Bristol

🏆 Dave Legg – Deers Leap

🔥 Performance of the Day: Robbie Long – 107.36 average and victory at Hangar61.

Another excellent night of grassroots darts showed once again the strength of the South West scene, with several players producing outstanding performances as the race for Vault ranking points continues.

Welcome to Questforqschool.com

Quest For Q School Has a New Facebook Group

  I've launched a new Quest For Q School Facebook group as another way of following what I'm doing with Q4QS. The idea isn't to...