Another seven days of grassroots darts has produced plenty of candidates for the Q4QS Weekly Spotlight, but this week's final three all caught my eye for very different reasons.
For Pete Hughes, it was the sheer volume of success. Four tournament victories in five days made him almost impossible to leave out. Ricky King combined three titles with some exceptional scoring, including averages north of 100. And Owen Bates saved one of the week's biggest individual performances for Saturday, coming through a large field to win the Ilfracombe Summer Open.
As always, this isn't designed simply to reproduce the week's results or pick the three highest averages. I'm looking for the players whose performances and stories genuinely stood out to me over the previous seven days.
Pete Hughes
Player Profile
There isn't much Pete Hughes hasn't experienced on the grassroots circuit, and the sheer scale of his 2026 record illustrates just how regularly he competes.
Across 818 recorded matches, Hughes has won 698, giving him an outstanding 85.3% win rate from 124 events. Even more impressively, those appearances have already produced 51 tournament victories, alongside 11 runner-up finishes and 26 semi-finals.
His overall match average sits at 78.50, while his scoring ceiling is considerably higher. His best recorded performance is a remarkable 118.66, and his top five also contain averages of 115.62, 112.73 and 111.33.
Hughes has also consistently proved capable of beating strong opposition. His database includes five recorded victories over Joe Quiney, including a 6–0 win while averaging 92.02 and another 3–0 success with a 93.94.
This Week
Even by Hughes' standards, this was some week.
It began on Monday at The Bengeworth in Evesham, where Hughes collected the title after seven victories, beating Matt Metrovich in the final. His run included two 93.94 averages.
Twenty-four hours later he did it again.
At Bretforton Sports Club, Hughes won eight matches to take another Vault 18 title and stepped the scoring up considerably. He produced 103.66, 100.78 and 98.48 during the event before defeating Dave Honey 3–0 in the final.
Thursday brought title number three at Cue Corner in Worcester. Hughes recorded seven wins, including a 91.09 average, before beating Antony Butler 3–0 in the final.
And on Friday, it was back to Bengeworth.
Victories over George Nurdin and Mitchell Leeming took him into another final, where he edged Richard Coombes 3–2 to complete an extraordinary fourth tournament victory of the week.
Four titles in five days is a remarkable return, and made Hughes one of the simplest Weekly Spotlight selections I've had to make so far.
Ricky King
Player Profile
Ricky King's database sample isn't as large as Hughes', but what he's done with it is remarkable.
King has won 65 of 72 recorded matches, an exceptional 90.3% win rate, and has already converted nine of his 12 recorded tournament appearances into victories. He also enters the end of this week with a perfect 10–0 record across his last ten matches.
His overall average is 81.35, but again the headline numbers show a much higher ceiling. King has a best recorded average of 111.33, while his five best include 107.36, 104.75, 103.66 and 96.97.
He has also demonstrated that ability away from the local Vault circuit. At the Isle of Man Festival he defeated players including Pat Scurfield, Connor Bowler and Graham Jenkins, with the Bowler victory coming alongside a 104.75 average.
This Week
King's week began with victory at Swanage RBL.
He produced 103.66 against David Elm, added a 93.94 against Jordan Cluskey and then averaged 90.18 in a 3–0 final victory over Alfie Reeves.
Then came Thursday at The Kings Arms in Wallisdown, where King went even bigger.
A 107.36 average against William Young was the standout number of another title-winning run. King won eight matches during the event before defeating Tom Crocker 3–0 in the final.
Twenty-four hours later he completed the hat-trick at Sturminster Football Club.
King defeated Christopher Roberts with a 93.94 average, averaged 93.52 against Jordan Cluskey in the semi-final and then beat Callum Harrison 3–0 to take another title.
That's three titles across the week, accompanied by 107.36, 103.66, 93.94 and 93.52 performances.
For a player already winning more than 90% of his recorded matches, this was another emphatic demonstration of just how difficult Ricky King is proving to beat.
Owen Bates
Player Profile
Owen Bates is a very different selection from the other two.
He is already competing regularly within the professional system, with his 2026 record including Players Championship, Development Tour, European Tour qualifier and other PDC appearances.
Across 185 recorded matches, Bates has won 124, giving him a 67% win rate against what is often considerably stronger opposition than the typical grassroots field. His overall match average is an excellent 87.79, rising to a Q4QS average of 88.96.
His best recorded average is 104.50 against Stephen Burton at Players Championship 5, while he has also produced 104.01 on the Development Tour and averages above 101 against Bradley Brooks and Madars Razma.
The level of his opposition is perhaps even more revealing. Bates has beaten William O'Connor, Cameron Menzies, Adam Gawlas and Beau Greaves, while his losses include matches against Chris Dobey and Kevin Doets.
This Week
Unlike Hughes and King, Bates didn't need a collection of tournament victories to catch my eye.
He needed one very good Saturday.
The Ilfracombe Summer Open contained 127 recorded matches, and Bates came through 11 matches to lift the title.
His knockout run became increasingly impressive as the tournament progressed.
Bates averaged 99.62 to beat Clint Parkhouse, 96.97 in a 4–0 quarter-final victory over Mathew Hern and 97.62 while defeating Andy Steed 4–1 in the semi-final. He then completed the job with a 5–2 victory over Nigel Gullon.
The result also extended Bates' current recorded form to ten consecutive victories.
It's a slightly different Weekly Spotlight story, but that's exactly why I've included him. A big field, 11 victories, three averages between 96 and 100 in the decisive stages and a tournament title made the Ilfracombe run one of the standout individual performances anywhere in this week's results.
