Tuesday was another busy day for grassroots darts, with 60 tournaments added to the Q4QS Database, and there was a particularly interesting mixture of established players, improving juniors and some excellent individual performances.
Paul Rowley produced the highest recorded average of the day with a 111.33, while Connor Hopkins wasn't far behind on 106.64.
But perhaps one of the most impressive stories came from the Junior Volts competition in Gillingham, where Jack Johnson produced four averages above 90, including a 104.86 in the final.
Elsewhere, Cori Wiltshire won at Hangar61, Johnny Haines enjoyed an excellent evening at Faringdon Town Football Club, and there were strong performances at Chinnor Pavilion, the Cue Club and several competitions across Wales.
And with so many junior tournaments taking place, there was plenty to look at beyond the usual open competitions.
Paul Rowley tops Tuesday's averages
The highest individual average recorded on Tuesday came from Paul Rowley, who produced 111.33 against Shaz Shepherd in a Tuesday night pre-round-robin competition.
It wasn't his only good performance either.
Rowley also recorded two averages of 96.97, against Alyssya Petty and Jack Fisher, along with 94.62 against Jack Harrison.
Four averages above 94 in one competition is a pretty decent evening by anyone's standards.
However, the tournament itself went to Daniel Astbury, who defeated Jake B-Smith 3–2 in the final.
B-Smith finished with eight victories, while Astbury and Rowley each recorded seven.
It's another example of why I like looking at both the averages and the tournament results. Rowley produced the biggest numbers, but Astbury was the player who came through to win it.
Jack Johnson produces a superb Junior Volts performance
For me, one of Tuesday's most impressive performances came from Jack Johnson at the Rock Avenue Club in Gillingham.
Johnson won the Junior Volts competition, defeating Drake Porter 3–0 in the final, and recorded a 104.86 average in that deciding match.
His other leading averages were:
- 98.02 against Freddie Greenwood
- 91.09 against Charlie Smith
- 90.18 against Cooper Harvey
That's four averages above 90, including a three-figure performance in the final.
Johnson finished with six victories, while Porter recorded five.
We talk quite a lot about the standard of junior darts nowadays, and performances like this explain why. A 104 average in a final is impressive at any level, never mind in a junior competition.
Cori Wiltshire wins at Hangar61
At the Super League gap-night round robin at Hangar61, Cori Wiltshire defeated Robbie Long 3–2 in the final.
Both players finished with seven victories, while Chris Hartrey and Louis Hamblin recorded six each.
Hartrey produced the highest average of the competition, 100.20 against Owen Smith, and also recorded 91.09 against Julia Archer.
Robbie Long was another player in good form, averaging 93.94 against Hartrey and recording two further averages of 91.09.
So although Wiltshire took the title, there were several players producing good darts throughout the evening.
Johnny Haines wins at Faringdon
Johnny Haines was another player who combined high averages with a tournament victory.
At Faringdon Town Football Club, Haines defeated Tony Clark 3–2 in the final of the Money In Money Out competition.
He finished with nine victories, the most of anyone in the event.
His leading performances included 103.66 against Chris Sumner, 95.94 against Dave Legg and 88.18 against Woody Wheeler.
Clark finished with eight victories, while Dave Legg recorded seven.
With 75 matches recorded, this was a substantial evening of darts, and Haines deserves credit for maintaining his form through to the final.
Alex Ward wins at Chinnor Pavilion
At Aylesbury Darts Events, Alex Ward won Chinnor Pavilion Vault Break #1, defeating Sean Holley 3–0 in the final.
Ward finished with eight victories and produced averages of 102.48 against Holley and 100.20 against Mark Kerry.
Holley also had an excellent evening, recording 103.66 against Clayton Ford and 100.20 against Harry Campin.
That's four three-figure averages between the two finalists.
Ward ultimately came out on top, but both players produced performances worth mentioning.
Ben Flanagan-McClelland doubles up on 100-plus averages
At the Cue Club Tuesday Open Round Robin, Ben Flanagan-McClelland defeated Sam Sneath 3–2 in the final.
He recorded seven victories and produced two particularly impressive averages: 103.66 against Oliver Kott and 100.20 against Kieran White.
Kris Preval also recorded a 92.36, while Sneath reached the final with four victories.
Again, a good example of a tournament winner producing some of the strongest averages of the evening.
Tyler Garrett impresses in Newport
There was another excellent performance in Wales, where Tyler Garrett won the Calstep Darts Wales Newport Academy Series.
Garrett defeated Cody Vodden 2–0 in the final and finished with six victories.
He recorded 100.20 in the final, 91.09 against Alfie O'Brien and 85.89 in another meeting with Vodden.
Garrett also appears in the Junior Volts results at Out Out Bar, Newport, where the uploaded report lists him as the winner against Rico Anderson.
That competition is labelled Wednesday in the export, despite appearing in Tuesday's reporting batch, so I would treat it as an additional recorded result rather than assume both events took place on Tuesday.
Joe Bagguley puts together five strong averages
One performance that deserves more attention came from Joe Bagguley at Widden Rugby Club.
Bagguley won the In-between Vault Round Robin, defeating Rich Griffee 3–1 in the final and recording nine victories.
What stands out is his collection of leading averages:
| Average | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 93.94 | Matt Amor |
| 93.94 | Hayden Wood |
| 91.09 | Josh Finn |
| 91.09 | Lee Andrews |
| 88.41 | Todd Marfell |
There might not be a three-figure average among those five, but there is something to be said for repeatedly performing around the 90 mark.
That sort of consistency is often more valuable in a tournament than producing one outstanding leg or match and then struggling to repeat it.
More strong performances around the country
At Champs Pool & Darts Bar, Marshall James won the Money In Money Out competition, defeating Mike Huntley 4–0 in the final.
James recorded eight victories and averaged 95.43 in the final, while Louis Melville produced the competition's highest average of 103.66.
At Lindsay Constitutional Club, Stephen Cake won the ADC ranking event, defeating Ryan Davies 3–0. Connor Hopkins recorded 106.64, the second-highest individual average in Tuesday's reporting batch.
At Parr Conservative Club, Sam Cromwell collected nine victories and defeated Stu Friar 3–0 in the final. Chris Chisnall produced a 100.20 and a 93.94.
At Shelley Lock-up Week 7, Rob Metcalfe won the competition with eight victories, while Matt Macintosh recorded a 100.20.
Other notable winners included Lloyd Walker at Fareham Social Club, Harry Rice at JJ's Tuesday Pre-Vault, Adam Fryer at the Hopetown Vault Break, Matt Kershaw at St John's Club and Jayden Scadden at the Railway Inn.
There really was quite a lot going on for a Tuesday.
Junior darts: another busy evening
There were 13 Junior Volts competitions in the reporting batch, covering venues from Gillingham and Yate to Sheffield, Cannock, Preston and Wales.
Jack Johnson's performance was the obvious headline, but there were plenty of other junior winners to recognise.
| Venue | Winner | Final result |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows, Resolven | Carter Miles | 3–2 v Cody Hughes |
| Bar 1895, Oldham | Tom Kindon | 3–2 v Luke Kenworthy |
| Chaukees, Ellesmere Port | Tom Phillips | 3–1 v Charlie Thomason |
| Heath Hayes, Cannock | Joel Walton | 3–2 v Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris |
| Maxi Lounge, Yate | Jacob Godber | 3–1 v Zak Read |
| Out Out Bar, Newport* | Tyler Garrett | 3–2 v Rico Anderson |
| Red Rose Bowl, Preston | Tom Partington | 3–2 v Gabriel Harrop |
| Sheffield Junior Darts Academy | Connor King | 3–2 v Rwais Barwais |
| Soccer Zone, Halesowen | Codey Exall | 3–0 v Charlie Lowin |
| Dart Den, Skegness | Finley Holmes-Harker | 3–2 v Henry Weeks |
| Rock Avenue Club, Gillingham | Jack Johnson | 3–0 v Drake Porter |
| Vectis Sports & Social Club, Isle of Wight | Wyatt Lee | 3–1 v Riley Herbert |
| Wyndham Arms, Ogmore Vale | Riley Sadd | 3–2 v Cruz Morse |
*The Out Out Bar competition is labelled Wednesday in the source export but included in the 27 October reporting batch.
There were some excellent individual averages too. Spencer Edwards recorded 91.09 at Resolven, Rhys Evans reached 88.41, Rwais Barwais hit 85.89 in Sheffield and Codey Exall produced 85.08 in Halesowen.
Jacob Godber's eight victories at Yate and Riley Sadd's eight at Ogmore Vale are also worth mentioning.
And I wouldn't overlook the Boundary Park Academy competitions at Bar 1895. Five different events were recorded, giving players at several levels an opportunity to compete. Oliver England, Charlie Campbell, Jacob Jones, Stanley Derbyshire and Oscar Monkton were the winners.
Not everyone is going to be averaging 90 or 100, and nor should that be the only measure of a worthwhile tournament. For plenty of developing players, winning matches and getting regular competitive experience is what matters.
WADC: no competitions identified in Tuesday's results
I checked the 60 competitions in the supplied results report and couldn't identify a WADC-labelled event for 27 October.
Rather than invent a result or include one from another day, I'll leave the WADC section at that. We can return to the women's competitions when they appear in the next reporting batch.
Tuesday's ten highest individual averages
These are the ten highest entries in the supplied daily report, so players can appear more than once.
| Player | Average | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Rowley | 111.33 | Tuesday Night Pre-Round Robin |
| Connor Hopkins | 106.64 | Lindsay Constitutional Club |
| Jack Johnson | 104.86 | Junior Volts, Gillingham |
| Louis Melville | 103.66 | Champs Money In Money Out |
| Sean Holley | 103.66 | Chinnor Pavilion |
| Johnny Haines | 103.66 | Faringdon Town FC |
| Ben Flanagan-McClelland | 103.66 | Cue Club Tuesday Open |
| Alex Ward | 102.48 | Chinnor Pavilion |
| Tyler Garrett | 100.20 | Calstep Newport Academy |
| Alex Ward | 100.20 | Chinnor Pavilion |
These are individual match averages rather than tournament averages.
My five standout performances
- Jack Johnson: Four averages above 90, including 104.86 in the final, and a Junior Volts title.
- Paul Rowley: The day's highest average of 111.33, plus three further performances above 94.
- Johnny Haines: Nine victories, a 103.66 and the Faringdon title.
- Alex Ward: Eight victories, two three-figure averages and victory at Chinnor Pavilion.
- Joe Bagguley: Nine victories and five leading averages between 88.41 and 93.94.
Special mentions to Tyler Garrett, Ben Flanagan-McClelland, Connor Hopkins and Cori Wiltshire.
Another 60 tournaments added to Q4QS
What I particularly enjoyed about Tuesday's results was the variety.
There were players producing three-figure averages, juniors competing at an extremely good standard, and plenty of tournaments where consistency and simply getting over the winning line were more important than one spectacular performance.
Jack Johnson probably gets my vote for the standout performance. Four averages above 90 and a 104.86 in a junior final is something worth celebrating.
But that's just my choice. There were plenty of other players who had a very good Tuesday.
The full results, rankings and player statistics are available at QuestForQSchool.