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.
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.
