Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week
Another busy seven days of grassroots darts has produced plenty of performances worthy of attention, but this week's three selections stood out for very different reasons.
Shaun Vernall enjoyed a remarkable run of tournament success across the South West, Kieran Spurdle put together one of the most consistent weeks on the Somerset circuit, while Llew Bevan combined multiple titles with some genuinely outstanding scoring.
As always, this isn't simply a list of the week's highest averages. The idea is to highlight players whose overall performances caught my eye — whether through winning, consistency, improvement or producing something exceptional when it mattered.
Here are this week's three.
Shaun Vernall
Player Profile
Shaun Vernall's record shows just how consistently he has performed across the grassroots circuit. Across 671 recorded matches, Vernall has collected 554 victories, an excellent 82.6% win rate, while competing in more than 100 events. His record includes 30 tournament victories, another 21 runner-up finishes and 15 semi-finals.
His overall average of 77.03 is backed up by a virtually identical Q4QS average of 77.11, suggesting a player whose level remains remarkably stable across a very large sample of matches. He has also shown a much higher ceiling, with a best recorded average of 128.71 and several other performances well above the 100 mark.
Vernall has also beaten some significant opposition, including Josh McCarthy, Neil Wild, Ashton Brown and Joe Quiney, demonstrating that his success is not confined to smaller local fields.
This Week
Few players could match Shaun Vernall for sheer volume of success this week.
He won at Matson Rugby Club in Gloucester, where eight match victories took him to the Vault 18 title, and also collected another Sunday title at The Nags Head in Cinderford.
The winning continued at Evesham, where Vernall produced one of his biggest individual performances of the week — a superb 107.36 average — before another title followed at Saintbridge Sports Club in Gloucester on Friday. There he defeated Andy Hammond and Will Jackson before edging Joe Bagguley 3–2 in the final.
Vernall then reached the quarter-finals of the Doc Neale Memorial, defeating Jamie Harvey, Paul Akers and Leslie Higgs before losing 5–3 to eventual finalist Harry Williams while still averaging 84.07.
It wasn't one spectacular night that earned Vernall his place this week — it was the relentless frequency with which his name kept appearing near the top of the results.
Kieran Spurdle
Player Profile
Kieran Spurdle has compiled an impressive record across the South West circuit, winning 127 of his 167 recorded matches for a 76% win rate. His 30 events have already produced seven titles, six runner-up finishes and five semi-finals.
Spurdle's overall average currently stands at 72.56, with a Q4QS average of 73.06 and a best recorded performance of 91.09. His results also show experience beyond the local circuit, including victories over Dylan Dowling at Q School, Gary Jackson at the UKDA National Finals and Frankie Ansell on another Q School run.
Recent form is particularly strong, with nine wins from his last ten recorded matches.
This Week
Spurdle's week was a perfect example of why this feature isn't simply about picking somebody who happened to win on Saturday.
He started by taking the Vault 18 title at The Choughs Hotel in Chard, beating Daren Field 3–0 in the final with an 88.41 average.
Two days later he was back at the business end of another tournament at the Pawlett Pavilion Grand Prix. Spurdle produced a 91.09 average against Chris Tuck, followed by victories over Dan Saunders and James Harland, before eventually finishing runner-up to Craig Difford.
Then came Friday at Pegasus 68 in Taunton.
Spurdle again reached the final, beating Dave Dawson and Nigel Wills before defeating Leighton Cox 3–1 to collect another title.
So his week reads: winner, finalist, winner.
That's exactly the sort of sustained performance that deserves a Weekly Spotlight.
Llew Bevan
Player Profile
Llew Bevan's database sample is considerably smaller than the other two, but the numbers are exceptional.
Across 71 recorded matches, Bevan has won 62 for an 87.3% win rate, while already collecting five tournament victories from 15 events.
Perhaps even more striking is his scoring level. Bevan carries an 88.16 overall average and 88.32 Q4QS average, with his last ten matches averaging 90.56. His best recorded performance now stands at a huge 115.62.
His results against quality opposition add further context. Bevan has recorded victories over Lewis Pride, Graham Usher, Danny Trueman and Archie Self, while also competing at Q School and on the Challenge Tour.
This Week
Bevan began his week by winning the Vault 18 event at Glanyrafon Arms in Llandysul.
His run included averages of 91.09, 104.86 and 95.94, with the latter coming in a convincing 3–0 final victory over Sion Thomas.
He followed that with another title at Towy Sports Bar in Carmarthen, beating Gareth Earles and Kelvin O'Keefe before completing the tournament with a 3–0 final victory.
But Saturday provided the week's headline performance.
At Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli, Bevan produced a stunning 115.62 average against Finlay Andrews. He later added 91.09 against Ceri Cook, 100.20 against Adrian Davies and 98.02 against Oscar Bourne, before defeating Justin Hughes 3–0 in the final.
Three titles would have been enough to make Bevan a serious contender for this feature.
Three titles accompanied by 104, 100 and 115 averages make his selection virtually unavoidable.
Special Mention – Winmau Tour Championship Weekend (Saturday)
The Weekly Spotlight selections have deliberately been kept separate from the ADC and WADC Winmau Tour Championship weekend at Bradmoor Farm, simply because those major events could easily dominate the feature on their own.
There were plenty of performances deserving recognition, including Ashley Coleman winning ADC Event 10 after eight victories and Gemma Hayter taking WADC Event 5, beating Vicky Pruim 5–4 in the final and producing a 95.43 average during her run.
