245 partnerships, nearly 500 players and plenty of potential contenders. But which teams look strongest when we examine the numbers?
With the National Finals Doubles approaching, I've been having a look through the provisional entry list and comparing it against the Q4QS database.
At the time of writing, there are 245 partnerships entered, with the possibility of a few late additions. That's a substantial field, and one which should produce some fascinating matches.
Rather than simply pick out the familiar names, I wanted to see which partnerships stood out statistically.
There is, of course, one rather important consideration.
Doubles is a different game.
Two outstanding singles players don't necessarily make an outstanding doubles partnership. Players need to complement one another, cope with the different rhythm of throwing every other visit, and perhaps most importantly, trust their partner.
None of that can easily be measured using singles statistics.
What I can do, however, is examine the individual records of both players and establish which partnerships look particularly strong on paper.
And the results are quite interesting.
The Statistical Favourites
Of the 245 partnerships, I was able to match both players reliably to the Q4QS database in 207 cases.
For the main rankings, I've concentrated on the 139 partnerships where both players have competed in at least six recorded tournaments. That gives us a more meaningful comparison and avoids putting too much emphasis on players who have only appeared once or twice.
The leading ten partnerships, based on their combined Q4QS ratings, are:
| Pos | Partnership | Combined Q4QS rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham Usher / Sam Spivey | 647.59 |
| 2 | Darren Brown / Jack Main | 612.26 |
| 3 | Sean McKeon / Dylan Slevin | 607.26 |
| 4 | Mike Huntley / Archie Self | 605.51 |
| 5 | Daryl Hunt / Joe Hunt | 601.93 |
| 6 | Carl Wilson / Jack Johnson | 600.02 |
| 7 | Harrison Leigh / Joseph Heywood | 591.84 |
| 8 | Jamie Kelling / Chas Barstow | 587.95 |
| 9 | Stuart Dutton / Danny Lauby | 585.25 |
| 10 | Kevin Edwards / Michael Wiles | 581.05 |
Combined rating is the mean of the two individual Q4QS ratings, rather than an official doubles ranking.
There are some familiar names in there, but perhaps the most interesting thing is the difference in how the partnerships arrive at their positions.
Usher and Spivey Set the Standard
On the figures available, Graham Usher and Sam Spivey are the strongest partnership in the competition.
Usher has a recorded average of 85.35, while Spivey is remarkably close at 85.02.
Their combined figure of 85.19 is the highest of the partnerships with sufficient tournament history.
Usher also arrives in excellent form, winning nine of his last ten recorded matches. His recent British Open & Classic success, where he averaged 86.00 across the event, is further evidence of his quality.
Spivey's recent results are less impressive, with four wins in his last ten, but his overall scoring figures remain strong.
If both reproduce their usual standard, they should be extremely difficult opponents.
Could Brown and Main Be the Most Balanced Pair?
Darren Brown and Jack Main sit second in the combined Q4QS ratings, but another figure caught my attention.
Brown's recorded average is 82.84.
Main's is 82.88.
Just 0.04 separates them.
Of course, virtually identical averages don't guarantee a successful partnership. But it does suggest two players capable of contributing at almost exactly the same scoring level.
Main has won nine of his last ten recorded matches, while Brown has won seven.
There is also plenty of recent tournament success between them.
They look like a very solid pairing, and one that wouldn't surprise me at all if they went deep into the competition.
Huntley and Self: Two Players in Form
Mike Huntley and Archie Self are fourth in the combined ratings, but they might be one of the most interesting partnerships in the field.
Self has been producing some outstanding results.
His recorded average is 86.17, and he has won all ten of his most recent database matches.
He also won an England Masters & Classic event with a 92.49 tournament average.
Huntley, meanwhile, has an average of 82.25 and has won nine of his last ten matches.
Between them, that's 19 victories from their last 20 recorded matches.
Both also have substantial tournament histories in the database, with more than 100 events apiece.
If we're looking for a partnership arriving with a combination of experience, scoring power and current form, they certainly qualify.
Wilson and Johnson: Another Serious Threat
Carl Wilson and Jack Johnson are sixth in the combined Q4QS ratings, but second when ranking partnerships purely by their combined scoring averages.
Wilson averages 86.50 and Johnson 82.98, giving them a combined figure of 84.74.
Those numbers are impressive enough, but their recent form makes them even more interesting.
Wilson has won his last ten recorded matches, with Johnson winning eight of his last ten.
Wilson's recent Rusthall Club victory included a tournament average of 90.06, while Johnson has also produced tournament-winning performances above 90.
There is plenty of evidence that both are capable of performing at a high level.
They are certainly among the teams I'd be watching closely.
The Most Balanced High-Scoring Partnerships
One question I wanted to explore was whether having two similarly strong players might be more valuable than having one outstanding player alongside somebody averaging considerably less.
We cannot answer that definitively using singles data, but we can identify the partnerships with the smallest differences in scoring averages.
Among the stronger partnerships, these caught my eye:
| Partnership | Player averages | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Brown / Main | 82.84 / 82.88 | 0.04 |
| Edwards / Wiles | 84.39 / 84.19 | 0.20 |
| Usher / Spivey | 85.35 / 85.02 | 0.33 |
| Evans / Hall | 84.05 / 84.83 | 0.78 |
| Kay / Meneer | 83.25 / 82.18 | 1.07 |
Kevin Edwards and Michael Wiles are particularly interesting.
Their averages are almost identical, and both have won nine of their last ten recorded matches.
Lee Evans and Graham Hall also have an impressive combined scoring record, supported by considerable tournament experience.
These partnerships might not necessarily attract the most attention, but statistically there is very little weakness in either player's scoring figures.
What About the Partnerships With One Outstanding Player?
There is another side to the argument.
A player capable of producing exceptionally high averages might be able to transform a partnership, even if the other player's usual scoring level is lower.
Daryl Hunt and Joe Hunt are an interesting example.
Joe has a recorded average of 89.02, one of the strongest individual figures in the field. His recent Challenge Tour results include an event victory with a 95.71 average.
Daryl averages 75.25, leaving a considerable difference between the two players.
That doesn't necessarily make them a weaker doubles partnership. It simply means that their individual scoring records are quite different.
Sean McKeon and Dylan Slevin provide another example.
Slevin averages 85.98 and has recent Development Tour semi-final experience. McKeon's recorded average is 75.34.
Could the higher-scoring player make enough of an impact to carry the team through difficult matches?
Or would a partnership containing two consistently strong scorers have the advantage?
That's one of the questions I'll be interested in seeing answered on the day.
The Dangerous Outsiders
Looking beyond the leading ten, several partnerships deserve attention.
Jamie Kay and Neil Meneer
Their averages of 83.25 and 82.18 place them among the stronger scoring combinations in the field. Both have won seven of their last ten recorded matches, suggesting a reasonable level of consistency.
James Richardson and Steve Haggerty
Richardson averages 80.35 and Haggerty 85.00. More interestingly, their combined recent record is 19 wins from their last 20 recorded matches.
They sit outside the leading ten by combined Q4QS rating, but their scoring and form suggest they could be underestimated.
Henry Cooper and Ricky King
Another pairing with strong overall scoring figures, averaging 83.26 and 81.97 respectively.
Between them, they have won 19 of their last 20 recorded matches.
Curtis Hammond and Brett Claydon
Hammond averages 80.67 and Claydon 84.22, giving them a combined figure of 82.45.
Both have won their last ten recorded matches.
That's 20 wins from 20 across the two players' latest database records. It doesn't guarantee anything in doubles, of course, but it's difficult to ignore.
Experience Could Matter Too
With such a large field, there will inevitably be difficult periods during matches.
A missed opportunity at doubles, a poor scoring leg or a sudden burst of brilliance from an opponent can change everything.
For that reason, I also think tournament experience is worth considering.
Stuart Dutton and Danny Lauby have 316 recorded tournament appearances between them.
Lee Evans and Graham Hall have 212, while Mike Huntley and Archie Self have 241.
These figures don't measure experience of playing together, but they do demonstrate plenty of exposure to competitive darts.
In a long tournament, that could be useful.
My Statistical Shortlist
If I had to narrow the field to six partnerships purely from the information available, I'd go with:
Graham Usher / Sam Spivey — The strongest combined Q4QS rating and highest combined scoring average.
Carl Wilson / Jack Johnson — Excellent scoring figures supported by very strong recent form.
Mike Huntley / Archie Self — Two experienced players, both producing excellent recent results.
Darren Brown / Jack Main — Almost identical scoring averages and a strong combined rating.
Jamie Kelling / Chas Barstow — One of the strongest scoring combinations, with both players in excellent recent form.
Kevin Edwards / Michael Wiles — Balanced scoring, with both players arriving on nine wins from their last ten.
And if I were looking slightly further down for a partnership that could upset the predictions, Curtis Hammond and Brett Claydon would certainly be on my list.
A Final Thought
I enjoy looking at darts statistically because sometimes the numbers confirm what we already suspect, while occasionally they highlight players or partnerships who might otherwise be overlooked.
But this is one competition where I would be particularly careful about treating statistics as predictions.
Doubles brings an entirely different set of challenges.
A player might feel more relaxed with a partner alongside them. Another might struggle to find their rhythm when throwing less frequently. Some partnerships will have played together regularly, while others may be relatively new combinations.
My analysis doesn't attempt to measure any of those factors.
It simply asks a question:
If we judge these partnerships on the individual performances recorded in the Q4QS database, who looks strongest?
On that basis, Graham Usher and Sam Spivey lead the way.
Whether they — or any of the other leading partnerships — can turn that statistical advantage into a successful doubles campaign is another matter altogether.
And that's what makes the competition interesting.
Analysis based on Q4QS database exports dated 16 October 2026. Entry list provisional. Partnerships without sufficient verified individual data have not been ranked in the main statistical comparison.
