Another week, another three players who caught my eye while going through the grassroots darts results.
I keep saying that this feature isn't simply about picking the players who win the most tournaments or throw the highest averages. There are plenty of other things worth recognising, whether that's consistency, a good run in a bigger competition or simply performing well across several events.
This week's selections are Rich Hosey, Finley Bennett and Jake B-Smith.
All three reached multiple finals, but there's a little more to their stories than that.
And having looked at their wider records in the Q4QS Database, there are some interesting numbers behind their recent performances too.
Rich Hosey — Taking His Form Into a Regional Final
Rich Hosey enjoyed a particularly productive week, winning three tournaments before reaching the ADC Midlands Vault 19 Level Up Emerging Regional Final on Saturday 31 October.
It was that final appearance which really caught my attention.
Winning local tournaments is always satisfying, but carrying that form into a regional competition is another matter.
Rich had already been playing well during the week, including a victory in the Abbeydale Round Robin on Thursday, where he defeated Matt Heath 3–0 in the final with an 88.41 average.
On Friday, he added another title at Bostin Darts 180 Bar, beating Phil Jones 3–1 in the final. Earlier in that competition, he had beaten Jordan Grainger 3–1 and Jake Shipley 3–0.
Then came Saturday's regional final at Bostin Darts 180 Bar.
Rich began his knockout run with a narrow 4–3 victory over Caleb Day before beating Andrew Fletcher and Nathan Russell, both by 4–1.
The quarter-final against Jack Chatterton was another close one, with Rich coming through 4–3.
He then faced Kyle Davis in the semi-final and won another deciding-leg contest, again 4–3.
That put him into the regional final against Tom Foxon.
This time Rich couldn't quite get over the line, losing 4–1, but reaching that stage after several close knockout matches was an excellent achievement.
What the Q4QS Database Says
Rich has played 382 recorded matches, winning 278 of them.
That's a 72.8% win rate across 63 recorded events.
His overall match average is 65.13, while his Q4QS Average stands at 64.65.
His best recorded match average is 100.33, achieved against George Grove in February.
But it's his recent form that interests me most.
His latest ten recorded matches show nine victories and just one defeat, while his average across those matches is 72.46.
That's comfortably above his overall match average, although ten matches is only a short snapshot.
I also noticed that he's recorded wins against players such as Dan Nicholls, Robbie Long and Ian Mackenzie during the year.
There's a good competitive record there, and this week's regional-final appearance adds another chapter.
For me, Rich's week demonstrates the value of regularly competing. You can build momentum through local events, but eventually you have to test it against a wider field.
This week, he did exactly that.
Finley Bennett — Three Finals Across South Wales
Finley Bennett is another player who enjoyed an excellent week, reaching three finals in five days.
What stood out was that these performances came across different competitions in South Wales.
He began with a runner-up finish on Sunday 25 October, followed by a tournament victory at Tredegar Constitutional Club on Tuesday.
Then, on Thursday, he reached another final at Brynmawr Social Club.
One win and two runner-up finishes is a very good return.
And when I looked more closely at his Thursday performance, there was plenty to like.
At Brynmawr, Finley opened with a 2–0 victory over Steve Griffiths before recording further straight-leg wins against Gus Davies, Ryan Tonkin, Rhys Wertheim and Adam Lomas.
He averaged 96.97 against Ryan Tonkin and 91.09 against Rhys Wertheim.
In the quarter-final he defeated Paul Jarvis 3–1, averaging 82.50.
Then came a particularly impressive semi-final against Dean Rossiter.
Finley won 3–0 with a 93.94 average.
That put him into the final against Ben Bevan, where he eventually lost 3–1.
The final itself wasn't his strongest performance, but I don't think that should take anything away from the run.
Getting to the final means winning the matches beforehand, and Finley had put together some very good darts to get there.
What the Q4QS Database Says
Finley's wider record is substantial.
He's played 588 recorded matches, winning 436, giving him a 74.1% win rate.
He's competed in 104 recorded events, winning 15 tournaments and finishing runner-up on another 13 occasions.
He's also reached 20 semi-finals and 19 quarter-finals.
His overall match average stands at 73.47, with a Q4QS Average of 72.78.
His highest recorded average is 115.62, achieved against Kobi Thomas in January.
But there's another number that caught my attention.
Across his latest ten recorded matches, Finley has averaged 84.06, compared with his overall match average of 73.47.
That's a difference of more than ten points.
It doesn't automatically mean he's improved by ten points permanently, of course. A short run of matches can be affected by opponents, formats and how well somebody happens to play.
But it's certainly an encouraging sign.
Finley's record also includes PDC Development Tour appearances and a victory over Dylan Dowling in October.
So there's a mixture of local and wider competition in his playing history.
For me, the story this week is about repeatedly putting himself in contention.
Three finals across five days, with some excellent individual performances along the way, is well worth a mention.
Jake B-Smith — Another Productive Week in Shrewsbury
Jake B-Smith completes this week's selection after reaching three finals in four days, winning two of them.
Jake's week included a victory at Telford on Sunday 25 October, a runner-up finish on Tuesday and another title at Bagley Sports & Social Club in Shrewsbury on Wednesday.
It's the Wednesday competition that particularly interests me because it used a slightly different format.
Rather than standard 501, it was a double-in, double-out competition.
That changes the challenge. You can't simply start scoring straight away; you first have to hit a double to get going.
For some players, that can make a big difference.
Jake certainly handled it well.
His results included a 3–0 quarter-final victory over Ben Ellis-Dean, followed by another 3–0 win against Sam Morris in the semi-final.
In the final, he faced Jamie Chaplin.
Jake won 4–1, averaging 80.03.
He'd also recorded an 83.50 average against Callum Lester earlier in the competition.
It's a nice example of performing well in a format that asks slightly different questions of a player.
And Jake wasn't finished there.
On Thursday, he competed in the Boundary Park Academy Intermediate Round Robin League at Bar 1895 Darts.
His recorded results included five consecutive 2–0 victories, with a particularly impressive 91.09 average against Adam Balme.
What the Q4QS Database Says
Jake's playing record is particularly interesting because it covers a substantial number of matches.
The fuller Q4QS profile contains 975 recorded matches, of which he's won 800.
That's an 82.1% win rate.
He's competed in 151 recorded events, winning 46 tournaments and finishing runner-up on another 27 occasions.
His overall match average is 79.24, with a Q4QS Average of 78.90.
His highest recorded match average is 115.62, achieved against Ella Bailey at Bagley Sports & Social Club on 7 October.
His record also includes several victories over Paul Rowley, along with wins against Mark Crutchley and other strong opponents.
There's plenty of experience behind those numbers.
And while his recent average over the last ten recorded matches is slightly below his overall figure, he's still won nine of those ten matches.
That's an important reminder that averages don't tell the whole story.
You don't always have to produce your best scoring performance to win.
Sometimes it's about taking the chances that come along, finding a way through a difficult match or adjusting to a different format.
Jake has certainly done plenty of winning this week.
Three Players, Three Different Stories
Looking back at this week's selections, I think they demonstrate why it's worth going beyond the obvious headlines.
Rich Hosey carried his good local form into a regional final, coming through several close matches along the way.
Finley Bennett reached three finals across South Wales, with some excellent individual averages and a particularly strong recent run of form.
And Jake B-Smith collected two titles from three finals, including a victory in a double-in, double-out competition.
There were plenty of other players who could have featured.
Some won several tournaments, others reached finals without managing to win one, and there were players whose individual performances deserved recognition even though they didn't make the last two.
That's the difficulty with choosing just three.
But it's also the enjoyable part.
The more results I look through, the more I realise how many interesting stories are happening in grassroots darts every week.
And they aren't always about the biggest names or the highest averages.
Sometimes it's simply about somebody having a particularly good few days.
Congratulations to Rich, Finley and Jake.
Who caught your eye this week?
If there's somebody whose performances deserve a mention, I'd be interested to hear about them.
