Where Is the Toughest Area to Play Darts? Q4QS Area Strength Rankings 2026

 

Over the last few editions of my Tournament Strength series, I've gradually moved closer to the grassroots game.

I've compared tours, individual tournaments and, most recently, the toughest regular venues south of Birmingham. That venue analysis showed Cefn Hengoed narrowly ahead of Sartan and North Star, but it also raised another question.

Does having one exceptionally tough venue mean you live in a particularly strong darts area?

Or is the real test the strength and depth of tournaments available across the whole local scene?

This time, I've gone back into the Q4QS database to find out.

What Do I Mean By An 'Area'?

This is important.

I'm not attempting to produce a definitive county championship or rank every part of Britain.

The Q4QS database is still expanding geographically. My existing rankings already cover the Midlands south of Birmingham, Wales and Southern England, with particularly detailed coverage around the South and South West.

So I've grouped tournaments into recognisable darts areas currently represented sufficiently in the database.

Think of this as the first Q4QS Area Strength table.

As the database expands, more areas will be able to join it.

Tournament Strength Is NOT A Three-Dart Average

One familiar warning before we get to the numbers.

If an area records a Tournament Strength of 62, it does not mean players in that area average 62.

Tournament Strength is the Q4QS field-strength measure. It looks at the quality of the players actually competing rather than simply how well somebody threw on a particular night. That's the same principle I've used throughout this series.

For this article, I've grouped those tournament scores geographically.

That allows us to ask:

If I regularly entered tournaments in this area, what sort of strength would I encounter?

The Early Q4QS Area Strength Picture

Here are some of the best-represented areas in the current database:

Area	Recorded Events	Typical Strength	Median	Peak
Dorset	51	61.49	62.60	68.87
Wiltshire	40	61.01	63.70	67.86
Oxfordshire	162	60.75	61.22	69.51
Buckinghamshire	255	60.70	62.53	89.02
Hampshire	162	59.74	60.38	73.80
Worcestershire	236	59.39	61.68	83.40
Gloucestershire	88	59.35	59.68	68.02
Devon	112	58.62	59.08	75.08
South Wales	505	56.73	58.74	73.57
Somerset	218	56.01	57.39	68.75
Bristol area	293	55.89	56.36	73.33

Figures are based on tournaments I can currently identify confidently within each geographical grouping. Different areas have different levels and types of Q4QS coverage, so these should be viewed as evolving 2026 benchmarks rather than definitive national rankings.

Dorset Takes The Early Lead

This wasn't necessarily the result I expected.

Dorset currently leads the areas I've analysed with a typical Tournament Strength of 61.49.

Its median is even higher at 62.60, suggesting the result isn't simply being inflated by one or two particularly strong tournaments.

That's exactly what this analysis is supposed to uncover.

Dorset doesn't need to contain the single strongest tournament in the database.

Instead, the tournaments currently represented there are producing a consistently strong overall level.

But Wiltshire May Have The Most Interesting Number

Wiltshire is second on mean Tournament Strength at 61.01.

Look at the median, though.

63.70.

That's the highest in this initial group.

North Star in Calne was already third in my individual venue rankings, with a typical Tournament Strength of 64.77.

The area analysis suggests that strength isn't disappearing when we move beyond one individual tournament.

The sample is smaller than some of the other areas, so I wouldn't declare Wiltshire the capital of grassroots darts just yet.

But 63.70 for the median tournament is a serious number.

Oxfordshire Has Depth

Then we reach an area with considerably more data.

Oxfordshire records 162 tournaments and a typical strength of 60.75.

Its peak reaches 69.51.

Faringdon had already caught my attention in the venue analysis because it maintained strong figures across a large number of competitions. Now the wider area is appearing towards the top as well.

That's more significant to me than one enormous tournament.

It's beginning to show depth.

Buckinghamshire Is Fascinating

Buckinghamshire is only fractionally behind Oxfordshire at 60.70, and its median is an impressive 62.53.

But then there's the peak:

89.02.

That comes from the ADC Winmau Championship South level of competition at Bradmoor Farm, Aylesbury – an event that already featured prominently in my toughest individual tournaments analysis. The 89.02 score is considerably beyond normal weekly grassroots territory.

And this demonstrates exactly why I've included both Typical Strength and Peak.

Buckinghamshire can stage an exceptionally strong tournament.

But I'm not allowing that one competition to turn the whole area into an 89-rated darts region.

The typical figure tells us what happens regularly.

The peak tells us how strong it can become.

Worcestershire Has The Same Story

Worcestershire produces another huge peak at 83.40, but its wider typical figure is 59.39.

Again, that's useful.

We already knew from previous Q4QS analysis that Worcestershire could produce extremely strong grassroots environments, with Bengeworth and Redditch both appearing prominently in earlier venue comparisons.

Area Strength adds another layer.

A brilliant venue doesn't necessarily make every tournament in the surrounding area equally difficult.

Bristol Produces The Biggest Surprise

Now for the result I suspect will interest many of my regular readers.

Bristol is bottom of this particular group at 55.89.

Do I therefore think Bristol has the weakest darts scene here?

Absolutely not.

In fact, this may be the most useful result in the entire article.

My Bristol data contains 293 tournaments, and Q4QS coverage around Bristol is particularly extensive. Previous local analysis alone has included thousands of matches and hundreds of different players.

More importantly, Bristol offers an enormous range of competitions.

There are strong open tournaments.

There are ADC Vaults.

There are Under-55 events.

There are Sub-70 competitions.

There are junior events.

There are tournaments specifically designed to give developing and lower-average players competitive darts.

DartAsylum is perhaps the perfect example. Its programme covers a huge range of standards, even though its strongest recorded field has reached 73.33.

So Bristol's lower overall number is partly telling us something positive:

there is competitive darts available for almost everybody.

That's Why Mean And Median Both Matter

This exercise has convinced me that future Area Strength rankings shouldn't rely on one number alone.

Look at Wiltshire.

Mean: 61.01
Median: 63.70

Now Bristol.

Mean: 55.89
Median: 56.36

And Buckinghamshire:

Mean: 60.70
Median: 62.53

We're beginning to see different types of darts ecosystems.

Some areas have predominantly strong open competition.

Some have enormous tournament schedules covering every standard.

Some have a fairly ordinary weekly level but occasionally host fields of almost professional-tour strength.

None of those is necessarily "better".

They're different.

South Wales Is Another Great Example

South Wales currently has a typical figure of 56.73, which might initially look surprising after Cefn Hengoed finished number one in the individual venue ranking.

But look at the sample:

505 tournaments.

That's vastly more than Dorset or Wiltshire.

Cefn Hengoed can produce exceptionally strong regular fields. Cardiff and Brynmawr have also featured prominently in the venue analysis.

But once hundreds of competitions of different standards are included, the overall area figure naturally changes.

And that gives us perhaps the most important lesson from this article.

One Tough Venue Doesn't Make A Tough Area

That was the question I started with.

I think the database is already beginning to answer it.

Venue Strength and Area Strength aren't the same thing.

An area can contain one brutal weekly tournament but relatively little strength elsewhere.

Another can have ten venues consistently producing good fields without ever recording one spectacular score.

And another can have hundreds of competitions deliberately catering for players throughout the ability spectrum.

That's why I don't want Area Strength to become simply another league table where number one is "good" and number ten is "bad".

The numbers are telling us far more than that.

These Rankings Will Change

Perhaps more than any previous article in this series, this one needs to be viewed as a starting point.

Q4QS coverage isn't geographically equal yet.

Some areas have hundreds of tournaments in the database.

Others have dozens.

And there are large parts of Britain I haven't yet incorporated sufficiently to include at all.

That's changing.

As Q4QS expands, new areas will enter the comparison and existing areas will gain more tournaments and venues.

That means today's leader might not remain there.

In fact, I'll be disappointed if this table doesn't change considerably.

That's part of the fun of building it.

Final Thoughts

So, where is the toughest area to play darts?

Among the areas sufficiently represented in this first Q4QS analysis, Dorset currently takes the lead on mean Tournament Strength at 61.49.

But I'd hesitate before simply crowning Dorset and walking away.

Wiltshire has the strongest median at 63.70.

Buckinghamshire has produced a staggering 89.02 peak.

Worcestershire has reached 83.40.

South Wales combines some outstanding venues with an enormous 505-event sample.

And Bristol's comparatively low 55.89 arguably tells us as much about the breadth and accessibility of its darts scene as it does its strength.

That's what I'm increasingly enjoying about Tournament Strength.

Sometimes the most interesting number isn't the biggest one.

It's the number that makes you ask:

Why?

And as more areas join the Q4QS database, I suspect we're going to be asking that question quite a lot.

Six Finals, Five Winners: What Vault 17 and 18 Tell Us Ahead of Vault 19

 

With Vault 19 approaching, I wanted to look back at the recent MODUS Super Series regional finals covered by the Q4QS database.

This first review concentrates on three regions: South West, South Wales, and South East & London. Across Vault 17 and Vault 18, each region staged two finals offering winners the opportunity to appear in the MODUS Super Series.

Six finals produced five different champions.

Henry Cooper was the only player to win twice, completing back-to-back South West successes. Connor Hopkins and Louis Melville claimed the two South Wales places, while George Cressey and Roger Crook emerged from South East & London.

However, the winners were only part of the story.

Several players came within one match of earning a MODUS opportunity. Others produced some of the best averages of the six events but failed to reach the final. There were also players who challenged strongly in both series without managing to secure the ultimate prize.

Those are the names who may be particularly interesting when Vault 19 begins.

Henry Cooper Rules the South West

The clearest story from the six regional finals belongs to Henry Cooper.

Cooper won the South West MODUS qualifier in both Vault 17 and Vault 18, becoming the only player across these three regions to successfully retain the regional title.

His first victory came at Shaftesbury Football Club during Vault 17.

Cooper defeated Andy Steed 6–4 in the final with a 91.06 average. Before that, he had averaged 86.95 in his semi-final victory over Pierce Speechley-Price and 89.86 against Jamie Kay in the quarter-finals.

He returned for the Vault 18 final at St Breward AFC & Social Club and produced an even more commanding finish.

After beating Lee Andrews 6–2 in the quarter-finals, Cooper whitewashed Jamie Kay 6–0 with a 92.02 semi-final average. He then defeated Ricky King 6–2 in the final, averaging 90.28.

Across the latter stages of the two finals, Cooper repeatedly found his best darts when the MODUS place moved within sight.

That is perhaps the most impressive part of the double. Regional finals bring together players who have already performed consistently throughout the Vault campaign. Cooper did not merely qualify for both events—he navigated two strong knockout draws and delivered 90-plus averages in both finals.

The obvious Vault 19 question is whether anybody in the South West can stop him from reaching a third successive MODUS opportunity.

The Players Who Came Closest to Cooper

Andy Steed and Ricky King were the two players left one match short.

Steed’s Vault 17 run included a 6–5 victory over Kev Dunstan and a 6–4 semi-final win against Gareth Griffiths. He then stayed close to Cooper in the final before losing 6–4.

King followed a similar path during Vault 18. He defeated Steed 6–3 in the quarter-finals before surviving a deciding leg against Neil Meneer in the semi-final. Cooper proved too strong in the final, but King had come through two of the most dangerous players in the draw to get there.

Both have therefore demonstrated the ability to reach the last match of a regional final.

There are also players whose numbers suggest they were closer than their eventual finishing position might imply.

Gareth Griffiths produced one of the most intriguing runs of Vault 17. He opened with a 99.51 average against Nick Eggbeer and then averaged 84.78 in beating Finlay Cleave. Griffiths produced another strong performance in the semi-final, averaging 88.91, but lost 6–4 to Steed, who averaged 80.94.

It was a perfect example of why averages alone do not decide knockout darts.

Jamie Kay also threatened in both South West finals.

In Vault 17, Kay opened with an 89.43 average and then averaged 81.93 in the next round. Kay produced an 88.36 average against Cooper in the quarter-finals but was beaten 6–3.

During Vault 18, Kay averaged 90.99 in a 6–5 victory over Griffiths before running into Cooper again. This time, Cooper delivered a 92.02 average and a 6–0 victory.

Kay has now reached a South West quarter-final and semi-final across the two series, with Cooper ending both runs. If Cooper is the regional standard, Kay has repeatedly put himself within range of challenging it.

Neil Meneer is another who came extremely close. The Vault 18 semi-final against King went to a deciding leg before King edged through 6–5.

Steed, King, Griffiths, Kay and Meneer have all shown enough to enter Vault 19 as serious South West contenders.

Hopkins Sets the South Wales Standard

Connor Hopkins produced arguably the most complete individual regional-final performance across the six tournaments.

Hopkins won the Vault 17 South Wales final at Duffy’s in Pontypridd, defeating Sion Thomas 6–2 with a 92.98 average.

That followed a 92.85 semi-final performance against Mike Huntley and an outstanding 98.02 average in a 6–0 quarter-final victory over Timothy Jones.

From the quarter-finals onwards, Hopkins won 18 legs and conceded only four. His average exceeded 92 in all three matches.

Where Cooper’s achievement was built on winning two separate regional finals, Hopkins produced one afternoon of sustained control. There was no narrow escape or obvious drop in standard during the closing stages.

It was exactly the kind of performance that makes a player stand out as a future threat beyond the Vault system.

Melville Survives the Vault 18 Tests

The South Wales Vault 18 final produced a very different type of champion.

Louis Melville did not dominate every match statistically. Instead, Melville repeatedly found a way to win close contests.

After beating Llew Bevan in the Last 16, Melville edged past Corey Milward 6–5 in the quarter-finals. A strong 87.35 average then helped secure a 6–4 semi-final win over Stephen Cake.

The final against Dean Reynolds also went to a deciding leg.

Reynolds recorded the higher average, 86.48 to Melville’s 80.71, but Melville took the match 6–5 and secured the MODUS place.

It was a run built on resilience. Melville survived two deciding legs and defeated two opponents who produced higher averages during the knockout stages.

Hopkins had swept through the closing rounds of Vault 17. Melville had to scrap through the decisive moments of Vault 18. Both routes led to the same reward.

Stephen Cake Keeps Knocking on the Door

If there is one South Wales player who can consider themselves particularly unfortunate not to have claimed a place, it may be Stephen Cake.

Cake reached the semi-finals in both regional finals.

In Vault 17, Cake beat Jonathan Davies and Liam Cook before losing 6–4 to Sion Thomas. Cake actually recorded the higher semi-final average, 80.23 to 78.60, but Thomas secured the crucial legs.

Cake returned in Vault 18 and began with the best individual average of that entire regional final—a 93.94 performance in a 6–0 win over Geraint Cuddihy.

A 6–5 quarter-final victory over Ryan Davies followed before Melville stopped the run in the semi-finals.

Two series, two semi-finals and no MODUS place.

That combination makes Cake one of the most obvious players to watch in Vault 19. There is no question about the ability to reach the business end of a regional final. The remaining task is to convert one of those opportunities.

Dean Reynolds also has a strong case for being among the leading South Wales contenders. Reynolds averaged 90.80 in the Last 16 of Vault 18, reached the final and then produced the higher average in a deciding-leg defeat.

Mike Huntley’s Vault 17 run is also worth remembering. Huntley averaged 91.33 in beating Gavin Sterio before running into Hopkins’ outstanding semi-final display.

South Wales has produced two different winners, but several challengers have already shown that the margin between qualification and elimination can be extremely small.

Cressey Peaks at the Right Time

George Cressey won the South East & London Vault 17 final at the Phoenix Railway Social Club in Dover.

Cressey began steadily but raised the level considerably as the tournament progressed.

A 95.71 quarter-final average against John Power was followed by a 94.16 performance in the semi-final against Colin Sulston. Cressey then defeated Adam Mould 6–4 in the final.

Interestingly, Mould recorded the higher final average—88.88 compared with Cressey’s 83.83—but Cressey secured the legs that mattered.

It followed the pattern seen in several of these regional finals. The best average did not always belong to the winner, particularly when matches became close.

Stuart Dutton looked capable of challenging Cressey after averaging 90.55 in a 6–1 quarter-final victory over Jake Eichen. However, that level fell away in the semi-final, where Dutton averaged 76.10 and lost 6–4 to Mould.

It was one of the clearest examples of a player looking extremely dangerous in one round before being unable to reproduce the same standard in the next.

Crook Comes Through the Deciders

Roger Crook’s South East & London Vault 18 victory had similarities to Melville’s South Wales success.

Crook had to survive pressure repeatedly.

He beat Stuart Dutton 6–5 in the Last 16 before producing the standout winning performance of the tournament—an average of 95.39 in a 6–2 quarter-final victory over Dai Lewis.

A 6–4 semi-final win against Jack Seymour took Crook into the final, where Connor Levett provided another severe test.

Levett averaged 87.54 to Crook’s 86.74, but Crook edged the deciding leg to win 6–5.

Three of Crook’s four matches were decided by either one or two legs. Rather than cruising through the draw, Crook continually responded when the result remained in doubt.

That ability to survive may be just as important in a regional final as producing one spectacular average.

Levett Leads the Chasing Group

Connor Levett may have lost the Vault 18 final, but the run contained plenty to suggest another opportunity could arrive.

Levett came through the draw from the No.21 position. He defeated Jack Harvey 6–5 with an 85.36 average before producing 89.63 in a commanding 6–2 win over Ian Hobbs.

After beating Mat Caste in the quarter-finals, Levett defeated John Power 6–1 to reach the final.

He then produced his second-best average of the event but lost 6–5.

Levett was therefore one leg away from the MODUS place despite beginning outside the leading seeds. That makes the run one of the strongest breakthrough stories across the six finals.

There was another striking performance much earlier in the draw.

Andy Smith averaged 92.87 against John Power in the Last 16 but lost 6–5. Power averaged 87.34, yet took the deciding leg and subsequently reached the semi-finals.

Smith recorded one of the highest averages of the entire event and was eliminated in the opening round. It was another reminder that regional-final darts can punish even a very strong performance.

Jack Seymour also progressed to the semi-finals, while Cressey’s attempt to win consecutive South East & London finals ended in the first round against Reggie Woodmore.

Unlike Cooper in the South West, Cressey could not successfully defend the regional title.

Six Finals, Several Different Ways to Win

Looking across the six events, no single formula guaranteed success.

Cooper combined consistency, scoring and the ability to peak during the closing rounds.

Hopkins dominated his regional final statistically, producing three consecutive averages above 92 from the quarter-finals onwards.

Cressey found two outstanding performances at exactly the right stage of the competition.

Melville and Crook survived close matches and deciding legs, sometimes defeating opponents who recorded higher averages.

The results also highlight why several players who failed to qualify should remain prominent in the Vault 19 conversation.

Steed, King, Reynolds and Levett were each one match away. Cake reached two semi-finals. Kay made the latter stages in both South West events. Griffiths, Huntley, Dutton and Smith all produced performances suggesting that they could challenge again.

Not everyone will return through exactly the same qualifying route, and the regional fields may change for Vault 19. However, recent history gives us a strong starting point.

Who Can Take the Next Step in Vault 19?

Henry Cooper is the obvious benchmark after winning both South West finals.

Behind Cooper, Jamie Kay’s repeated progress and strong averages suggest a player capable of going further. Gareth Griffiths has already shown the highest individual level in the region, while Ricky King, Andy Steed and Neil Meneer have all moved within one match of the prize.

In South Wales, Stephen Cake’s consecutive semi-finals make the case particularly compelling. Dean Reynolds was one leg away in Vault 18 and Mike Huntley produced 90-plus darts before meeting an inspired Hopkins.

Connor Levett heads the South East & London list after coming through from outside the leading seeds and losing the Vault 18 final by a single leg. Stuart Dutton and Andy Smith also produced peaks that would make them dangerous if sustained across an entire regional final.

Vault 17 and Vault 18 produced five winners from six events, with Cooper alone managing to repeat the achievement.

That tells us how difficult these regional finals are to predict—and how hard they are to win.

The next part of the Q4QS Vault 19 coverage will look more closely at the qualifying venues themselves. Using the developing Venue Hub, I will examine which locations regularly attract the strongest fields and where the route to the next regional final may be particularly demanding.

For now, the recent finals have already provided plenty of names to remember.

Some have secured their MODUS opportunity. Others missed by one leg, one match or one outstanding performance from an opponent.

Vault 19 gives them the chance to begin all over again.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight – Three Players Who Caught My Eye (week ending 24th July)

 

Every week there are hundreds of matches taking place across the Q4QS coverage area. While tournament winners naturally grab the headlines, they aren't always the only players producing performances worthy of recognition.

Each weekend I'll be selecting three players who have genuinely caught my eye over the previous seven days. Sometimes they'll have won titles, sometimes they'll have produced exceptional averages, and sometimes they'll simply have shown the sort of form that suggests bigger things are on the horizon.

This week's trio all impressed for different reasons. Sam Chance enjoyed a remarkable week by lifting two Vault 18 titles, Sion Thomas continued his outstanding season with another dominant display in South Wales, while Jamie Kay showed the quality needed to compete on the national stage at the UKDA National Finals.

Here are this week's Q4QS Weekly Spotlight selections.

Sam Chance

Player Profile

Sam Chance has been quietly putting together an excellent 2026 season and is establishing himself as one of the most consistent performers on the North Devon circuit. Across 66 recorded matches he has won 49, giving him an impressive 74.2% win rate, while reaching a healthy 67.2 match average.

Two tournament victories and a further three runner-up finishes show that Chance is regularly challenging for titles rather than simply collecting match wins. His recent form has been particularly strong, with nine wins from his last ten matches, and his best performance to date is an excellent 85.89 average.

Consistency is another strength. His overall average and Q4QS average are virtually identical, suggesting he produces his level week after week rather than relying on occasional standout displays. His current nemesis appears to be Daniel Donovan, against whom he has struggled, but elsewhere his record speaks for itself.

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This Week

Sam Chance was impossible to ignore this week after collecting two Vault 18 tournament titles in the space of just three days.

His first success came on 22 July at The Wellington Arms, where he produced arguably his performance of the season. After defeating Neil Ridd and Mathew Hern in the knockout stages, he finished by overcoming Andy Steed 3–1 in the final, averaging an outstanding 85.04. Earlier in the same event he also produced an even higher 85.89 average against Mark Gover.

Not content with one title, Chance returned on 24 July to win another Vault 18 event. His route to the title included victories over Jack Kemp, Neil Ridd, Oscar Yeaman and Matt Lambert before completing a convincing 3–0 victory over Kian Gover in the final, averaging 72.73 in the deciding match.

Winning two events in one week is impressive in itself, but doing so while producing multiple 70+ averages and an 85 average in a final makes this one of the standout weeks by any player in the Q4QS results.

Why he caught my eye

• 🏆 Two Vault 18 titles in the same week.
• 🔥 9 wins from his last 10 matches.
• 🎯 85.04 average in a tournament final.
• 💪 Defeated Andy Steed, Kian Gover, Neil Ridd, Matt Lambert and Mathew Hern during his title runs.
• 📈 Looks to be carrying genuine momentum into the coming weeks.

Sion Thomas

Player Profile

Sion Thomas has established himself as one of the leading players on the South Wales circuit during 2026. With 153 victories from 174 matches, he boasts an outstanding 87.9% win rate, while his 77.99 overall average demonstrates that his success is built on consistently high-quality darts rather than simply winning close matches.

His season record speaks for itself. Thomas has already claimed 13 tournament titles, reached nine further finals, and arrives in exceptional form having won his last ten matches. His scoring power is equally impressive, highlighted by a remarkable 111.33 match average, while multiple ton-plus performances underline the level he is capable of producing when at his best.

Although his current Q4QS card places him just outside the top 1,000, the underlying numbers suggest a player capable of competing with the strongest fields. Victories over highly-rated opponents such as Lee Evans, Stephen Cake and Mike Huntley demonstrate that Thomas is comfortable performing against quality opposition.

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This Week

If there was any doubt about Sion Thomas's current form, this week removed it.

Thomas produced a flawless run to the Vault 18 title at Cambrian Sports Bar in Llanelli, winning every match on his route to the trophy. His campaign began with a stunning 103.66 average against Jack Tompsett before following it with a 100.20 average against Corey Campbell, immediately setting the tone for the evening.

The standard never dropped. Further victories over Darren Bourne, Oscar Bourne, Dylan Holborn, Stephen Bowen and Bobby Short booked his place in the final, where he completed the job with a convincing 3–0 victory over George Jones.

Looking beyond the tournament itself, Thomas has now put together ten consecutive victories, averaging almost 86 across his last ten matches and almost 87 across his last five. That combination of winning and sustained scoring power makes him one of the form players in the Q4QS database.

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Why he caught my eye

• 🏆 Vault 18 champion at Cambrian Sports Bar.
• 🔥 Ten consecutive match victories.
• 💯 Two ton-plus averages (103.66 and 100.20) during the tournament.
• 🎯 Won every match on his route to the title.
• 📈 Averaging 85.95 across his last ten matches, showing elite current form.

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Jamie Kay

Player Profile

Jamie Kay has quietly developed into one of the South West's most accomplished players, combining success on the local ADC circuit with impressive performances on the national stage. His statistics underline that consistency, with 46 wins from 66 matches, a 69.7% win rate and an excellent 83.0 overall average.

An average above 82 across an entire season is no accident, and Kay has already shown he can mix it with high-quality opposition. His season includes a tournament victory, multiple quarter-final and semi-final appearances, and a best average of 103.66, demonstrating the scoring power needed to trouble top-class players.

Perhaps most impressive is the calibre of players he has defeated. Victories over established names such as Callum Goffin, John Henderson, Ryan Furness and James Parkin highlight his ability to compete well beyond local events, while his recent form suggests there is still room for further improvement.

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This Week

Jamie Kay earns his place in this week's spotlight following an outstanding run at the UKDA National Finals.

After opening with a convincing 4–0 victory over Barry Collier, Kay continued his progress with wins against James Tate and Andrew Kateley, booking his place in the Last 32 of one of the strongest fields of the week.

Although his tournament ended with a 4–0 defeat to Jack Johnson, the scoreline tells only part of the story. Kay produced a superb 92.95 average, comfortably his highest of the tournament, showing he was competing at an exceptionally high standard despite exiting the event.

It is exactly the sort of performance that deserves recognition. Winning matches is important, but producing almost a 93 average on a national stage demonstrates the quality needed to compete with some of the country's strongest players.

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Why he caught my eye

• 🎯 Excellent run to the Last 32 of the UKDA National Finals.
• 🔥 Three convincing victories before meeting Jack Johnson.
• 💪 Finished with a superb 92.95 average against elite opposition.
• 📈 Continues to show he can compete at national level as well as dominating regional events