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.
