Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week
Another week of grassroots darts, and this time my three selections are Andy Steed, Kirsten Casley and Tony Chapman.
As always, this isn't simply about finding the three highest averages or counting who collected the most trophies. The idea of this feature is to pick out performances and stories that caught my attention for different reasons.
This week I've got a player who reached four finals in five days, a young player mixing success in girls' darts with impressive performances in open competition, and a player who managed to win four tournaments during the week.
Three very different stories, but all three deserve a closer look.
Andy Steed
Player Profile
Andy Steed has become one of the most familiar names in the South West events covered by Q4QS.
His record now stands at 943 matches, 784 wins and 159 defeats, giving him an excellent 83.1% win rate across 144 events.
He's collected 52 tournament victories, alongside 31 runner-up finishes, and his overall recorded match average is 76.16. His best is a huge 111.33.
What's particularly noticeable at the moment is his form. Andy's last ten recorded matches have all been victories, while his last-five average has climbed to 87.20. Andy Steed_profile
He's also shown that he can beat some very strong players. His recorded victories include Owen Bates, Simon Stevenson, Gareth Griffiths, Neil Wild and Robbie Martin. Andy Steed_profile
This Week
Andy had one of those weeks where he seemed to be appearing at the business end of virtually everything he entered.
He started with a final at Legends Lounge in Plymouth on Sunday, losing out to Simon Stevenson. The following night brought another runner-up finish, this time at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton.
Then came the wins.
On Wednesday at Barnstaple Football Club, Andy took the title, beating Neil Ridd 3–0 in the final with a 92.02 average. Andy Steed_profile
Twenty-four hours later he did it again at Cue Sports Bar in Torquay. He averaged 85.08 in his quarter-final, 93.94 in the semi-final, and 87.61 when beating George Butcher 3–1 in the final. Andy Steed_profile
That's four finals in five days, two titles, and he finished the week with ten consecutive recorded victories.
That's some week.
Kirsten Casley
Player Profile
Kirsten Casley's selection is perhaps the best example of why I don't want this feature simply to become a list of the week's most prolific tournament winners.
She has now played 319 recorded matches across 75 events, winning 193 of them for a 60.5% win rate.
There are already eight tournament victories, ten runner-up finishes and eight semi-finals on her record. Her overall average is 54.11, but there are plenty of signs of a much higher ceiling — including a personal best of 85.89. Kirsten Casley_profile
She's also already recorded wins against players including Eve Watson, Lloyd Sterio and Rhys Evans. Kirsten Casley_profile
This Week
Kirsten first caught my attention on Tuesday when she reached the final of the WADC Vault 3.0 at The 9 Darter in Port Talbot, finishing runner-up to Eve Watson.
But Friday was the real highlight.
Kirsten won the JDC Girls Series and also came through the JDC Wales Girls Series Event 6 at Arrows Darts Venue.
In the latter, she beat Erin O'Sullivan 3–0 in the quarter-final, Tia Sterio 3–1 in the semi-final and Celyn Saunders 3–1 in the final, averaging 65.09 for the title match. Kirsten Casley_profile
There was another interesting performance the following day. Playing in a Money In Money Out event, Kirsten produced an 81.24 average in a 2–0 victory over Lloyd Sterio, one of the highest averages of her recorded career. Kirsten Casley_profile
A WADC final, success in the girls' events and then an 81-plus performance in open competition.
Exactly the sort of week this feature is designed to notice.
Tony Chapman
Player Profile
Tony Chapman doesn't yet have the huge volume of matches in the Q4QS database that Andy Steed has, but what is there makes impressive reading.
Across 88 recorded matches, Tony has won 77 and lost just 11 — an 87.5% win rate.
His record currently contains six tournament wins, three runner-up finishes and two semi-finals from just 12 events. His overall average stands at 74.13, with a best of 103.66. Tony Chapman_profile
That 103.66 only came on 18 September, so his current run of form hasn't suddenly appeared from nowhere.
This Week
Tony's week is the easiest of the three to summarise:
Four tournament victories.
He started on Sunday by winning the Vault at Fordham RBL, beating Jon-Sebastian Wright 3–0 in the final. During that event he also produced a 93.68 average against Dylan Waites.
On Monday he moved on to Legends Sports Bar in Wisbech and won again, with a 93.94 average among his performances.
Thursday brought title number three at Thetford Pool Club, where he defeated Adam Fellingham 3–0 in the final.
And then came Saturday's invite-only competition back at Fordham RBL.
Tony won seven matches on the day and finished it by beating Liam Ticehurst 5–0 in the final with an 81.68 average. His knockout run also included a 3–0 quarter-final win and a 4–0 semi-final victory. Tony Chapman_profile
So that's Fordham, Wisbech, Thetford and Fordham again.
Four tournament wins on four different days.
A fairly straightforward reason for making this week's three.
Three Different Reasons to Catch the Eye
That's what I like about this week's selection.
Andy Steed demonstrated remarkable consistency, reaching four finals in five days before finishing with back-to-back titles.
Kirsten Casley showed why looking beyond the obvious tournament winners can uncover a much more interesting story, combining girls' success with a WADC final and an 81-plus performance in open competition.
And Tony Chapman simply kept winning — four tournaments across the week.
Three players at different stages, playing different circuits and catching the eye for different reasons.
I'll be looking through the results again next week to see who stands out.
