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.

One Place on the MODUS Stage – South West Vault 18 Regional Final Preview

 

The road through Vault 18 reaches its conclusion in the South West on Saturday 22 August, when 20 of the region’s leading players battle it out for one of the biggest prizes available on the grassroots circuit.

A place on the MODUS Super Series stage awaits the winner.

For the last seven weeks, players across the South West have been competing in Vault events, collecting points and trying to position themselves high enough in the regional standings to reach this final day.

Now, the points race is over.

There are no more calculations to make and no more weeks to recover from a bad result.

For these 20 players, it comes down to one tournament.

Win it, and the reward is a televised MODUS Super Series opportunity.

That pathway has already shown just how significant these regional qualifiers can be. In Vault 17, Henry Cooper won the South West MODUS qualifier at Shaftesbury Football Club, defeating Andy Steed 6-4 in the final and averaging 85.51 across the event.

Now Cooper is back trying to do it all again.

Cooper Bids for Back-to-Back Qualification

There could hardly be a better starting point.

Henry Cooper enters the Vault 18 Regional Final as the defending South West qualifier champion — and his current form suggests another run is entirely possible.

Cooper is 10-0 across his last ten recorded matches in the Q4QS database and comes into Saturday after winning at The Kings Arms in Wallisdown with an exceptional 93.95 tournament average.

His recent sequence is formidable.

Three wins from his last five recorded events, another final, and tournament averages of 83.91, 84.02, 92.33 and 93.95 underline just how consistently well he has been playing.

He also has individual recorded performances of 109.98 and 104.86 among his recent results.

Repeating a regional qualifier victory is a difficult ask, but Cooper appears to be arriving at exactly the right level.

Gareth Griffiths Might Be the Man to Beat

If Cooper has the previous regional title, Gareth Griffiths may have the strongest current case.

Griffiths is ranked 83rd in the Q4QS database, with an overall average of 87.07, and he is also 10-0 across his last ten matches.

His latest appearance was spectacular.

Griffiths went 8-0 to win at Indian Queens WMC with a 93.35 tournament average, having already recorded victories over Kevin Mitchell, Neil Meneer and Logan Symons Jr during his recent run.

There is also unfinished business here.

Griffiths reached the semi-finals of the previous South West MODUS qualifier, averaging 90.08, before his run was ended by Andy Steed.

This time, he'll be looking to go two rounds further.

Spurdle Has Been Consistently in Contention

Kieran Spurdle is another player whose recent record makes a strong case.

He comes into Saturday 8-2 across his last ten, having won Vault 18 events at both The Choughs in Chard and Pegasus 68 in Taunton.

His recent five-event sequence contains two wins, two finals and a semi-final, making him one of the most consistently successful players in this field.

Spurdle's best recent winning average was 77.44, while individual performances have climbed as high as 88.41.

He might not carry the same headline scoring numbers as Griffiths or Cooper, but tournament darts is about repeatedly getting through matches — and Spurdle has been doing exactly that.

Cleave Comes in With Winning Form

Finlay Cleave is another who has been accumulating deep runs.

Cleave is also 8-2 in his last ten, and his recent results include victory at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton, where he went a perfect 8-0 with a 76.78 tournament average.

He followed that with semi-finals in Taunton and at Galaxy Sports Bar, while his recent wins include an 89.24 performance against Andy Steed and an 88.41 against Charlie Wiles.

Again, that gives him precisely the sort of profile that can work well in a one-day knockout.

Andrews Has Already Been Winning Around Bristol

Lee Andrews comes into Saturday with slightly less impressive immediate win-loss numbers than some of the favourites, but his recent record contains plenty of evidence that he belongs in the conversation.

Andrews recently won a Vault at Bessellscotts in Bristol, while his other recent results include semi-finals at North Star Club and Saintbridge Sports Club.

He has also shown a ceiling well above his overall 70.86 database average, with the preview data recording a best performance of 100.20.

In a shorter field where only a handful of wins separate somebody from the MODUS stage, that makes him a genuine threat.

Guilfoyle Provides the Unknown Element

My sixth player to follow is rather different.

Dan Guilfoyle doesn't have anywhere near the amount of Q4QS data behind him that the other leading names do.

He has only one qualifying event in the current database sample, but that appearance produced a 5-2 record and a quarter-final at St Breward, including several wins in the mid-to-high 50s.

So rather than presenting him as one of the statistical favourites, I'd see Guilfoyle as the intriguing unknown among my six.

Sometimes these regional finals throw up players whose broader level hasn't yet been fully captured by the database.

Saturday gives us a chance to find out more.

⭐ Q4QS Six to Follow

🎯 Gareth Griffiths
The highest-ranked player among my six, 10-0 recently and coming off an 8-0 title-winning performance with a 93.35 average.

🎯 Henry Cooper
The defending South West MODUS qualifier champion, also 10-0 recently and producing some outstanding 90+ tournament numbers.

🎯 Kieran Spurdle
Two wins, two finals and a semi-final among his latest five events make him one of the most consistent players in the field.

🎯 Finlay Cleave
Another 8-2 player who has already shown he can put together an unbeaten Vault-winning run.

🎯 Lee Andrews
A recent Bristol Vault winner with several other deep runs and enough scoring power to threaten anyone in the draw.

🎯 Dan Guilfoyle
The least exposed of the six in the Q4QS database, but his 5-2 Vault appearance makes him an interesting player to keep an eye on.

Plenty of Threats Beyond the Six

As with the South East & London qualifier, selecting six does not mean the rest can be ignored.

Danny Humphries comes into Saturday 9-1 across his last ten, has recently won a Vault at Matson Rugby Club with an 81.34 tournament average and has been gaining valuable Challenge Tour experience as well.

Callum Harrison is 7-3 and recently reached a Sturminster final, while Trevor Pengelly has the same 7-3 recent record and has reached semi-finals during both Vault 17 and Vault 18.

Then there are several significant names for whom the uploaded preview pack doesn't contain enough current detail to analyse in the same way — including Jamie Kay, Ricky King, Neil Meneer, C-Jay Pipe, Robbie Roy, Andy Steed, Sean Taylor, Martin Walker and Barry Wylds.

And Andy Steed in particular hardly needs explaining as a danger: he reached the final of the Vault 17 South West MODUS qualifier before losing to Cooper.

A Smaller Field – But Not an Easier One

The South West qualifier has an interesting difference to the South East & London event.

There are 20 players rather than 32 after the final field was confirmed, with Zach Quinn, Brooklyn Anthony and Josh McCarthy no longer taking part.

On the surface, that means fewer matches and fewer players standing between somebody and MODUS.

But it doesn't necessarily make the tournament easier.

With Cooper and Griffiths both arriving 10-0, Spurdle and Cleave at 8-2, Humphries at 9-1 and several proven regional performers elsewhere in the field, there is quality throughout the entry list.

And with only one prize that really matters, eventually somebody has to beat those players.

One More Opportunity

This is what seven weeks of Vault 18 have been building towards.

The weekly wins, ranking points and long evenings at venues across Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Gloucestershire have created the field.

On Saturday, all of that disappears.

Whether somebody qualified first or twentieth doesn't matter once the darts begin.

Twenty players.

One South West Regional Final.

One MODUS Super Series place.

Henry Cooper has already travelled this road successfully once.

On Saturday we'll discover whether he can do it again — or whether somebody else takes the South West's latest opportunity to step out of the Vault and onto the televised MODUS stage.

One Win From the MODUS Stage – South East & London Vault 18 Regional Final Preview

 

Seven weeks of Vault competition. Hundreds of matches. Dozens of venues and countless legs of darts.

On Saturday, it all comes down to one day.

The ADC Vault 18 South East & London Regional Final takes place on Saturday 22 August, bringing together 32 of the leading performers from one of the strongest and deepest regions in the Vault system.

And this time the prize is about considerably more than winning another darts tournament.

The winner earns a place on the MODUS Super Series, taking them from the grassroots Vault circuit onto the televised MODUS stage and giving them an opportunity to take another significant step in their darting career.

That pathway is precisely what makes the Vault concept so fascinating.

For seven weeks, players have competed in regular round-robin tournaments across the region, accumulating points towards the regional standings. The leading players then earn their shot at the Regional Final, where everything effectively resets.

Thirty-two players.

One knockout tournament.

One MODUS opportunity.

The Vault regulations describe the prize as a live MODUS Super Series place, guaranteeing either a five-day appearance or two separate two-day appearances.

For players accustomed to competing in clubs, pubs and social venues around the country, that is an enormous opportunity.

And the South East & London field looks particularly difficult to predict.

Cressey Looking to Do It Again

There is an obvious place to begin.

George Cressey knows exactly what it takes to win one of these.

Cressey won the Vault 17 South East & London Regional Final, earning his previous MODUS opportunity, and returns for Vault 18 attempting the difficult feat of qualifying again.

His wider form suggests that previous success was certainly no one-off.

The Q4QS database has Cressey averaging 85.17, while his recent results include victory at the Once Twitten Early Bird tournament where he averaged an outstanding 93.58 across the event. He has also produced a recorded match average of 120.40.

There is another interesting element to Cressey's story.

He has already shown that when the prize becomes bigger, his game can rise with it. That previous experience of navigating a regional final could prove extremely valuable on Saturday.

But this is far from a one-man tournament.

Dutton Brings Serious Form

If we're looking for one of the strongest statistical cases in the field, Stuart Dutton is difficult to ignore.

Dutton comes into the Regional Final with an 83.03 database average and an 8-2 record across his last ten matches.

His recent tournament record is even more impressive.

There are wins at Riverside Club and Sports Bar & Lounge in Milton Keynes, semi-finals at Bradmoor Farm and Charville Community Centre, and a semi-final at the Winmau CDC Classic where he averaged 84.50.

That's exactly the sort of consistency required in a 32-player knockout.

There won't be much room for a slow start on Saturday.

Crook Has Already Shown His Quality

Roger Crook is another player arriving with winning form behind him.

Crook won ADC Winmau Championship South Event 12, going through that tournament 8-0 and averaging 82.60. More recently, he reached another final at the GWRSA Club while averaging 88.19 across the event.

His last-ten record stands at 8-2.

Perhaps more importantly, those performances have come in substantial fields and against strong opposition. There should be very little about the pressure of Saturday's Regional Final that intimidates him.

Levett's Consistency Makes Him Dangerous

Connor Levett may be one of the most interesting players in the draw.

An 81.15 database average is backed up by an 8-2 recent record, while Levett has already won Vault 18 tournaments at TMG Social Club and Southwick Sports & Social Club.

He followed those victories by reaching another final at The Bear Free House, averaging 81.06.

That is a very solid body of Vault form.

And in an event made up predominantly of players who have earned their place through this exact competition, being consistently successful within the Vault format itself could be particularly significant.

Holley Knows How to Win

Then there's Sean Holley.

Holley has multiple recent Vault successes in the database, including an unbeaten 8-0 victory at Chinnor Community Pavilion and another tournament win at Bradmoor Farm where he averaged 85.80.

His best individual performances suggest there is another gear available as well, with the preview data recording a best average of 117.72.

If that higher level appears at the right moment, Holley becomes extremely dangerous.

Caste Might Be the Form Player

If recent wins are the deciding factor, however, Mat Caste demands attention.

Caste is 9-1 across his last ten recorded matches.

His recent run contains a semi-final at Hotshots, another semi-final at Bradmoor Farm and then three tournament victories – at the Carlton House Club, Windmill Hill Golf Centre and Hotshots Sports Bar.

At Windmill Hill he averaged 85.66 across the tournament.

There may be players with higher long-term numbers in this field, but very few appear to be arriving with greater momentum.

Six to Follow

My six for Saturday are therefore:

George Cressey – the defending Vault regional qualifier winner and already proven in exactly this situation.

Roger Crook – recent ADC Winmau Championship winner with another final immediately among his recent results.

Connor Levett – consistently producing around the 80-plus level and already a multiple Vault winner.

Stuart Dutton – arguably the strongest all-round statistical profile among the leading contenders.

Sean Holley – plenty of winning experience and capable of producing significantly bigger numbers when everything clicks.

Mat Caste – 9-1 across his last ten and coming into the tournament on a superb sequence of deep runs and victories.

Those are also the six highlighted by the Q4QS preview data.

But Don't Ignore the Rest

Perhaps the biggest danger when assessing this tournament is concentrating too heavily on the obvious six.

There are some remarkable runs elsewhere in the field.

Nathan Beckett, for example, is listed at 10-0 across his last ten and has recently won at The Empire Club, Plough & Horse and The Earl of Abingdon.

George Whyte is also 10-0, his latest appearance producing victory at the IDL Super GP Ruislip.

Remarkably, James Smith is another player carrying a 10-0 record, with victories at Saintbridge Sports Club and South Croydon Conservative Club among his latest results.

And Clayton Ford makes it four players in the wider field whose database form reads 10-0, having most recently won the Chinnor Pavilion Vault Break.

That illustrates the quality of this Regional Final better than almost anything else.

There are players outside an obvious six-to-follow shortlist arriving having barely lost a match.

The Beauty of the Regional Final

What I particularly like about these events is what they represent.

The MODUS Super Series has become an important bridge between grassroots and professional darts. Players don't necessarily need a PDC Tour Card or a major management deal to suddenly find themselves playing televised darts.

They can earn the opportunity on the board.

For the Vault players, Saturday is the culmination of weeks of travelling, entering events, accumulating ranking points and trying to finish high enough in their region to reach this stage.

Now none of those points matter.

The objective becomes beautifully simple.

Win your matches and reach MODUS.

Cressey has already done it.

Dutton, Crook, Levett, Holley and Caste have compelling cases.

Several others arrive on extraordinary winning runs.

And somewhere among this 32-player field is someone who will finish Saturday having transformed a successful Vault campaign into an opportunity to showcase their darts on the MODUS Super Series stage.

That's quite a prize to play for.

Vault 18 Regional Finals: Wales Shows the Depth, but the South West Has Plenty of Firepower

 

Vault 18 came to an end on 16 August, bringing seven weeks of qualification to a close and setting up the next stage: the Regional Finals.

For the players who have made it through, the rewards are significant. There is serious prize money available, but perhaps even more importantly, an opportunity to progress towards the MODUS Super Series and the exposure that comes with playing live on Pluto TV.

That can open doors well beyond one weekend.

For this first look at the Regional Finals, I am concentrating mainly on the two areas I have covered most closely throughout Vault 18: the South West and Wales.

I am not making outright predictions yet. That will come closer to the Regional Finals themselves.

Instead, I wanted to answer a different set of questions.

How strong were the Vault events in each region? Which venues consistently produced the toughest fields? How do the final Top 32s compare? And does the regional table necessarily tell us who the most dangerous players actually are?

The results are fascinating.

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Wales Has the Deeper Top 32

The clearest finding comes from comparing the actual Vault averages of the 32 qualifiers in each region.

At the very top, there is virtually nothing between them.

The five strongest averages in the South West produce a combined figure of 83.32, while the equivalent five in Wales come out at 83.48.

That is effectively level.

Move further down the field, however, and Wales begins to pull away.

Field depth	South West	Wales
Best 5 average	83.32	83.48
Best 10	80.75	82.70
Best 16	78.84	81.49
Best 20	77.82	80.69
Full Top 32	74.55	78.26

The contrast becomes even clearer when looking at the number of players reaching certain standards.

The South West has four players averaging 80 or more.

Wales has 11.

The South West has 15 players averaging at least 75.

Wales has 26.

So the story is not that Wales necessarily possesses a far stronger group of favourites.

It is that the Welsh field appears to lose much less quality as you travel through the draw.

That could make the Welsh Regional Final particularly unforgiving.

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Henry Cooper Sets the Standard in the South West

If Wales wins the depth argument, the highest individual average across the two fields belongs to the South West.

Henry Cooper leads the South West rankings with a superb 87.22 average.

He finished on the maximum 320 points despite competing in only 12 events, making his qualification particularly impressive.

And he isn't alone at the top.

Gareth Griffiths sits seventh in the regional table but averaged 85.59.

Josh McCarthy is sixth at 81.66.

Robbie Martin, despite being only the 14th seed, averaged 82.40.

That latter number is particularly interesting when cross-referenced with the wider Q4QS database.

Martin is one of the strongest South West qualifiers in the wider data and arrives with a 10-0 recent record, including consecutive Vault 18 titles.

That immediately shows why simply following the regional seedings could be dangerous.

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The South West Players Whose Seeds Could Be Misleading

The wider Q4QS data throws up several players who look considerably stronger than their Vault position might initially suggest.

Gareth Griffiths ranks extremely highly in the wider Vault-filtered Q4QS data despite qualifying seventh.

Robbie Martin is 14th.

Zach Quinn, with a 78.32 Vault average, qualified only 22nd.

Then comes perhaps the most eye-catching example.

Declan Cox qualified 32nd.

Last place in the Regional Final field.

Yet Cox has already demonstrated that his ceiling is considerably higher than that seed suggests. At North Star Club in Calne he produced a 103.66 average, while Josh McCarthy hit 100.20 at the same event. Cox went on to win the tournament.

That is not the profile of somebody you would necessarily want as the bottom seed in your section of the draw.

The South West may not have the same depth of 80-plus averages as Wales, but it contains plenty of players capable of producing very high-level darts on the right day.

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Wales: Danger Almost Everywhere

The Welsh field looks different.

The eye-catching feature is not just the top of the rankings.

It is how many strong players appear deep into the 32.

The first 12 qualifiers all finished on 320 points, but even that does not tell the full story.

Some of the strongest statistical players are much further down.

Llew Bevan is only the 26th seed but averaged 84.39 — the highest average in the entire Welsh Top 32.

Keenan Thomas is 29th with an 81.38 average.

Luke Newport is 17th at 81.59.

Ryan Davies is 20th at 79.98.

Gavin Sterio is 27th at 79.46.

That is extraordinary depth.

It means drawing somebody ranked in the twenties in Wales offers no guarantee whatsoever of getting an easier match.

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Connor Hopkins Leads the Wider Q4QS Picture

Cross-referencing the Welsh qualifiers with the larger Vault 18 database produces another significant name.

Connor Hopkins ranks second across the entire Vault-filtered Q4QS player pool.

He qualified fifth in Wales.

That demonstrates just how little the regional seed alone tells us about underlying playing standard.

And we already have evidence of his ceiling.

At Wattsville National Club, Hopkins produced averages of 98.92 and 95.94, while Stephen Cake hit 100.20 and 95.94 at the same event.

Cake eventually finished top of the Welsh Regional rankings.

Alec Small, another of the Welsh 320-point qualifiers, also appeared prominently in that same event and later won at Tredegar, where he produced a 92.02 average.

So the Welsh depth isn't merely the product of accumulated averages.

There have been plenty of high-level performances behind those numbers.

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Points Do Not Tell the Whole Story

This is another important part of the Vault 18 picture.

Players competed in very different numbers of events.

That means points partly reflect performance, but they also reflect opportunity and volume.

Take the South West.

Henry Cooper reached 320 points from just 12 events.

Gareth Griffiths earned 212 from only eight.

Jamie Kay reached 208 from nine.

Compare that with some players who competed in more than 20 tournaments.

Wales provides an even more extreme example.

Alex Williams reached 320 points from only 11 events.

Stephen Cake also scored 320 but competed in 26.

Timothy Jones required 28 events to reach the same total.

None of this makes one player automatically better than another.

But it does highlight why points, averages and underlying Q4QS strength should all be considered together rather than treating the regional standings as a simple power ranking.

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Which Region Had the Strongest Vault Events?

The tournament-strength export produces one of the more surprising findings.

I use a calculated Tournament Strength score in the Q4QS database. It is important to stress that this is not simply an average. Player strength and the quality of the field contribute to the calculation.

Looking across the Vault 18 series, Wales and the South West were actually much closer than the Regional Final averages might suggest.

Across the events I could confidently classify, the average Tournament Strength multiplier was approximately:

Wales — 1.085

South West — 1.081

That is almost nothing between them.

The median figures are similarly close.

So this isn't a case of Wales simply having much stronger Vault tournaments throughout the seven-week series.

The everyday playing environments in the two regions were broadly comparable.

The bigger difference appears when we get to which players accumulated enough points to form the final 32.

That is a much more interesting conclusion.

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Lindsay Constitutional Club Leads the Way in Wales

When the venues are separated out, one stands above the rest.

Lindsay Constitutional Club, Cefn Hengoed

Across seven recorded Vault 18 events, Lindsay produced an average Tournament Strength multiplier of approximately 1.254.

Its strongest individual event reached 1.350, comfortably the highest figure I found across the South West and Welsh comparison.

The average Top-20 figure across its events was also around 67.82.

And the results data supports that strength.

Stephen Cake won there during Vault 18, producing 91.69 and 90.73 performances on the night.

Behind Lindsay, some of the other strongest recurring Welsh venues included:

Cardiff County Conservative Club

Brynmawr Social Club

PILCS Sports & Social Club

Mile End Inn, Swansea

Brynmawr is particularly noteworthy because it produced 14 recorded Vault events while still maintaining a strong overall field level.

That suggests sustained depth rather than one unusually strong tournament.

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Sartan Leads a Strong South West Group

The strongest recurring South West venue was:

Sartan Club, Bishopsworth

Across eight events, Sartan produced an average Tournament Strength multiplier of approximately 1.235, with a best event of 1.305.

That makes it the South West benchmark for Vault 18.

Behind it came:

North Star Club, Calne

Elmore Football Club, Tiverton

Yeovil Labour Club

Indian Queens WMC, Cornwall

with Magpies Social Club, Stonehouse and Saintbridge Sports Club, Gloucester very close behind.

Again, this is useful context.

The South West doesn't rely on one strong pocket of darts.

There are competitive fields spread across Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Gloucestershire.

At Indian Queens, for example, Gareth Griffiths and Neil Meneer met in a Vault final after both producing 96.97 averages during the event. Griffiths also hit 91.84 in the final.

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South West v Wales: What Have We Actually Learned?

There are three different comparisons here.

And they don't all produce exactly the same answer.

At the very top of the Regional Finals

Almost nothing separates the regions.

South West even possesses the highest individual average through Henry Cooper.

Across the full Top 32

Wales looks significantly deeper.

The Welsh field contains far more 80-plus players and very few qualifiers whose averages drop much below the mid-70s.

Across the Vault tournaments themselves

The regions were surprisingly similar in overall tournament strength.

Wales has the strongest individual venue in Lindsay Constitutional Club and a slightly higher average strength figure, but the difference across all events is relatively small.

That leads me to perhaps the most interesting conclusion of all.

The strength difference in the Regional Finals isn't necessarily because Wales had vastly harder Vault events.

It appears to be more about the depth of players who successfully emerged from them.

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Some Seeds May Mean Almost Nothing

This is perhaps the thing I'll be watching most closely once the actual Regional Finals begin.

There are players buried deep in both rankings whose underlying numbers look far stronger than their seed.

In the South West:

Robbie Martin — #14

Zach Quinn — #22

Joe Bagguley — #27

Logan Symons Jr — #30

Declan Cox — #32

And in Wales:

Luke Newport — #17

Llew Bevan — #26

Gavin Sterio — #27

Keenan Thomas — #29

Dean Reynolds — #30

A draw involving some of those players could look favourable on paper while being anything but.

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What Comes Next?

For now, I'm stopping short of predicting winners.

That will come closer to the Regional Finals themselves, when I'll look at the actual draws, recent form and the strongest routes through each field.

That is where the likes of Cooper, Griffiths, Hopkins, Cake, Bevan, Martin and others can be assessed properly as potential winners rather than simply interesting statistical profiles.

But one thing is already clear.

The jump from a local Vault night to the Regional Finals represents a significant opportunity.

There is prize money to be won, but beyond that lies the prospect of appearing in the MODUS Super Series, playing in front of a much larger audience and potentially opening doors that simply aren't available on an ordinary local darts night.

For 64 players across the South West and Wales, the seven weeks of Vault 18 have got them this far.

Now the serious part begins.

Q4QS Weekly Spotlight: Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week (week ending 16rh August 2026)

 

Another seven days of grassroots darts has produced plenty of candidates for the Q4QS Weekly Spotlight, but this week's final three all caught my eye for very different reasons.

For Pete Hughes, it was the sheer volume of success. Four tournament victories in five days made him almost impossible to leave out. Ricky King combined three titles with some exceptional scoring, including averages north of 100. And Owen Bates saved one of the week's biggest individual performances for Saturday, coming through a large field to win the Ilfracombe Summer Open.

As always, this isn't designed simply to reproduce the week's results or pick the three highest averages. I'm looking for the players whose performances and stories genuinely stood out to me over the previous seven days.

Pete Hughes

Player Profile

There isn't much Pete Hughes hasn't experienced on the grassroots circuit, and the sheer scale of his 2026 record illustrates just how regularly he competes.

Across 818 recorded matches, Hughes has won 698, giving him an outstanding 85.3% win rate from 124 events. Even more impressively, those appearances have already produced 51 tournament victories, alongside 11 runner-up finishes and 26 semi-finals.

His overall match average sits at 78.50, while his scoring ceiling is considerably higher. His best recorded performance is a remarkable 118.66, and his top five also contain averages of 115.62, 112.73 and 111.33.

Hughes has also consistently proved capable of beating strong opposition. His database includes five recorded victories over Joe Quiney, including a 6–0 win while averaging 92.02 and another 3–0 success with a 93.94.

This Week

Even by Hughes' standards, this was some week.

It began on Monday at The Bengeworth in Evesham, where Hughes collected the title after seven victories, beating Matt Metrovich in the final. His run included two 93.94 averages.

Twenty-four hours later he did it again.

At Bretforton Sports Club, Hughes won eight matches to take another Vault 18 title and stepped the scoring up considerably. He produced 103.66, 100.78 and 98.48 during the event before defeating Dave Honey 3–0 in the final.

Thursday brought title number three at Cue Corner in Worcester. Hughes recorded seven wins, including a 91.09 average, before beating Antony Butler 3–0 in the final.

And on Friday, it was back to Bengeworth.

Victories over George Nurdin and Mitchell Leeming took him into another final, where he edged Richard Coombes 3–2 to complete an extraordinary fourth tournament victory of the week.

Four titles in five days is a remarkable return, and made Hughes one of the simplest Weekly Spotlight selections I've had to make so far.

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Ricky King

Player Profile

Ricky King's database sample isn't as large as Hughes', but what he's done with it is remarkable.

King has won 65 of 72 recorded matches, an exceptional 90.3% win rate, and has already converted nine of his 12 recorded tournament appearances into victories. He also enters the end of this week with a perfect 10–0 record across his last ten matches.

His overall average is 81.35, but again the headline numbers show a much higher ceiling. King has a best recorded average of 111.33, while his five best include 107.36, 104.75, 103.66 and 96.97.

He has also demonstrated that ability away from the local Vault circuit. At the Isle of Man Festival he defeated players including Pat Scurfield, Connor Bowler and Graham Jenkins, with the Bowler victory coming alongside a 104.75 average.

This Week

King's week began with victory at Swanage RBL.

He produced 103.66 against David Elm, added a 93.94 against Jordan Cluskey and then averaged 90.18 in a 3–0 final victory over Alfie Reeves.

Then came Thursday at The Kings Arms in Wallisdown, where King went even bigger.

A 107.36 average against William Young was the standout number of another title-winning run. King won eight matches during the event before defeating Tom Crocker 3–0 in the final.

Twenty-four hours later he completed the hat-trick at Sturminster Football Club.

King defeated Christopher Roberts with a 93.94 average, averaged 93.52 against Jordan Cluskey in the semi-final and then beat Callum Harrison 3–0 to take another title.

That's three titles across the week, accompanied by 107.36, 103.66, 93.94 and 93.52 performances.

For a player already winning more than 90% of his recorded matches, this was another emphatic demonstration of just how difficult Ricky King is proving to beat.

---

Owen Bates

Player Profile

Owen Bates is a very different selection from the other two.

He is already competing regularly within the professional system, with his 2026 record including Players Championship, Development Tour, European Tour qualifier and other PDC appearances.

Across 185 recorded matches, Bates has won 124, giving him a 67% win rate against what is often considerably stronger opposition than the typical grassroots field. His overall match average is an excellent 87.79, rising to a Q4QS average of 88.96.

His best recorded average is 104.50 against Stephen Burton at Players Championship 5, while he has also produced 104.01 on the Development Tour and averages above 101 against Bradley Brooks and Madars Razma.

The level of his opposition is perhaps even more revealing. Bates has beaten William O'Connor, Cameron Menzies, Adam Gawlas and Beau Greaves, while his losses include matches against Chris Dobey and Kevin Doets.

This Week

Unlike Hughes and King, Bates didn't need a collection of tournament victories to catch my eye.

He needed one very good Saturday.

The Ilfracombe Summer Open contained 127 recorded matches, and Bates came through 11 matches to lift the title.

His knockout run became increasingly impressive as the tournament progressed.

Bates averaged 99.62 to beat Clint Parkhouse, 96.97 in a 4–0 quarter-final victory over Mathew Hern and 97.62 while defeating Andy Steed 4–1 in the semi-final. He then completed the job with a 5–2 victory over Nigel Gullon.

The result also extended Bates' current recorded form to ten consecutive victories.

It's a slightly different Weekly Spotlight story, but that's exactly why I've included him. A big field, 11 victories, three averages between 96 and 100 in the decisive stages and a tournament title made the Ilfracombe run one of the standout individual performances anywhere in this week's results.

Yesterday's Darts Results Review – 5 August 2026

 

Wednesday once again delivered a packed evening of grassroots darts, with 86 tournaments added to the Q4QS database and hundreds of players competing across the UK. From established names continuing their excellent form to new winners making their mark, there was plenty to catch the eye.

The headline performance in the South West came from Craig Difford, who claimed Week 5 of the Pawlett Pavilion Grand Prix with a commanding 3-0 victory over Kieran Spurdle. Difford produced the highest average of the tournament at 93.94, continuing what has been another impressive run of form.

Over in Bristol, Zach Quinn added another title to his growing collection by winning the latest Vault 18 at The Sartan Club. Quinn edged past Danny Humphries 3-2 in an excellent final, with Humphries also producing one of the performances of the night, averaging 96.97 during the event. The pair continue to establish themselves as two of the most consistent performers in the South West.

There was another notable winner in Dorset as Robbie Martin lifted the title at Stalbridge RBL, producing a string of quality displays throughout the evening and recording four of the tournament's five highest averages.

Further west, Harry Madge continued his excellent season by taking victory at Galaxy Sports Bar, Torquay, overcoming Luke Grantham in the final after another consistent night's work.

At The Wellington Arms, Ilfracombe, Nigel Gullon battled through another competitive field, while Ryan Griffiths emerged victorious at Shooters Bar, Leominster, defeating Chris Hurds in the final after Zac Griffiths had earlier produced the tournament's highest average of 103.66.

Standout Performances

Although tournament victories rightly take the headlines, several players produced outstanding individual performances during the evening.

• Zac Griffiths fired a superb 103.66 average at Shooters Bar.
• Danny Humphries registered 96.97 during the Sartan Club event.
• Daniel Donovan also reached 96.97 in Ilfracombe.
• Josh McCarthy impressed with a 95.41 average at Stonehouse.
• Josh Lewis followed closely behind on 94.40.

These performances underline the quality now regularly seen across grassroots darts, with ton-plus averages becoming increasingly common at local competitions.

A Mention for Dexter Cornes

Congratulations also go to Dexter Cornes, who claimed victory in the Hangar 61 Under-55 Average Tournament. Events like these continue to provide an excellent competitive environment for developing players and those progressing through the regional ranks, and another title will provide Dexter with plenty of confidence moving forward.

With another 86 tournaments completed, the Q4QS rankings continue to evolve daily, making every Wednesday one of the busiest and most significant nights of the grassroots darts calendar.

Yesterday's Darts Results South and South West– 4 August 2026

 

Tuesday night delivered another busy evening across the Q4QS network, with 51 tournaments added to the database and plenty of standout performances from across the South West.

The headline performance came from Dom Taylor, who continued his excellent run of form by winning the Tuesday Open at Portishead Workmens Darts. Taylor defeated Steve Boundy 4-1 in the final and produced a superb 101.92 average in the decider, backing it up with further ton-plus scoring throughout the evening. Having now won successive local titles, he is quickly becoming one of the form players in the region.

At Bessellscotts, Bristol, Jack Walker claimed another Vault 18 title with a convincing 3-0 victory over Cori Wiltshire in the final. Walker averaged 83.50 in the final and continues to build momentum in the Bristol rankings.

Over in Chard, Kieran Spurdle lifted the title at The Choughs Hotel, defeating Daren Field 3-0. Spurdle averaged 88.41 in the final and has shown impressive consistency whenever he has appeared in the Q4QS database.

Danny Lauby came through a strong field at Bretforton Sports Club to take the title after edging Darrel Williams 3-2 in a competitive final. Although Lauby lifted the trophy, the scoring honours belonged to Pete Hughes, whose outstanding 103.66 average was the highest recorded performance at the venue. Liam George Elliott (96.97) and Vince Tipple (93.94) also enjoyed excellent nights on the oche.

Further south, Todd Woodberry won at Elmore Football Club, Tiverton, overcoming Junior Howard in the final to continue his recent good form on the Devon circuit.

There was also success in Taunton, where Jack Davey captured the Taunton U70 RR Super Series title with victory over James Wellbelove. Davey also recorded an impressive 90.18 average on his way to the title.

Across the wider Q4QS network there were numerous eye-catching performances, with Lee Evans firing a remarkable 115.62 average at Faringdon, while Neil Meneer matched that figure in Cornwall. Former PDC professional Ted Evetts also produced an excellent 111.33 average during play at The Crow Pie in Rugby.

Another excellent night of grassroots darts saw strong numbers across the South West, with Portishead, Bristol, Chard, Evesham, Tiverton and Taunton all producing competitive tournaments as players continue their push up the Q4QS rankings.

Yesterday's Darts Results South and South West – 3 August 2026

 

Monday night saw another busy evening across the grassroots darts scene, with 28 tournaments added to the Q4QS database from across the Midlands, Wales and Southern England.

As always, the South West provided plenty of quality, with several familiar names adding another title to their growing collections.

The standout performance came at The Bengeworth Club, Evesham, where Shaun Vernall continued his excellent run of form by lifting another Vault 18 title. Vernall defeated Graham Hall 3–2 in the final and fired a superb 107.36 average, sharing the highest average recorded anywhere in the Q4QS database on Monday. Pete Hughes also impressed at the same event with an identical 107.36 average, while Vince Tipple added a 100.20 average to underline the quality on show.

The South Bristol Darts Summer Open at the Sartan Club saw Ben Witcombe produce another impressive display, whitewashing Joe Silvester 4–0 in the final to take the title. Connor Davies led the scoring statistics with the highest average of the event, but Witcombe's consistency proved enough to lift the trophy.

At Stratford Social Club in Salisbury, Ben Collins added another Vault 18 success with a 3–1 victory over Mason Beaven. Although Danny Humphries posted the event's highest average of 100.20, Collins negotiated a strong field to secure another valuable Q4QS title.

Further north, Ryan Williams came through a closely fought evening at Shooters Bar, Leominster, edging Jamie English 3–2 in the final, while Roger Crook claimed the Didcot Vault title after overcoming Alex Denham in another deciding-leg final. Crook also produced one of the performances of the day with a superb 107.36 average.

The latest round of JDC VOLTS Series 7 also produced another excellent display from the next generation. Joshua Stott claimed victory at Stratford Social Club, defeating Jacob Stott in the final while recording an impressive 96.97 average during the event.

Elsewhere around the South West, Andy Steed continued his fine recent form by winning in Paignton, while Morgan Fowler finally got the better of Josh McCarthy to lift the North Star Club title in Calne after an excellent evening's darts.

With another 28 tournaments now added to the database, August is already beginning to shape the latest Q4QS rankings, and every title continues to strengthen players' claims as the summer season gathers momentum.

Yesterday's Darts Results South and South West – 2 August 2026

It was another outstanding day for grassroots darts, with 62 tournaments added to the Q4QS database covering the Midlands, Wales and Southern England. From local Vault events to JDC VOLTS competitions and major weekend opens, there was plenty of quality on display.

One of the standout performances came in Plymouth, where Andy Steed captured the Vault 18 title at Legends Lounge. Steed defeated Scott Lawrey 3–1 in the final and also produced the highest average from the featured winners with an excellent 94.80.

In Taunton, C-Jay Pipe continued his excellent form by winning at The Queens Arms. Pipe defeated Jack Walker 3–0 in the final and impressed throughout the day, recording a top average of 91.09.

The latest round of JDC VOLTS Series 7 produced another collection of talented young winners. Logun Godbeer claimed victory at Highbridge Social Club after defeating Alfie Coles in the final, while George Miller lifted the Exeter title with a 3–0 victory over Aaron Rea. Both players continue to build impressive junior records.

Gloucester's Vault 18 event at Matson Rugby Club saw Shaun Vernall come through a strong field, edging Lee Andrews 3–2 in the final after another consistent day's work. Meanwhile, Ryan Greenslade emerged victorious from a competitive Sunday Evening Chuck at Portishead Workmens Darts, defeating Warren Ryan in a deciding leg 

Elsewhere around the South West, there were plenty more notable winners. Steve Boundy came through a strong field at Portishead Workmens Darts, while Paul Gardiner impressed at The Queens Arms in Taunton. Across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, another busy Sunday of Vault 18 and local competitions provided valuable ranking points as players continue their push up the Q4QS standings.

With August only just underway, every victory and every strong performance has the potential to make a difference in the race for next month's rankings, and another packed week of grassroots darts lies ahead.