Does Practice Really Matter in Darts?

 I've got another tournament tonight and, if I'm being honest, I don't have particularly high expectations.

The reason isn't because I've lost confidence or anything like that. It's simply because I haven't picked up a dart since last Thursday's tournament. Not a single dart thrown all week.

The strange thing is that I don't actually expect to play much worse than I did last week. Equally, I don't expect to play any better.

That got me thinking about something I've heard countless times in darts.

You'll often hear good players say they hardly ever practise. Some will tell you they only really throw darts when they have a match. Others claim their darts barely come out of the case between tournaments.

At the same time, I've known players who seem to spend hours at the board every week and still don't reach the level they want.

So what is actually going on?

I think one of the problems is that different people mean different things when they talk about practice.

For some players, practice means standing at the board every night throwing hundreds of darts. For others, practice means playing in the local league once or twice a week. Some players don't count matches as practice at all, even though they're getting regular competitive darts against decent opposition.

If somebody tells me they never practise, my first question would probably be whether they play regularly.

If they're playing two league matches and a local knockout every week, that's still a lot of darts. They're still under pressure. They're still having to score, finish and deal with nerves. That's not the same as doing doubles routines at home, but it's certainly helping maintain their standard.

I also wonder whether people focus too much on what they've done recently and not enough on the years that came before.

A player averaging 80 or 90 might genuinely not practise much now, but what about the previous ten or twenty years?

Most good players didn't simply wake up one morning and start averaging big numbers. They've usually spent years playing pub leagues, local competitions, county matches or practising at home. The experience has already been built.

Once you've thrown hundreds of thousands of darts, I don't think a week away from the board suddenly erases all of that.

It's a bit like riding a bike. You might be slightly rusty after a break, but the basic skill is still there.

What tends to disappear first isn't the ability itself. It's the sharpness.

You might miss a few more doubles than normal. Your throw might not feel quite as smooth in the opening few legs. You might struggle to find a rhythm straight away.

But that's very different from suddenly becoming a poor player.

Of course, there is also the question of natural ability.

Whether people like admitting it or not, some players seem to improve much quicker than others. We've all seen players who have only been playing a few years but somehow make the game look easy. We've also seen players who work incredibly hard and never quite reach the standard they would like.

Practice matters, but I don't think it's the whole story.

The best players probably have a mixture of talent, experience and hard work. Remove any one of those and it becomes much harder to reach a high level.

My own view is that short-term practice is probably overrated, while long-term accumulated experience is underrated.

Missing a week doesn't concern me too much.

Missing six months probably would.

The reason some experienced players can get away with practising less is because they've already spent years building their game. They've already put the work in, even if they're not doing it right now.

So tonight will be an interesting little test.

I've not thrown a dart for seven days. Maybe I'll be a couple of points below my normal level. Maybe I'll play exactly the same as last week.

Either way, I suspect one thing.

The result will tell me far more about the darts I've thrown over the last few years than the darts I haven't thrown over the last seven days.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Steve West Hits 105.44 as Pete Hughes, Andy Steed & Joe Quiney Star – 15 September 2026

Tuesday was another huge night for grassroots darts, with 50 tournaments added to the Q4QS database.

And there was plenty to pick out from the South and South West.

Pete Hughes produced the biggest local average of the night with a superb 104.41 at Bretforton Sports Club, while Robbie Martin hit 104.16 in Poole. There were tournament victories for Andy Steed in Tiverton, Joe Quiney in Evesham, Jack Walker in Bristol, Will Jackson in Gloucester and Clare Bywater in Leominster.

Further east, Steve West produced the biggest number anywhere in Tuesday's results — 105.44 at Fareham Social Club — and then completed an excellent night by winning the tournament.

Hughes goes big – but Quiney takes the title

Bretforton Sports Club produced one of the most interesting tournaments of the night.

Pete Hughes hit a 104.41 average in a 2–1 victory over Andy Hammond, who averaged an impressive 93.32 himself.

Hughes also recorded an 85.12 later in the competition, while Danny Lauby reached 91.09.

But it was Joe Quiney who emerged with the title.

Quiney recorded seven victories and beat Vince Tipple 3–2 in the final, having also produced an 88.41 during his run. Lauby finished with six wins and Shaun Vernall with five.

So Hughes takes the performance headline from Evesham, but Quiney takes the trophy.

Andy Steed wins in Tiverton

There was another strong night for Andy Steed, this time at Elmore Football Club in Tiverton.

Dave Fisher produced the highest average of the tournament at 96.97, with Phil Bisset reaching 93.94.

Steed wasn't far behind with a 91.09, but once again it was the tournament run that mattered.

Steed and Fisher both collected seven victories before meeting in the final, where Steed won 3–0 to take another Vault title.

Robbie Martin fires 104.16 in Poole

Robbie Martin was very close to adding another title to his recent run.

At The Newtown in Poole, Martin produced a superb 104.16 average, followed by 93.94 and 88.41 performances.

He reached the final with seven wins but was denied the title by Matt Yarrow, who won the deciding match 3–2.

Yarrow also finished with seven victories and produced an 89.37 in the final itself.

For Martin, though, another 100+ average is a notable addition to his recent Q4QS record.

Jack Walker wins in Bristol

At Bessellscotts in Bristol, Jack Walker dominated the results.

Walker recorded seven victories and occupied all five places in the event's list of leading averages, headed by 73.32.

He then completed the night with a 3–0 final victory over Matt Cooper.

It wasn't one of Tuesday's highest-scoring tournaments, but from a results perspective Walker couldn't have done much more.

Will Jackson takes Gloucester title

At Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester, Will Jackson produced an eight-win tournament run.

James Mann recorded the highest average at 88.41, ahead of Todd Marfell on 83.50 and Martin Taylor on 81.24.

Jackson's best was 78.38, but he progressed all the way through the competition before beating Daniel Jeffrey 3–0 in the final.

Again, a good example of why the highest average and the tournament winner often tell two different stories.

Clare Bywater dominates in Leominster

The WADC Vault at Shooters Bar in Leominster belonged to Clare Bywater.

Bywater recorded the tournament's three highest averages — 66.80, 62.63 and 58.56 — and finished with five victories.

She then beat Karrina Barnes 3–0 in the final to complete an impressive tournament.

With the WADC events now forming part of these daily reports, performances like this will also start building a much clearer picture of the women's grassroots game.

Dani Kearns wins WADC Vault in Swindon

There was another WADC winner at Wiltshire Darts House.

Dani Kearns produced the tournament's highest average of 75.15, collected six victories and defeated Chris Savvery 2–1 in the final.

Savvery also had a strong event, recording averages of 68.32 and 66.70 on the way to four victories.

Steve West tops the entire night

Although my daily coverage remains weighted towards the South and South West, the national data produced an outstanding performance at Fareham.

Steve West averaged 105.44 in the final itself, beating Lloyd Walker 3–1.

West also hit 100.20 earlier in the competition and finished with eight victories.

Walker played his part in a high-quality final too, averaging 99.68, having previously recorded a 94.50 and 90.18.

That makes West's 105.44 the highest individual average across all 50 tournaments in Tuesday's report.

Plenty more 100+ darts

It wasn't only West and Hughes breaking three figures.

James Hubbard hit 104.86 at Hethersett, Robbie Martin produced 104.16 in Poole, Jack Main reached 103.66, and Stephen Cake hit 102.48 at Lindsay Constitutional Club in Wales.

Keegan Brown, Fin Lowe and several others also reached 100.20.

That's a pretty serious collection of numbers for one Tuesday night of largely grassroots competition.

Another 50 tournaments into Q4QS

The sheer volume is becoming almost as interesting as the individual performances.

Another 50 tournaments means another substantial batch of matches feeding into the Q4QS database — adding to player records, form, head-to-heads, venue histories and the wider rankings picture.

For me, Tuesday's local headlines are Pete Hughes' 104.41, Robbie Martin's 104.16 and titles for Andy Steed, Joe Quiney, Jack Walker, Will Jackson and Clare Bywater.

But the performance of the entire results set belongs to Steve West: 105.44, eight wins and the Fareham title.

Follow Q4QS for daily grassroots darts results, player statistics, rankings and tournament coverage.

How Do You Beat Luke Littler? Six Defeats Reveal the Best Chance of Stopping Darts’ Dominant Player

 The World Series of Darts Finals arrive in Amsterdam this week, and once again Luke Littler will start as the man everyone wants to stop.

With another major title on offer, the question facing the 31 other players in the field is becoming increasingly familiar: how do you beat Luke Littler?

There is a growing feeling around darts that Littler may simply keep winning. His level in 2026 has been extraordinary, and when he gets into the longer televised formats he has often looked almost impossible to stop.

So ahead of the World Series Finals, rather than simply asking who might beat him in Amsterdam, I wanted to look at a slightly different question.

How do you actually beat Luke Littler?

The Q4QS data gives us six examples from 2026.

Littler’s current profile shows 41 wins from 47 matches, an 87.2% win rate, with six defeats.

Those six defeats are:

• Gerwyn Price, 6-2 — Bahrain Masters

• Niels Zonneveld, 6-5 — Belgian Open

• Luke Humphries, 7-5 — Nordic Masters

• Luke Humphries, 8-7 — US Masters

• Jermaine Wattimena, 6-5 — Players Championship 27

• Brendan Dolan, 7-4 — Players Championship 28

Five of those defeats are grouped in Littler’s profile, with the Dolan loss appearing among his most recent matches.
And there is one thing that jumps out immediately.

Every single defeat came in a relatively short format.

None of Littler’s defeats in the Q4QS 2026 data came in the sort of long race we see later in the biggest televised events.

That may be the first real clue.

Short Formats Give You a Chance

The theory is simple.

If Littler is producing a higher level than almost everybody else over a sustained period, then the longer the match goes, the more opportunity that superiority has to show itself.

A shorter race creates more variance.

One missed double, one 12-dart leg from the opponent, one poor visit at the wrong time, and suddenly there may not be enough match left for Littler to recover.

Jermaine Wattimena’s win is a perfect example.

Wattimena beat Littler 6-5 at Players Championship 27 while averaging just 92.36. Littler averaged 95.68.
That was not a case of somebody producing a 110 average and blowing Littler away.

It was a short match, Littler dropped below his usual level, and Wattimena took the opportunity.

Gerwyn Price did something similar in Bahrain.

Price won 6-2 with a 97.43 average while Littler averaged 94.04.
Again, it was not a superhuman performance.

It was simply good enough at exactly the right time.

But Waiting for Littler to Play Badly Is Not Enough

There is another side to this.

Niels Zonneveld beat Littler 6-5 at the Belgian Open despite Littler averaging 103.20.

Luke Humphries has beaten him twice, and both performances were at genuinely elite level.

Humphries averaged 105.42 in a 7-5 win and 104.05 in an 8-7 victory.

That gives us two different ways Littler has been beaten this year.

The first is to catch him on an ordinary day and punish it immediately.

The second is to play outstanding darts yourself and stay with him right through the short race.

The second route is obviously much harder.

But Humphries has already shown twice that it is possible.

Humphries Has the Strongest Case

If I were looking for the player with the clearest evidence that they can beat Littler rather than simply hope Littler has an off day, Humphries would be top of the list.

He is the only player in the six defeats to have beaten Littler twice.

More importantly, neither win came because Littler collapsed.

Littler still averaged 100.85 and 99.50 in those defeats.

Humphries simply played better.

That matters.

There are plenty of players capable of beating Littler if he averages 94 or 95.

There are far fewer who look capable of beating him when he is around 100 or above.

Humphries has done it.

Of course, even that does not make him some sort of Littler kryptonite.

Littler beat Humphries 6-5 at the World Masters earlier in the year, averaging 104.72.

He also beat him in the recent Czech Darts Open final.

So this is not a one-sided rivalry.

It is simply the strongest evidence in the field that somebody can go toe-to-toe with Littler at a high level and still come out on top.

Price Has Beaten Him — But the Longer Match Told a Different Story

Gerwyn Price is another obvious threat.

He has already beaten Littler this year, winning 6-2 in Bahrain.

But the World Matchplay showed how dramatically things can change when the format gets longer.

Price averaged 104.97 in the final.

That is the sort of number that wins most matches.

Against Littler, it was nowhere near enough.

Littler won 18-9 and averaged 111.53.
That may be the best single example of why a long format is such a problem.

Price had already proved he could beat Littler over a shorter race.

Later in the year he actually played far better against him — and lost heavily.

That is not proof that format alone caused the difference, but it is certainly consistent with the wider pattern.

Over a long match, Littler has more time to find his best level.

And once he does, even an opponent averaging 104 or 105 can be in serious trouble.

Van Gerwen Has a Different Kind of Case

Michael van Gerwen has not beaten Littler in the Q4QS 2026 profile data.

Littler beat him 8-5 in Saudi Arabia.

So purely on this season’s evidence, Van Gerwen would not rank above Humphries or Price as the most proven threat.

But the World Series Finals are in Amsterdam.

And that changes the feel of the story.

Van Gerwen is the defending champion, having beaten Littler 11-7 in the 2025 final at the same venue.

That does not mean history will repeat itself.

But if there is one place where Van Gerwen should walk onto stage believing he can beat Littler, Amsterdam is probably it.

He has already done it there when the title was on the line.

Wattimena Has Already Shown the Blueprint

Jermaine Wattimena may actually be one of the most interesting names in this discussion.

His win over Littler came recently, it came over a short distance, and it came without an enormous average.

He simply stayed close enough and took his opportunity.

That is probably far more realistic for most of the field than trying to produce 110 darts.

Wattimena’s example says something important.

You do not necessarily need to be the better player over 20 or 30 legs.

You need to be the better player over the legs that actually get played.

That is a very different challenge.

The Opening Rounds in Amsterdam May Be the Danger

That brings us directly back to this week's World Series Finals.

Danny Noppert gets the first chance at Littler.

On paper, Littler is the obvious favourite.

Noppert has already lost 10-6 to him at the UK Open this year.

But if the short-format pattern is real, the early rounds may actually provide the best opportunity for an upset.

A player like Noppert does not need to prove he is better than Littler across an entire season.

He does not even need to prove he is better across a long match.

He needs one sharp spell, one strong finishing run, and perhaps one ordinary patch from Littler.

That is why an early-round opponent can sometimes be more dangerous than a bigger name waiting later in the tournament.

So Who Can Stop Him in Amsterdam?

Based on the evidence I have, I would split the main threats into different categories.

Luke Humphries is the strongest proven high-level threat. He has beaten Littler twice while producing elite averages.

Gerwyn Price has already beaten him and has the scoring power to do it again, although the Matchplay showed just how hard the task becomes over longer distances.

Jermaine Wattimena has the most recent proof that a short-format upset does not require a massive average.

Michael van Gerwen has the Amsterdam history, the crowd and the memory of beating Littler in last year’s final.

And then there are players such as Wessel Nijman, Gian van Veen and Nathan Aspinall who may not have the same direct 2026 evidence against Littler, but have shown they can produce high enough levels against elite opposition to be dangerous on the right night.

The Best Way to Beat Littler May Be to Beat Him Quickly

The most obvious conclusion from the six defeats is not that Littler has a particular weakness against one specific player.

It is that the window for beating him appears to be much wider when the match is short.

If Littler averages 94 or 95, there are several players capable of punishing him.

If he averages around 100, Humphries and Zonneveld have shown he can still be beaten.

But once the match becomes long enough for Littler to settle, recover from poor spells and repeatedly produce his best scoring, the job appears to become dramatically harder.

That makes the early stages of the World Series Finals particularly interesting.

Noppert gets the first opportunity. If Littler survives that and starts finding his range, the challenge facing everyone else could become progressively harder.

So perhaps the message for Amsterdam is simple.

Do not give him time.

Do not assume you will get another chance.

And if Littler opens the door, go through it immediately.

Because if the match becomes a long one, his 2026 results suggest that door may close very quickly.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Michael Wiles Hits 111.33 as Boundy, Steed & Martin Win – 14 September 2026

Monday brought another sizeable batch of grassroots darts into Q4QS, with 45 tournaments added to the database.

There were Vault 19 events, WADC Vaults, Junior VOLTS and a selection of other round-robin competitions, with plenty happening across the South and South West alongside the wider national picture.

The performance of the day came from Michael Wiles, who produced a huge 111.33 average at the Len Forge Centre in Southend – and unlike some of the biggest averages we see, he backed it up by going all the way and winning the tournament.

Closer to home, there were titles for Steve Boundy in Minehead, Andy Steed in Paignton, Robbie Martin in Salisbury and Mitchell Leeming in Evesham, while the women's events produced an interesting double-header at Legends Lounge in Plymouth.

Wiles produces the performance of the day

Michael Wiles didn't just throw one exceptional leg or match in Southend.

His 111.33 was followed by averages of 93.94, 93.94, 92.03 and 91.09 among his recorded best performances.

Most importantly, he finished the job.

Wiles beat Craig Vickers 3–1 in the final and finished the tournament with eight victories. It was an impressive combination of peak scoring and consistency and comfortably makes him my standout player from Monday's national results.

Jack Walker fires 107.36 – but Boundy takes Minehead

The highest average from the South West came at The Banckers Draught in Minehead.

Jack Walker hit 107.36, the second-highest individual average anywhere in Monday's 45-tournament report.

But it was Steve Boundy who took the title.

Boundy recorded eight wins and beat David Farmer 3–1 in the final, with his own best recorded average reaching 91.09. Farmer also had a strong night, producing a 93.94 and reaching the final.

That's a good example of why these daily reports are about more than simply listing the highest averages. Walker produced the biggest number in Minehead; Boundy produced the tournament-winning run.

Andy Steed wins in Paignton

There was another South West title at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton, where Andy Steed beat Finlay Cleave 3–1 in the final.

Cleave actually produced two of the strongest figures of the event, averaging 96.48 and 88.41, while Leigh Bowman topped the night's averages with 96.97.

Steed, though, matched Cleave's seven wins and took the match that mattered most to secure the Vault 19 title.

Robbie Martin leads the way in Salisbury

One of Monday's strongest all-round performances came from Robbie Martin at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury.

Martin hit 96.97 and 91.09, won eight matches and then defeated Martin Grearson 3–0 in the final.

Grearson had an excellent tournament himself, recording 93.94 and 91.09 averages and seven victories, while Ryan Furness reached 88.41.

Martin therefore didn't just win the event – he did it against some very solid opposition and with numbers to back up the result.

Mitchell Leeming wins a competitive Evesham event

The Bengeworth Club in Evesham produced another interesting result.

Mitchell Leeming beat Vince Tipple 3–2 in the final, finishing with six victories.

Tipple produced the highest average of the tournament at 93.94 and also hit 92.02, while Leeming reached 91.76 and 88.99.

Shaun Vernall was another player to feature prominently, with an 89.39 among his results.

It looks like one of those tournaments where the headline average only tells part of the story – Leeming negotiated the field and came away with the title.

A Monday double-header for the women in Plymouth

The WADC results are becoming an increasingly useful addition to the Q4QS database, and Monday gave us an unusual situation at Legends Lounge in Plymouth.

Anna Pearce beat Chrissie Kinnaird 3–2 to win one of the recorded WADC Vault events.

Then, in another WADC Vault at the same venue, Kinnaird reversed the result and beat Pearce 3–1.

Pearce produced the strongest average across those Plymouth women's results at 66.34.

So rather than one player dominating the night, Pearce and Kinnaird effectively shared the honours – one title apiece.

Junior VOLTS produce another Salisbury storyline

There was more happening at Stratford Social Club than the Robbie Martin victory.

The Junior VOLTS event there was won by Jake Bertenshaw, who beat Jacob Stott 3–2 in the final.

However, Jayden Walker produced a particularly impressive sequence of averages for the junior event: 93.94, 85.08, 80.52 and 77.74.

Joshua Stott, Bertenshaw and Jacob Stott all recorded five wins, while Walker finished with four.

A 93.94 at junior level certainly deserves a mention among Monday's standout performances.

CJ Ayres wins at Highbridge

There was another Junior VOLTS title in the South West, with CJ Ayres beating Alfie Coles 3–0 at Highbridge.

Ayres recorded seven victories and produced averages of 77.08, 75.54 and 75.15.

Logun Godbeer actually supplied the highest individual average of the tournament with 80.52, but Ayres put together the strongest overall run and took the title.

Monday's standout averages

The national top end was strong again:

• Michael Wiles – 111.33
• Jack Walker – 107.36
• Tyler Thorpe – 103.66
• Mike Huntley – 103.66
• Kurt Parry – 100.20
• Roger Crook – 100.20
• Alex Ward – 100.20
• Chris Bird – 100.20
• Paul Hogan – 100.20

Wiles therefore takes the overall honours, but Jack Walker's 107.36 in Minehead stands out from a South West perspective, while Robbie Martin's combination of a 96.97, eight wins and the Salisbury title was arguably one of the most complete local performances.

And with another 45 tournaments now in the Q4QS database, all of these results can continue feeding into the rankings, player records, venue data, form and the wider picture of grassroots darts.

ADC Darts Vault 19 Week 1

 Vault 19 is underway, and although it is far too early to decide which will ultimately be the toughest venues of the new series, the opening tournaments have already given me plenty to look at.

The headline comes from Pinches Cue Club in Norwich, which has recorded a Tournament Strength score of 1.350 — the highest figure in my Vault 19 data through Saturday 12 September.

Behind Pinches, there are some very familiar names.

Sartan Club has started strongly again and currently leads the South West, while Lindsay Constitutional Club remains the early Welsh benchmark. North Star has also opened Vault 19 above its previous series level.

I've also now found the WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments.

With my interest in the women's game and the amount of women's darts I already cover on Q4QS, I think it is important that I follow those events alongside the main Vault series.

And the opening WADC figures have produced a story of their own, with South Wales occupying the top three positions so far.

This is therefore my first Tournament Strength snapshot of the new Vault series, covering tournaments in the database up to and including Saturday 12 September.

What Is Tournament Strength?

Tournament Strength isn't simply based on the winner of an event or the highest average recorded on the night.

The Q4QS Tournament Strength measure is designed to look at the overall strength of the field.

That distinction is important.

A tournament containing one outstanding player and a relatively weak field is different from one where strong players are waiting in almost every part of the draw.

Over time, Tournament Strength should therefore help identify the venues where consistently difficult fields are turning up.

One event gives us a snapshot.

Several events begin to establish a pattern.

That is why the Vault 18 figures become particularly useful as Vault 19 gets underway.

Vault 19 – The Early Leaders

These are the strongest Vault 19 tournaments in my data through Saturday 12 September:

Rank	Venue	Tournament Strength	Top-20 Avg
1	Pinches Cue Club, Norwich	1.350	72.50
2	Sartan Club	1.265	68.25
3	Lindsay Constitutional Club	1.250	67.48
4	Bretforton Sports Club	1.248	67.41
5	North Star Club	1.241	67.05
6	Bagley Sports & Social Club	1.238	66.89
7	United Services Club	1.226	66.29
8	Hethersett Social Club	1.224	66.20
9	Stratford Social Club	1.218	65.89
10	Wiltshire Darts House	1.218	65.88
11	Pilcs Sports & Social Club	1.217	65.86
12	Dorchester Trinity Club	1.203	65.16

Pinches Sets the Benchmark

There is no getting away from the standout number in that table.

1.350 — Pinches Cue Club.

There is a sizeable gap between Pinches and Sartan in second at 1.265, while the Top-20 figure of 72.50 also stands well clear of the other early leaders.

I am deliberately not calling Pinches the toughest venue in Vault 19.

We simply don't have enough evidence for that yet.

What I can say is that no Vault 19 tournament in my data through Saturday 12 September has produced a stronger Tournament Strength figure.

Now Pinches has to sustain it.

One exceptional field can produce a huge score. If Pinches continues appearing near the top after five, six or seven tournaments, then we will have evidence of something much more significant.

For now, though, everybody else has a benchmark to chase.

Sartan Still Leads the South West

Closer to home, the strongest opening figure belongs to a venue that featured heavily in my Vault 18 analysis.

Sartan Club is currently the strongest South West venue in Vault 19 at 1.265.

Its Vault 18 Tournament Strength level was around 1.23, so the opening Vault 19 figure is actually higher.

It is far too early to say that Sartan has definitely become stronger. We are comparing one new-series tournament against a much bigger Vault 18 sample.

But it is certainly an encouraging start.

Sartan established its credentials during Vault 18 and has immediately returned with another very strong field.

For now at least, Sartan remains the South West benchmark.

Lindsay Remains No.1 in Wales

There is an equally interesting story in Wales.

Lindsay Constitutional Club has opened Vault 19 at 1.250, putting it third overall in this early table and first among the Welsh venues.

What stands out here isn't improvement.

It's consistency.

Lindsay's Vault 18 level was approximately 1.254.

Vault 18: 1.254.

Vault 19 opening figure: 1.250.

That is almost identical.

A single enormous Tournament Strength score will always catch the eye, but repeatedly attracting strong fields is arguably more interesting.

Lindsay is beginning to provide evidence of exactly that.

North Star Has Started Stronger

North Star Club is another established venue worth watching.

Its opening Vault 19 figure of 1.241 compares with approximately 1.209 during Vault 18.

That is an early increase of around 0.03.

Again, I wouldn't call it a confirmed improvement after one tournament.

But North Star already had a strong Vault 18 baseline, so beginning Vault 19 above that level is significant enough to monitor.

If it is still around 1.24 after several events, then we can start talking about a genuine increase in the strength of its regular field.

Bretforton Joins the Leading Group

The familiar venues shouldn't completely dominate the story.

Bretforton Sports Club has opened with an impressive 1.248, putting it fourth overall and only fractionally behind Lindsay.

Bagley Sports & Social Club is also right amongst the leading group at 1.238.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy looking at Tournament Strength.

The winner of an event naturally receives most of the attention.

This measure gives me another way of finding venues where the difficulty of simply getting through the tournament deserves recognition.

Bretforton has certainly put itself on that list after week one.

WADC Vault 3.0 – South Wales Sets the Early Pace

I've also now added the WADC Vault 3.0 events to the tournaments I am following.

I think that matters.

Women's darts is something I have a particular interest in, and as Q4QS coverage continues to expand I don't want the WADC Vaults to become an afterthought.

I will keep the WADC figures separate from the main Vault 19 table so that we can follow the development of that circuit properly.

And the first set of numbers has produced a very clear regional story.

Leading WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength

Rank	Venue	Tournament Strength
1	The 9 Darter, Port Talbot	0.997
2	Arrows Darts Venue #2, Resolven	0.986
3	Briton Ferry Workies	0.961
4	Walton WMC	0.941
5	London GAA, Ruislip	0.933
6	Shooters, Leominster	0.916

The first thing that stands out is obvious.

The top three are all in South Wales.

The 9 Darter in Port Talbot leads the way with 0.997, followed closely by Arrows Darts Venue #2 in Resolven at 0.986.

Briton Ferry Workies completes the top three at 0.961.

That gives South Wales an impressive early grip on the WADC Vault 3.0 Tournament Strength standings.

Briton Ferry Has Previous Form

Briton Ferry is particularly interesting because I now have historical WADC data to compare against.

During WADC Vault 2.0, an event at Briton Ferry produced a Tournament Strength figure of 1.123.

That means its appearance towards the top of the early Vault 3.0 standings isn't simply an isolated strong tournament at a completely unknown venue.

There is previous evidence of strong women's fields there.

As I add more WADC results, this is exactly the sort of thing I want to explore.

Which venues repeatedly attract the strongest women's fields?

Which areas have the greatest depth?

And do the same venues remain difficult from one Vault series to the next?

After the opening tournaments, South Wales has certainly given me somewhere to start.

Two Rankings That Should Become More Interesting Every Week

The important caveat with everything in this article is the date.

These figures only include tournaments in my data up to and including Saturday 12 September.

They are not final Vault 19 or WADC Vault 3.0 venue rankings.

They're the starting point.

Pinches has produced the standout Vault 19 field at 1.350.

Sartan remains the early South West leader and has started above its Vault 18 level.

Lindsay remains No.1 in Wales and has produced almost exactly the same strength figure as it did during Vault 18.

North Star has also started higher.

And in the WADC Vaults, The 9 Darter, Arrows Resolven and Briton Ferry have given South Wales a clean sweep of the opening top three.

Now I want to see what happens when those venues have three tournaments behind them.

Then five.

Then seven.

One huge score can tell us where an exceptional tournament took place.

Doing it repeatedly tells us where the toughest venues really are.

For now, though, the first Vault 19 target has been set:

1.350 — Pinches Cue Club, Norwich.

And in WADC Vault 3.0:

0.997 — The 9 Darter, Port Talbot.

I'll be watching both.

Three Players Who Caught My Eye This Week (6-12th September 2026)

 

Another week of grassroots darts, and another three players who stood out for very different reasons.

This week I've gone with Tyler Thorpe, Michael Wiles and Oscar Shipwright.

Thorpe put together back-to-back tournament victories and produced a 103.66 average along the way. Wiles enjoyed an exceptional run of results across the week, culminating in a remarkable scoring display at Clacton. And Shipwright takes his place after winning the Bucks Youth County Open Day at Bradmoor Farm.

As always, this feature isn't simply about finding the three biggest averages or the players who won the most tournaments. It's about performances and stories that caught my eye over the previous seven days.

Tyler Thorpe

Player Profile

Tyler Thorpe's overall numbers perhaps don't immediately tell the story of the player he has become.

Across 182 recorded matches he has 108 victories, giving him a 59.3% win rate, but his current form is on another level: 10 wins from his last 10 matches. His overall match average stands at 85.00, rising to 91.49 across his latest five matches.

There is also considerable quality on Thorpe's wider CV. He has beaten Sebastian Bialecki three times, while victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode and Andrew Gilding show that he is more than capable of competing against established PDC opposition.

His best recorded average is 107.36, while performances of 103.79, 103.66 and 103.30 further demonstrate the level he can reach.

This Week

Thorpe's week was built around back-to-back tournament victories.

The first came at Monday's Daventry Town Football Club Round Robin. His profile shows an 88.41 quarter-final average against Anthony Coleman before a 3–0 semi-final victory over Jack Waker.

A day later, he did it again at the MDC Round Robin.

This time the scoring really caught the eye. Thorpe produced a 96.97 early in the event before firing in 103.66 against Charlie Symons. He then averaged 90.18 in the quarter-final, 98.02 in the semi-final and 88.53 in a 4–2 final victory over Carl Green.

Two tournaments. Two victories. Ten consecutive wins on his current profile.

A very easy choice for this week's Spotlight.

---

Michael Wiles

Player Profile

Michael Wiles has considerably fewer recorded events than many of the players who appear in this feature, but what he has done in them is impressive.

Wiles has won 74 of 85 recorded matches, an 87.1% win rate, with five tournament victories from only 15 recorded events. He is also currently 10 wins from 10.

His overall average is an excellent 85.37, but his recent numbers are considerably higher. Wiles is averaging 90.52 across his last ten matches and 96.09 across his last five.

His record also includes victories over Nathan Potter, Sam Spivey, Jack Johnson and Robbie Martin.

This Week

Wiles was arguably the most sustained success story I found in this week's results.

He kept appearing at the business end of Vault events during the week, but Friday's Vault 19 at Clacton Sports Bar was particularly impressive.

Wiles opened with a 103.66, followed it with 71.57 and then produced 96.97 and 98.14 in successive rounds.

Then came another 107.36 against Max Haley, before Wiles produced 107.36 again in a 3–0 quarter-final victory over James Hare. He eventually beat CJ Everrit 3–1 in the final to take the title.

That means three ton-plus performances in the same event — 103.66, 107.36 and 107.36 — alongside another two performances above 96.

His current profile now shows five tournament victories from just 15 recorded events and a perfect 10–0 recent record.

Whatever measure you use — winning, consistency or scoring — Wiles had a week worthy of the Spotlight.

---

Oscar Shipwright

Player Profile

Oscar Shipwright gives me a very different reason for making this week's three.

Shipwright has already accumulated 281 recorded matches, winning 202 of them for a 71.9% win rate. His 49 events have produced nine tournament victories, three runner-up finishes, nine semi-finals and ten quarter-finals.

His overall average is 70.47, but his ceiling is considerably higher. His best recorded performance is 103.66, with another 100.20 on his record.

Perhaps most interestingly, his best wins include two victories over Danny Lauby. One of those came in a tournament final, where Shipwright averaged 96.69 in a 3–2 victory.

That's a pretty good indication of the level he can produce.

This Week

This week's achievement came at the Bucks Youth County Open Day at Bradmoor Farm, and this wasn't a tiny knockout.

There were 147 recorded matches, with Shipwright collecting nine victories on his way to the title.

Among them was a 93.94 average against Harvey Chapman, followed later by 79.11 against Alfie Kirk, 69.91 against Sid Hopcroft and an excellent 83.50 in his 3–0 semi-final victory over Kieran Colley.

Shipwright then beat Jayden Laming 4–2 in the final to complete the run.

For me, this is exactly the sort of performance that belongs in the Weekly Spotlight.

Shipwright wasn't selected because he recorded the week's biggest average or accumulated several titles. He came through a substantial youth tournament, won nine matches and produced some very good darts along the way.

At a time when I'm increasingly looking for performances beyond the obvious names and serial winners, his week definitely caught my eye.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Stevenson & Ricky King Hit 111.33 as 60 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 13 September 2026

Sunday produced one of the busiest Q4QS results days so far, with 60 tournaments added to the database from events across the country.

And there was plenty of quality among them.

The highest recorded average of the day was a huge Ben Flanagan-McClelland 115.62, but from a South West point of view the headline performance came in Plymouth, where Simon Stevenson combined three ton-plus averages with the Vault 19 title.

There were also Sunday victories for Rory Pearce in Gloucester, Ricky King in Swanage, Sharon McNulty in the WADC Vault at Stroud, and plenty more as the Vault 19 programme produced another packed day of grassroots darts.

Stevenson dominates in Plymouth

It is difficult to have a much better tournament than Simon Stevenson managed at Legends Lounge.

Stevenson produced a brilliant 111.33 average against Ryan Fuller, followed that with 104.86 against Rob May and also recorded 100.20 against Reece Mealin.

Three separate 100+ averages would already make it an outstanding day, but Stevenson completed it by winning the tournament.

He beat Darren Pearce 3–0 in the final and finished with six victories, while Mark Gilbery also impressed with a best of 91.09.

That makes Stevenson one of the standout performers of the entire Sunday programme, rather than simply the winner of another Vault event.

Ricky King produces his own 111.33

Stevenson wasn't alone on 111.33.

At Swanage RBL, Ricky King produced exactly the same figure in a 2–0 victory over Freddie Dean.

King then hit 103.66 against Jordan Cluskey before going on to win the tournament, beating Thomas Watters 3–0 in the final.

King finished with eight victories and also recorded two 88.41 averages during an extremely consistent day.

Ben Flanagan-McClelland tops Sunday's averages

The biggest individual average I recorded on Sunday came at The Cue Club in South Wigston.

Ben Flanagan-McClelland hit 115.62, and backed that up with another ton-plus performance of 100.20.

Interestingly, that still wasn't enough to win the tournament.

The title went to Jesse James Diez, with Liam Lunn finishing runner-up, showing again why looking beyond simply the tournament winner can uncover some of the best performances of the day.

Rory Pearce takes the Gloucester title

Closer to home, Rory Pearce won the Vault 19 event at Tuffley Community Association in Gloucester.

Pearce defeated Joe Bagguley 3–2 in the final and finished with seven victories.

The highest average at Tuffley belonged to Alfie Williams at 88.41, with Martin Taylor recording 85.45 and Bagguley producing 82.67 and 81.71. Pearce's best was 80.26.

It was another useful result from a venue that is becoming increasingly relevant to Q4QS as the Gloucester coverage continues to grow.

Ash Ling combines big average with Clacton title

Another player who managed to combine the numbers with the trophy was Ash Ling.

Ling produced a superb 104.86 at Clacton Sports Bar and added an 88.41 and 81.24 before beating Keith Farthing 3–1 in the final.

Eight wins and the three highest individual averages at the event made it a particularly convincing tournament victory.

More 100+ averages across the Vaults

There was no shortage of big scoring elsewhere.

Steve West hit 107.36 at The Phoenix Club in Waterlooville, although Leo Howard took the title with a 3–1 final victory over West.

Sion Thomas also recorded 107.36 at The Glanyrafon Arms before going on to win the event, beating Scott Grota 3–2 in the final.

At Foots Cray, George Cressey hit 104.86 and Charlie Little produced 103.66, with Little eventually taking the title. Cressey then won the separate Orpington Rugby Club event later in the day, where he produced another 103.66.

Stuart Dutton joined the ton-plus club with a 100.20 at The New Club in Wheatley before taking the title.

WADC Vaults continue to add to the picture

I said when I found the WADC Vault results that I wanted to include them in Q4QS coverage, and Sunday's programme again gives me several women's events to add alongside the open Vaults.

One of the local highlights came at Queen Victoria in Stroud, where Sharon McNulty beat Kelly-Marie Selby 3–1 in the final.

McNulty also recorded the highest average of the event at 56.28 and finished with four wins.

Elsewhere, Rebecca Edwards won at Eastleigh, Kayleigh Brown won at Highways Sports & Social Club in Colchester and Bridget McGuire took the Waterlooville event.

I'm pleased these competitions are now becoming part of the database. The more women's results I can bring into Q4QS, the more complete the picture of the grassroots game becomes.

Sunday’s standout averages

1. Ben Flanagan-McClelland – 115.62
2. Simon Stevenson – 111.33
3. Ricky King – 111.33
4. Steve West – 107.36
5. Liam Cook – 107.36
6. Sion Thomas – 107.36
7. Ash Ling – 104.86
8. George Cressey – 104.86
9. Simon Stevenson – 104.86
10. Charlie Little – 103.66

For me, though, Stevenson's Plymouth performance is the story of the day. A 111.33 is impressive enough; adding 104.86 and 100.20 and then actually winning the tournament turns it into an exceptional day's work.

With another 60 tournaments now added, Sunday's results will also feed into the Q4QS player records, form, rankings, venue data and tournament-strength calculations as the Vault 19 picture continues to develop.