JDC VOLTS National Finals 2026 Preview: The Next Generation Heads to Hangar 61

 

Some of the very best young darts players in the country head to Hangar 61 in Bristol on Saturday for the 2026 JDC VOLTS National Finals.

Throughout the year, youngsters have been competing in JDC VOLTS events around the country. Now that pathway reaches its national conclusion, with a sold-out field of 48 players and considerably more than just the title at stake.

The format should make for a fascinating day. The players are split into eight groups of six, playing best-of-five-leg round robins. The top three from each group progress, but winning the group carries a significant advantage: the eight group winners advance directly to the Last 16, while second and third place must survive an additional play-off.

From there, the knockout matches are best of seven – but there is a major twist at the end.

The final will not be played at Hangar 61.

Instead, the two remaining players will earn the opportunity to contest the best-of-nine-leg final on stage at the PDC World Grand Prix in October. The eventual National Finals champion will also secure a place in the 2027 JPL.

For players at this stage of their development, that makes Saturday a potentially significant day.

A field with plenty of quality

My Q4QS data has matches for 38 of the entrants, with 35 of those already linked to player profiles.

And one player stands out immediately at the top of those rankings.

Jack Johnson comes into the tournament as Q4QS No.197 with an 83.02 Q4QS Average – but even those figures don't quite tell the story of his latest form.

Johnson recently reached a Vault 19 final at Tonbridge with an 88.71 tournament average, before following it with a semi-final at Rusthall where he averaged 89.97. His recent individual performances include 93.94, 90.18 and 91.09 averages.

Those are serious numbers in any company.

But Johnson is certainly not alone.

Logan Symons Jr has been extraordinarily consistent in recent local competition. His latest five recorded tournaments contain two finals and three semi-finals, including a Vault 19 final at Indian Queens where he averaged 85.96. He's 8–2 across his latest ten matches.

Then there is Finlay Cleave, who arrives as one of the hottest players in the field.

Cleave won a Vault 19 event at Paignton with an 82.18 tournament average, including a 91.57 in one victory, and has won nine of his latest ten recorded matches. He also has another recent tournament victory in the database.

JDC experience could matter

There are plenty in this field already accustomed to playing within the JDC structure.

Dylan Cowley has an 8–2 recent record and has already won on the JDC England North Foundation Tour, going 7–0 with an 80.15 tournament average. He has also reached another Foundation Tour final and has a Vault victory averaging 82.04 on his recent record.

Ben Lundstrom is another North Foundation Tour winner. His recent title came via a perfect 7–0 run with a 75.66 average, while an 80.92 and 86.63 feature among his notable match performances.

Alfie O'Flynn-Rogers and Alfie O'Brien have both been competing on the JDC Advanced Tour. O'Flynn-Rogers has produced an 82.14 match average, while O'Brien has an 81.38 on his record and reached the Last 32 of Advanced Tour Event 16.

That experience of playing against strong youth fields could become particularly valuable once Saturday reaches the knockout stages.

Winners arriving from around the country

One of the things I like most about this field is that it genuinely brings together players who have been producing results in different parts of the country.

Jack Powell arrives having won the JDC VOLTS Wales Series 7 Regional Finals, going unbeaten at 5–0 with a 72.15 tournament average. He is also 9–1 across his latest ten matches.

There's a more local interest in Joseph Lauridsen, who won the JDC VOLTS Southwest Series 7 Regional Finals. Lauridsen went 5–0 in that tournament with a 67.17 average and has now won nine of his latest ten recorded matches.

Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris won the West Midlands Regional Finals, while Remy Stapleton arrives after winning the East Midlands Regional Finals 5–0.

And Charlie Mossman has already enjoyed success in the VOLTS series at The Banckers Draught in Minehead, winning one event 9–0 with a 73.65 average.

So while the Q4QS rankings give us a useful guide, this is exactly the sort of tournament where simply working down a ranking list could be misleading.

Players arriving in form

There are several more who deserve attention.

Addison Hefferon is 8–2 and recently reached a final at the Welsh Open, Masters & Classic, averaging 77.17, before making another semi-final at a Vault 19 event in Bletchley.

Oscar Rumsey comes to Bristol immediately after an unbeaten 8–0 Vault 19 victory, averaging 76.83 for the event. He's 9–1 across his latest ten.

Sam Jones is also 9–1 and won the SDO Academy Development Series 3.4 last time out, while Logun Godbeer has been repeatedly reaching finals in the South West and is 8–2 across his latest ten.

That's before we get to players for whom my database has much less information. Ten entrants are currently unranked in this particular Q4QS export, so there is every chance that some of Saturday's biggest threats are not obvious from the numbers alone.

Six to Follow

Picking six from a 48-player national youth final is inevitably difficult, but these are the six I'll be particularly interested in following.

Jack Johnson – The standout Q4QS numbers in the field, and recent tournament averages of 88.71 and 89.97 suggest a player arriving in outstanding scoring form.

Finlay Cleave – 9–1 recently and already a Vault 19 winner, taking the Paignton title with an 82.18 tournament average.

Logan Symons Jr – Two finals and three semi-finals across the latest five recorded events, including an 85.96 average during a recent Vault 19 final run.

Dylan Cowley – A JDC Foundation Tour winner with an unbeaten 80.15 title run and an 8–2 recent record.

Addison Hefferon – Another 8–2 player who has combined a recent Welsh final with a Vault 19 semi-final.

Jack Powell – Comes into the National Finals as a JDC VOLTS Regional Finals champion and has won nine of the latest ten matches in the database.

There are plenty I could have included instead. Oscar Rumsey, Ben Lundstrom, Joseph Lauridsen, Charlie Mossman and Sam Jones all arrive with recent titles on their records, while several others have already shown they can produce considerably bigger averages than their overall numbers might suggest.

A big opportunity at Hangar 61

For me, this is one of the more interesting tournaments taking place at Hangar 61 this year.

We talk a lot about pathways in darts, but the VOLTS series is a very visible example of one. Players have been competing around the country throughout the year and now 48 of them come together for a National Finals day.

By the end of Saturday, that field will have been reduced to just two.

And those two will have something rather special to look forward to: a final on the PDC World Grand Prix stage in October.

For the eventual winner, there's the additional prize of a 2027 JPL place.

Forty-eight young players arrive at Hangar 61 on Saturday morning.

For two of them, the journey continues onto a much bigger stage.

Q4QS Rankings Centre Has Had a Big Upgrade

 

I’ve given the Q4QS Rankings Centre a major revamp, and there’s now a lot more to explore than simply seeing where a player sits in the overall rankings.

Alongside the Overall Q4QS Rankings and Colour Grades, you can now explore rankings by city, county and Q4QS region, giving a much better picture of who is performing well in different parts of the country. There are also dedicated Women’s and JDC rankings, including the option to look at performances across all Q4QS events or specifically within recognised Women’s and JDC competitions.

You can search for individual players, compare averages, win percentages, events played and Q4QS Points, and move between the different ranking views from one place.

The geographic side is something I’m particularly excited about. The areas available will continue to grow as more venues and tournaments are added to the Q4QS database, so this is very much the beginning rather than the finished map. More cities, counties and regions will gradually appear as the coverage expands.

There’s plenty more planned for Q4QS, but for now you can head over to the Q4QS Rankings Centre and have a look around.

Country Spotlight: Costa Rica - At The Heart Of Latin America's Darts Revolution

 

My Country Spotlight journey continues through Latin America and the Caribbean, and this week I've reached a country that has played a particularly important role in the development of the region's modern darts circuit.

Costa Rica.

Costa Rica hasn't yet produced a PDC World Championship qualifier. It hasn't reached the PDC World Cup of Darts.

But when the Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour began in 2023, San José was where it all started.

And three years later, Costa Rica has one of the deeper groups of competitive players I've encountered during this part of the series.

At the front of them is Guillermo Soto.

Where The CDLC Story Began

The creation of the CDLC Tour was a major development for darts across Latin America and the Caribbean.

For the first time, players across a huge geographical region had a structured PDC-affiliated circuit providing a pathway towards the biggest stages in the game.

And its inaugural weekend took place in San José, Costa Rica, in August 2023.

Two ranking tournaments were staged at the Radisson Hotel, representing the first PDC-sanctioned Tour weekend of its kind in the region.

That alone gives Costa Rica an interesting place in darts history.

But the home players weren't simply there to make up the numbers.

Guillermo Soto – Costa Rica's Leading Player

If Costa Rican darts currently has a standard bearer, it is Guillermo Soto.

Soto finished third on the inaugural 2023 CDLC Order of Merit, behind Guyana's Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald and one place ahead of fellow Costa Rican Alex Gutierrez.

Later that season, he reached the final of Event Four in Santiago.

Soto averaged 81.24 while whitewashing Jafet Vanegas 6–0 in the quarter-finals and then defeated Gutierrez 6–2 before losing 6–4 to Brazil's Arthur Valle in the final.

He has since gone one better, becoming a CDLC event champion, and remains firmly established among the region's strongest players.

After the opening three events of 2026, Soto sat fifth on the two-year CDLC Order of Merit, behind only Jesús Salate, Rashad Sweeting, Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald.

That's impressive company.

What The Q4QS Database Tells Us

Soto's 2026 Q4QS numbers strengthen the case.

Across the three opening CDLC events captured in my database, he played 14 matches and won 11, a win rate of 78.6%.

He reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final, recording an overall match average of 66.82 and a best of 76.09.

There is one important qualification.

Soto has only three qualifying events in this particular Q4QS dataset, so he doesn't yet have an official Q4QS Average. I require six events before awarding one.

But his individual performances are revealing.

His best came against Trinidad and Tobago's Joshua Balfour, one of the strongest players on the CDLC circuit.

Soto beat Balfour 6–3 in a quarter-final while averaging 76.09. He also produced 72.14 in a 6–0 victory over Mauricio Carcamo and 70.47 while beating Claudio Domingues 6–1.

Even his defeats demonstrate the level of opposition he is now encountering.

His three losses in that sample came against Jesús Salate, Norman Madhoo and Víctor Guillín.

That's about as tough a trio as the CDLC can provide.

Alex Gutierrez – Nearly Winning On Home Soil

Soto isn't Costa Rica's only player with a significant CDLC history.

Alex Gutierrez came remarkably close to winning one of the very first tournaments.

At the inaugural San José weekend in 2023, Gutierrez reached the final of Event Two before losing 6–2 to Sudesh Fitzgerald.

That result helped Gutierrez finish fourth on the 2023 CDLC Order of Merit, immediately behind Soto.

His current Q4QS sample is much smaller.

We have four 2026 matches across two events, with two victories and two defeats.

But one performance jumps off the page.

Gutierrez averaged 65.78 against Jesús Salate and pushed the dominant Argentine all the way before losing 6–5.

Again, there isn't enough data to award Gutierrez a Q4QS Average.

But taking Salate to a deciding leg is another reminder that Costa Rica possesses players capable of making life difficult for the region's best.

Jafet Vanegas – Another Name In The Mix

Then there is Jafet Vanegas.

Vanegas sits 14th on the published two-year CDLC Order of Merit after the opening three events of 2026, giving Costa Rica two players inside the top 14 alongside Soto.

His Q4QS sample contains only five matches, but his overall match average of 60.81 is encouraging.

More interestingly, three of his defeats came with averages above 62.

He averaged 63.92 against Norman Madhoo, 62.38 against Dean Persad and produced his current best of 65.33 in a 6–4 defeat against Kenny De Souza Heindel.

Vanegas also has some history on the circuit.

At the final 2023 event in Santiago he averaged 75.78 in one victory and later 73.81 in a 6–2 win over Brazil's Roberto Wentz before Soto stopped him in the quarter-finals.

That's another useful indication that his small 2026 sample doesn't tell the whole story.

More Depth Behind Them

This is where Costa Rica begins to separate itself from some of the developing nations I've looked at.

There are more names.

Norwing Jimenez has six matches recorded by Q4QS in 2026 and has split them evenly — three wins and three defeats.

His overall average is 54.81, with a best of 62.19 against James Walklin. He has also recorded victories over Michael Moss, Chris Torrie and Gustavo Quiros.

And Jenny Mora has also competed on the CDLC circuit.

My current database contains only two of Mora's matches, so there is nowhere near enough evidence to make any meaningful assessment of her playing level.

But her presence is worth mentioning for another reason.

The first CDLC weekend in San José featured a sizeable Costa Rican contingent, and the wider entrant lists demonstrate that the country has considerably more participation than just Soto and Gutierrez.

That depth matters.

Costa Rica's Missing Breakthrough

There is, however, a strange contrast.

Costa Rica helped launch the CDLC.

It has produced tournament finalists.

It has produced a CDLC tournament winner.

It currently has one of the highest-ranked players on the regional circuit.

And it has a broader group of players behind him.

Yet the really big breakthrough remains missing.

No Costa Rican has yet followed the likes of Norman Madhoo, Jesús Salate or Diogo Portela onto the PDC World Championship stage.

And Costa Rica has yet to make its debut at the PDC World Cup.

That makes it feel less like a country trying to discover darts and more like a country waiting for the final piece to fall into place.

A World Cup Opportunity Slips Away

The 2026 regional World Cup qualifier showed just how difficult that final step can be.

Costa Rica had several possible combinations in the competition.

One pairing of Guillermo Soto and Jafet Vanegas pushed Jamaica all the way before losing 5–4.

Another Costa Rican pairing, Alex Gutierrez and Nelson Hernandez, was beaten 5–1 by the Bahamas combination of Rashad Sweeting and Lorenzo Deveaux.

Trinidad and Tobago eventually claimed the single World Cup ticket.

For Costa Rica, the wait continued.

But the fact it can field several credible combinations is itself evidence of something important.

This isn't a one-player darts country.

Why Costa Rica Matters

Costa Rica's importance to this series goes beyond its results.

When the modern PDC pathway into Latin America and the Caribbean began, San José was its starting point.

Players travelled there from across the region in 2023 to compete for the opportunity that would eventually take Norman Madhoo back to Alexandra Palace.

Costa Rican players were immediately competitive.

Soto finished third on the Tour.

Gutierrez finished fourth.

And that strength hasn't simply disappeared three years later.

Soto remains one of the leading players on the CDLC.

Vanegas remains firmly involved.

Gutierrez can still threaten elite regional opposition.

Others continue to compete behind them.

Costa Rica therefore has something several emerging darts nations don't yet possess.

Depth.

Looking Ahead

The next target couldn't be clearer.

Costa Rica needs to turn regional competitiveness into an international breakthrough.

And Guillermo Soto looks the most likely player to deliver it.

His 2026 record in my database is excellent: 11 wins from 14 matches, two semi-finals, a quarter-final and a victory over Joshua Balfour.

But Soto isn't carrying the country alone.

Gutierrez has already reached a CDLC final.

Vanegas is inside the upper reaches of the regional rankings.

Jimenez is winning matches.

And the country's broader participation gives it a foundation from which another player could emerge.

Costa Rica was there at the beginning of the CDLC revolution.

Now it needs to take the next step.

From helping create the pathway to finally walking all the way down it.

Q4QS Darts Nation Rating

Current Strength: 7/10
Participation & Depth: 7.5/10
International Achievement: 6/10
Future Potential: 8/10

Overall Q4QS Nation Rating: 7/10

I think 7/10 feels right.

Costa Rica doesn't yet have the international achievements to match Guyana or the recent momentum of Argentina. But I'd put its depth ahead of Chile, and Soto is clearly one of the better players we've encountered during this part of the series.

The missing ingredient is the breakthrough.

A Costa Rican at Alexandra Palace or a Costa Rican team walking onto the World Cup stage would completely change the country's story.

And increasingly, it feels like a question of when rather than whether.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: 57 Tournaments, Three 107.36 Averages & Thursday Winners – 10 September 2026

Thursday delivered another packed night of grassroots darts, with 57 tournaments added to the Q4QS database.

There was plenty of quality at the top end, with three players hitting 107.36 averages: Andy Smith, Robbie Martin and Lloyd Walker. Carl Wilson was not far behind on 105.11, while several others also broke the 100 barrier.

Hughes wins Worcester Vault

Pete Hughes came through a strong field at The Cue Corner in Worcester, beating Steve Sewell 3–1 in the final.

The standout scoring performance at the venue came from Danny Lauby, who hit 97.53 and 96.97 during the night. Hughes himself produced an excellent 95.76 against Lauby before later finishing the tournament with seven wins.

Roy takes Yeovil title

At Yeovil Labour Club, Robbie Roy won the Vault 19.0 event with a 3–0 final victory over Jacob Noyce.

Roy also topped the tournament averages with 93.19, just ahead of Mike Harper's 92.80. Roy finished with six wins, while Harper also reached 91.09 during the event.

Brown wins another busy night at Hangar 61

There were 81 matches recorded at Hangar 61, where John Brown came through to take the Thursday night round robin title.

Brown defeated Corey Oates 3–0 in the final and also produced an 88.14 average earlier in the event. The best figure of the night belonged to Miles O'Toole, who hit 93.94 against Andy Smith.

Owen Smith finished with six wins, while Danny Humphries, Andy Smith, O'Toole and Oates all recorded five.

Kay wins again in Cornwall

After winning in Bodmin on Wednesday, Jamie Kay made it back-to-back winning nights with another Vault title at St Breward AFC & Social Club.

Kay beat Joseph Juleff 3–0 in the final and recorded a best average of 87.49 during the tournament. Neil Meneer and Martin Smith both reached 88.41, while Kay and Juleff finished with seven wins apiece.

Walker combines title with 107.36

Lloyd Walker produced one of the best performances of the entire night at Fareham Social Club.

Walker fired a 107.36 average against Ryan Crowley and went on to take the title, beating Joey Cole 3–0 in the final.

Gary Daniels also impressed with a 103.66, while Walker finished with seven victories and Cole with six.

Smith hits 107.36 and wins in High Wycombe

There was another combination of huge scoring and a tournament victory at Cressex Social Club.

Andy Smith averaged 107.36 against Mick Carlton, added a 93.94 later in the night and eventually beat Andrew Bowler 3–2 in the final.

Smith finished with eight wins, while Bowler and Ian Bartlett both recorded six.

Martin fires 107.36 in Dorchester

Robbie Martin matched the night's top figure with a 107.36 average at Dorchester Trinity Club.

Martin also hit 93.94 and 90.00, although the title went to James Wills, who beat Jay Anderson 3–2 in the final. Martin, Wills, Anderson and Liam Blakeley all finished with five victories.

More South West success

There were more titles across the region.

At The Newtown in Poole, Henry Cooper won with eight victories and produced a 100.20 average on the way, beating Ryan Marten 3–1 in the final.

At Minehead, David Farmer took the Vault title with a 3–0 final win over Brad Furse, recording a best average of 93.94.

Jamie Kay's Cornwall success and Robbie Roy's Yeovil victory added further depth to another strong South West night.

Thursday’s top ten individual averages

1. Andy Smith — 107.36, Cressex Social Club
2. Robbie Martin — 107.36, Dorchester Trinity Club
3. Lloyd Walker — 107.36, Fareham Social Club
4. Carl Wilson — 105.11, Rusthall Club
5. Gary Daniels — 103.66, Fareham Social Club
6. Darren Brown — 103.66, Pinches Cue Club
7. Jack Johnson — 103.66, Rusthall Club
8. Rob Butters — 103.66, The Gardeners Arms
9. Ben Simpson — 103.66, The Wolversdene Club
10. Josh Richardson — 103.66, Windmill Club

With another 57 tournaments now added, Thursday provides another sizeable block of results for the Q4QS rankings, player records, venue data and form analysis.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: 66 Tournaments, Palmer Hits 107.36 & South West Winners – 9 September 2026

Another huge Wednesday as 66 tournaments join Q4QS

Wednesday delivered another enormous night of grassroots darts, with 66 tournaments added to the Q4QS database from events around the country.

For the South West, there were winners stretching from Bristol and Evesham through to Stonehouse, Barnstaple and Bodmin, while several players produced performances well into three figures.

One of the standout combinations of scoring and results came at the Sartan Club in Bishopsworth, where Ryan Palmer hit a 107.36 average and went on to win the tournament.

Palmer takes the honours at the Sartan

Ryan Palmer came through a strong Vault 19.0 field at the Sartan Club, beating Zach Quinn 3–2 in the final.

Palmer had earlier produced a superb 107.36 average against Luke Harding, while Quinn showed plenty of quality himself with a 97.26. Shay Goff reached 93.94 and Geoff James 91.09.

Palmer and Quinn both finished the evening with seven victories, with Steve Boundy collecting six.

Coombes hits 107.36 as Vernall wins Evesham

There was another 107.36 in the region at the Bengeworth Club in Evesham, this time from Richard Coombes against Andy Hammond.

The tournament itself belonged to Shaun Vernall, who produced an excellent night of scoring on the way to eight victories.

Vernall averaged 96.97 against Danny Lauby and 92.02 against Hammond before recording 91.28 in a 3–2 final victory over Pete Hughes. Hughes finished with seven wins, while Coombes collected six.

Nankervis fires 107.36 in St Austell

Jack Nankervis added another South West 107.36 at The Pitch Sports Bar in St Austell — and this one came as part of a tournament-winning night.

Nankervis recorded the figure in a 2–0 victory over Neil Dudbridge before later beating Dave Hampton 3–0 in the final, averaging 92.02 in the title decider.

Nankervis and Hampton both finished with six victories.

Kay wins in Bodmin as Symons Jnr breaks 100

Bodmin produced another of Wednesday's strongest South West events.

Jamie Kay took the Vault 19.0 title at Bodmin Band & Social Club, beating James Chudleigh 3–0 in the final and recording a 95.94 average in the process.

Kay also hit another 95.94 during the tournament and finished with eight victories, but the night's biggest figure belonged to Logan Symons Jnr, who averaged 103.66 against Chris Gill.

Chudleigh contributed a 93.47 and finished the night with seven victories.

Steed takes Barnstaple title

At Barnstaple Town FC, Andy Steed completed an eight-win night by beating Nigel Gullon 3–0 in the final.

Steed saved his best recorded performance for the title match, averaging 88.41, while Gullon had earlier reached 85.89 and finished the tournament with six victories.

McCready wins eight in Leominster

Alec McCready was the winner at Shooters Bar in Leominster after another consistent night.

McCready beat Chris Hurds 3–2 in the final, finished with eight victories and topped the tournament averages with a 92.02.

Connor Millin reached 88.41, while Hurds collected six wins on the way to the final.

Cantillion takes Stonehouse honours

The Magpies Social Club in Stonehouse also produced a local winner, with Alex Cantillion beating Josh Lewis 3–1 in the final.

Cantillion finished with six victories and also produced the tournament's highest recorded average, an 88.93 against Paul Meyer.

Lewis reached 84.78 and collected five wins, with Andy Sim also finishing on five.

Huge averages around the country

Beyond the South West, there was some excellent scoring.

Joe Croft produced a superb 115.62 at Abbots Langley on his way to winning the tournament, while Edward Manley, Phil Johnson-Hale and Jake B-Smith were among several players to record 107.36 averages.

There were also ton-plus performances from Chas Barstow and Jake Eichen during another exceptionally busy Vault programme.

Wednesday's South West picture

The six names featured on today's Q4QS graphic give a good indication of the geographical spread of the night: Ryan Palmer, Shaun Vernall, Jamie Kay, Alec McCready, Andy Steed and Alex Cantillion all collected titles.

Perhaps the biggest story, though, was the scoring. Palmer and Richard Coombes both produced 107.36 averages, Jack Nankervis matched that figure in Cornwall and Logan Symons Jnr broke the 100 barrier in Bodmin.

With another 66 tournaments now incorporated, Wednesday has added another substantial block of matches to the Q4QS rankings, player records, venue statistics and form data.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: 67 Tournaments, Huge 136.64 Average & Tuesday’s Winners – 8 September 2026

Tuesday produced the biggest Q4QS results day of the week so far, with 67 tournaments added to the database. The latest Vault programme provided a huge amount of action, alongside local opens, junior competitions and WADC events, with some exceptional numbers recorded at the top end.

The headline average came from Shaun Fox, who produced a remarkable 136.64, while Ben Flanagan-Mcclelland hit 115.62 and both Andrew Hitchcock and Jack Main reached 111.33.

Fox produces huge 136.64

Shaun Fox produced the outstanding statistical performance of Tuesday at the United Services Club in Harwich.

Fox recorded a 136.64 average in a 2–0 victory over Martin Steward and backed that up with another ton-plus display, averaging 103.45 in the final as he beat Todd Ayling 3–1 to take the title. Fox finished with eight victories, while Ayling also broke the ton barrier with 100.20.

Flanagan-Mcclelland combines 115.62 with title

There was another enormous performance at The Cue Club in South Wigston.

Ben Flanagan-Mcclelland averaged 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Nick Davey before going on to win the tournament, defeating Sam Sneath 3–2 in the final. Flanagan-Mcclelland finished with eight wins, with Sneath collecting seven.

Self continues winning run in Newbury

After winning in Basingstoke on Monday, Archie Self was straight back among the headlines on Tuesday.

Self won Vault 19.0 at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Newbury, beating Andrew McNeil Aitken 3–0 in the final. His route included a superb 109.98 average against Igor Kuroczycki, as well as another 100.20 performance against Tania Burdett.

That made it consecutive Vault titles on successive nights for Self, with another eight victories added to the record.

Quiney wins strong Evesham event

Closer to home, Joe Quiney came through a competitive Vault night at Bretforton Sports Club, Evesham.

Quiney beat Paul Jones 3–1 in the final and recorded seven victories. There was plenty of quality elsewhere in the field: Danny Lauby averaged 98.02, Jason Reeve reached 96.97, while Quiney's best recorded figure was 88.41.

Bagguley breaks 100 in Gloucester as Hearn wins

There was another ton-plus performance in the local area at Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester.

Joe Bagguley produced a 100.20 average against Jayden Hamblin and also hit 88.41 during the night. The title went to Ryan Hearn, who collected seven victories and defeated Nigel Vernall 3–0 in the final.

Hawkins takes Bristol Vault title

The Bristol Vault at Bessellscotts was won by John Hawkins, who defeated SKITZ 007 3–2 in the final.

Hawkins collected seven victories from the tournament and also produced its highest average, a 91.09.

Boundy wins Tuesday Open in Portishead

There was a sizeable 75-match competition at Portishead Workmens Darts, where Steve Boundy took the Tuesday Open title.

Boundy finished with eight wins and beat Logun Godbeer 4–0 in the final. Liam Trotman produced the highest average of the competition at 85.89, while Godbeer reached 83.50.

Tiverton title for Head

At Elmore Football Club in Tiverton, Tom Head came through with eight wins to take the Vault title, defeating Andy Steed 3–1 in the final.

The strongest scoring performances belonged to Dean Brown and Steed, who both recorded 96.97 averages.

More South West winners

There was another busy night across the wider South West.

At Taunton's Darts @ The Lawns, Scott Smith won Week 2 of the U70 RR Super Series, beating Cameron Adams 4–1, with Brooklyn Anthony producing the highest average of 83.50.

Steve West was also back in the winner's circle at Fareham Social Club, defeating Ben Rowley 3–0 in the final while averaging 102.48.

Further west, Henry Cooper won at The Newtown in Poole with a 97.97 final average, beating Matt Yarrow 3–1.

Jack Nankervis took the Indian Queens title in Cornwall. Neil Meneer produced a 103.66 there, with Logan Symons Jnr also reaching 100.20.

And in the WADC Vault at Shooters Bar, Leominster, Clare Bywater defeated Karrina Barnes 3–1 to take the title.

Plenty more ton-plus scoring

Tuesday's 67 tournaments produced ton-plus averages across numerous venues.

Andrew Hitchcock recorded 111.33 and 100.20 at Chalvey, although Jake Hobbs ultimately took the title. Jack Main hit 111.33 and 100.20 on the way to winning at Hethersett, where Darren Brown also averaged 107.36 and Matthew Hubbard reached 100.20.

Tyler Thorpe reached 103.66 in the MDC Round Robin, while Kevin Leadenham and Robert Arthur were among a sizeable group to record averages above 103.

Tuesday’s top ten individual averages

1. Shaun Fox — 136.64, United Services Club, Harwich
2. Ben Flanagan-Mcclelland — 115.62, The Cue Club, South Wigston
3. Andrew Hitchcock — 111.33, Chalvey WMC, Slough
4. Jack Main — 111.33, Hethersett Social Club
5. Archie Self — 109.98, Crucible Sports and Social Club, Newbury
6. Darren Brown — 107.36, Hethersett Social Club
7. Tyler Thorpe — 103.66, MDC Round Robin
8. Kevin Leadenham — 103.66, Hunter Bar, Grantham
9. Neil Meneer — 103.66, Indian Queens WMC & Institute
10. Robert Arthur — 103.66, Royal British Legion, Sunbury-on-Thames

With 67 tournaments added from one day alone, Tuesday represents another major expansion of the Q4QS dataset, feeding more results into player records, form, rankings, venue statistics and the growing searchable database.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

What Do I Mean By An 'Area'?

This is important.

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

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

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

Think of this as the first Q4QS Area Strength table.

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

Tournament Strength Is NOT A Three-Dart Average

One familiar warning before we get to the numbers.

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

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

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

That allows us to ask:

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

The Early Q4QS Area Strength Picture

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

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

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

Dorset Takes The Early Lead

This wasn't necessarily the result I expected.

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

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

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

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

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

But Wiltshire May Have The Most Interesting Number

Wiltshire is second on mean Tournament Strength at 61.01.

Look at the median, though.

63.70.

That's the highest in this initial group.

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

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

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

But 63.70 for the median tournament is a serious number.

Oxfordshire Has Depth

Then we reach an area with considerably more data.

Oxfordshire records 162 tournaments and a typical strength of 60.75.

Its peak reaches 69.51.

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

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

It's beginning to show depth.

Buckinghamshire Is Fascinating

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

But then there's the peak:

89.02.

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

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

Buckinghamshire can stage an exceptionally strong tournament.

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

The typical figure tells us what happens regularly.

The peak tells us how strong it can become.

Worcestershire Has The Same Story

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

Again, that's useful.

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

Area Strength adds another layer.

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

Bristol Produces The Biggest Surprise

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

Bristol is bottom of this particular group at 55.89.

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

Absolutely not.

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

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

More importantly, Bristol offers an enormous range of competitions.

There are strong open tournaments.

There are ADC Vaults.

There are Under-55 events.

There are Sub-70 competitions.

There are junior events.

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

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

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

there is competitive darts available for almost everybody.

That's Why Mean And Median Both Matter

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

Look at Wiltshire.

Mean: 61.01
Median: 63.70

Now Bristol.

Mean: 55.89
Median: 56.36

And Buckinghamshire:

Mean: 60.70
Median: 62.53

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

Some areas have predominantly strong open competition.

Some have enormous tournament schedules covering every standard.

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

None of those is necessarily "better".

They're different.

South Wales Is Another Great Example

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

But look at the sample:

505 tournaments.

That's vastly more than Dorset or Wiltshire.

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

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

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

One Tough Venue Doesn't Make A Tough Area

That was the question I started with.

I think the database is already beginning to answer it.

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

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

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

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

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

The numbers are telling us far more than that.

These Rankings Will Change

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

Q4QS coverage isn't geographically equal yet.

Some areas have hundreds of tournaments in the database.

Others have dozens.

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

That's changing.

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

That means today's leader might not remain there.

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

That's part of the fun of building it.

Final Thoughts

So, where is the toughest area to play darts?

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

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

Wiltshire has the strongest median at 63.70.

Buckinghamshire has produced a staggering 89.02 peak.

Worcestershire has reached 83.40.

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

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

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

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

It's the number that makes you ask:

Why?

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