50,000 Simulations: Who Will Win the 2026 Development Tour Tour Cards?

 

The final four events of the 2026 PDC Development Tour are about to decide far more than just the Order of Merit.

Two players will earn two-year Tour Cards for 2027 and 2028, while three players will also receive places in the 2026/27 PDC World Championship.

But the Development Tour race is more complicated than simply looking at who sits first, second and third.

A number of current Tour Card holders are competing on the Development Tour, and some players may also qualify for the World Championship through other routes.

So I have run the final four events 50,000 times, using the current Development Tour Order of Merit and Q4QS player-strength data, to see who is most likely to actually come away with the major prizes.

How the simulation works

There are four Development Tour events remaining.

Each event carries the following prize money:

Winner – £3,000
Runner-up – £2,000
Semi-finalists – £1,000
Quarter-finalists – £750
Last 16 – £350
Last 32 – £250
Last 64 – £100

That means a player could theoretically add a maximum of £12,000 over the final weekend.

The model uses the full Development Tour field rather than just the players in the qualification race.

That is important.

Players such as Sebastian Bialecki, Cam Crabtree and other current Tour Card holders can still win tournaments, reach finals and knock rivals out even if they are not themselves competing for one of the new Tour Cards.

The simulations were weighted using current Q4QS playing strength, averages and recent form.

For example, Bialecki currently sits sixth in the Q4QS rankings with a 93.13 average, while Crabtree is averaging 89.13 and Charlie Manby 90.94. tournament_narrative_pack_20261… tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

The current qualification picture

After Development Tour 20, Sebastian Bialecki leads the overall Order of Merit on £21,900.

But he is already a Tour Card holder, so his position does not occupy one of the two new Tour Card places.

That is where the Development Tour becomes particularly interesting.

Jack Drayton currently has £12,100, Cam Crabtree £11,650 and Leon Weber £11,100.

However, Crabtree is already carded.

That means Drayton and Weber currently occupy the first two available Tour Card positions.

James Beeton, Dominik Gruellich and others are chasing behind them.

Tour Card probabilities

After running the final four events 50,000 times, this is how often each player received one of the two available new Tour Cards.

Player	Current Prize Money	Tour Card Chance
Jack Drayton	£12,100	98.27%
Leon Weber	£11,100	56.78%
James Beeton	£9,600	29.48%
Dominik Gruellich	£9,200	8.34%
Jamai van den Herik	£9,250	3.69%
Nathan Potter	£7,100	2.46%
Henry Coates	£5,800	0.70%
Dylan Slevin	£6,550	0.19%

Current Tour Card holders are not included in those percentages because they are not competing for one of the two new cards.

Jack Drayton is in a very strong position

Drayton's £12,100 starting total gives him a significant advantage.

He earned one of the two Tour Cards in 98.27% of the simulations.

That does not mean he cannot be caught.

There is still £12,000 available and four full tournaments to play.

But the combination of his current money advantage and playing strength means it requires a fairly unusual sequence of results for two eligible players to finish ahead of him.

Drayton also arrives in excellent form.

The latest Q4QS data shows him on a ten-match winning run, with recent title-winning performances included in the database. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

Weber versus Beeton looks like the key battle

The second Tour Card is far less settled.

Leon Weber receives a card in 56.78% of simulations.

James Beeton gets one in 29.48%.

That makes their battle perhaps the most important storyline of the weekend.

Weber starts £1,500 ahead of Beeton, but four tournaments provide plenty of opportunities for that gap to disappear.

A single final is worth £2,000.

A tournament victory is worth £3,000.

So one deep run from Beeton combined with an early Weber exit could change the race immediately.

Gruellich is still very much involved

Dominik Gruellich sits on £9,200 and earns a Tour Card in 8.34% of simulations.

That may not sound huge, but it is far from negligible.

With four tournaments remaining, an 8% chance represents a genuine route into the top qualifying positions.

Gruellich has also shown strong scoring at this level, including a 95.43 match average at Development Tour 20 in the Q4QS data. tournament_narrative_pack_20261…

Jamai van den Herik is next at 3.69%, while Nathan Potter remains alive at 2.46%.

Existing Tour Card holders matter enormously

This is the major difference between the Development Tour and the Challenge Tour.

Several of the strongest players in the field already have Tour Cards.

They cannot claim one of the two new cards, but they can still have a huge influence on who does.

If Bialecki wins an event, for example, he takes £3,000 from the available prize pool and eliminates every opponent he meets along the way.

The same applies to Crabtree, Jurjen van der Velde, Owen Bates and other existing card holders.

That means a player does not necessarily need to finish second overall on the Order of Merit to earn the second available Tour Card.

He needs to finish high enough among the eligible players.

The official rules state that the top two players on the final Development Tour Order of Merit who have not otherwise qualified for Tour Cards for 2027 receive two-year Tour Cards. If a player above them has already qualified for a card, the place moves further down the Order of Merit. PDPA

The World Championship race

The World Championship calculation produces a very different picture.

Player	World Championship Chance
Jack Drayton	94.13%
Cam Crabtree	82.82%
Jurjen van der Velde	33.27%
Owen Bates	32.11%
Leon Weber	27.70%
James Beeton	20.62%
Dominik Gruellich	5.37%
Jamai van den Herik	2.15%
Nathan Potter	1.69%
Dylan Slevin	0.11%

This is where an important caveat is required.

World Championship caveat

These percentages are based on the current qualification position.

The official rule is that the three highest-ranked players on the final Development Tour Order of Merit receive World Championship invitations.

However, if one of those players qualifies for the World Championship through another route, or rejects the invitation, the Development Tour place passes further down the Order of Merit until all three places are filled. PDPA

That means the World Championship probabilities are less fixed than the Tour Card probabilities.

A player who currently appears to be occupying one of the Development Tour World Championship places could later qualify through the ProTour Order of Merit, Main Order of Merit or another recognised route.

If that happens, the Development Tour invitation would move to the next eligible player.

So the percentages above should be read as:

"Chance of taking a Development Tour World Championship position based on the qualification picture as it stands now."

They may change if players secure World Championship places elsewhere before the Development Tour qualification is finalised.

That is particularly important because some Development Tour players are also active on the ProTour.

Crabtree illustrates the difference perfectly

Cam Crabtree is one of the clearest examples of why the two races need to be treated separately.

He cannot win one of the new Development Tour Tour Cards because he already holds a card.

But he can still qualify for the World Championship through the Development Tour.

The simulation gives him an 82.82% chance of taking one of those three places based on the current situation.

So Crabtree is effectively irrelevant to the Tour Card race but extremely important to the World Championship race.

Van der Velde and Bates are similar

Jurjen van der Velde and Owen Bates are also existing Tour Card holders.

Neither is competing for one of the two new cards.

But both are strongly involved in the World Championship race.

Van der Velde qualifies in 33.27% of simulations.

Bates is at 32.11%.

Their presence is another reason why Leon Weber's Tour Card probability is much higher than his World Championship probability.

Weber may finish behind existing card holders and still receive a Tour Card.

For the World Championship, those same players can occupy qualifying places themselves.

Drayton has the best of both worlds

Jack Drayton is currently in the strongest overall position.

He receives a new Tour Card in 98.27% of simulations.

He also takes a World Championship place in 94.13%.

For everyone else, the two races start to diverge considerably.

Leon Weber has a 56.78% Tour Card chance but only a 27.70% World Championship chance.

James Beeton stands at 29.48% for a card and 20.62% for the Worlds.

That difference is almost entirely created by the existing Tour Card holders above and around them.

Why this weekend could move quickly

Four Development Tour tournaments means four separate draws.

A player can earn £3,000 in one event and nothing in the next.

That makes the final weekend extremely volatile.

Weber starts only £1,500 ahead of Beeton.

Beeton is only £350 ahead of Van den Herik and £400 ahead of Gruellich.

One tournament could completely change that section of the table.

And because some of the strongest players are already Tour Card holders, the finishing order itself does not tell the whole story.

What I will be watching

The first question is whether Jack Drayton can make his position mathematically secure.

After that, the biggest Tour Card battle appears to be Leon Weber versus James Beeton, with Dominik Gruellich waiting for an opportunity.

The World Championship race is wider.

Crabtree, Weber, Van der Velde, Bates and Beeton are all heavily involved, while qualification elsewhere could potentially move the cut-off further down the table.

That is why this Development Tour finale could be even more interesting than the Challenge Tour finish.

There are effectively two races taking place on the same Order of Merit.

One for new Tour Cards.

One for Alexandra Palace.

And the players occupying those positions do not necessarily have to be the same.

Q4QS Most Improved Players – September 2026

 

One of the things I want Q4QS to do is recognise improvement, not just concentrate on the players at the top of the rankings.

So this is the first Q4QS Facebook Group Most Improved Players table.

The idea is fairly simple. I have compared each qualifying player's Q4QS Average at 31 August 2026 with their Q4QS Average at 30 September 2026. The players are then ranked by how much that figure has increased.

This is worth explaining because it isn't simply a list of who averaged highest during September. The Q4QS Average is based on a player's wider tournament record, so moving it upwards becomes increasingly difficult as more results are accumulated.

This particular feature is also exclusively for players who are members of the Quest For Q School – Grassroots Darts Facebook group. The main Q4QS rankings remain open to everybody in the database, but this monthly feature is a little extra for the people who have joined the group.

If you're in the Q4QS database and want the chance to appear in future editions, join the Facebook group.

September 2026 Top 50 Most Improved

Pos	Player	31 Aug Avg	30 Sep Avg	Improvement
1	Arran Cundick	53.83	55.12	+1.29
2	Luke Yates	62.84	63.92	+1.08
3	George Nurdin	58.48	59.36	+0.87
4	Kai Carter	63.02	63.81	+0.79
5	Henry Povey	69.46	70.22	+0.76
6	Will Parker	56.64	57.39	+0.75
7	Joe Quiney	76.88	77.61	+0.73
8	Owen Smith	66.55	67.26	+0.71
9	David Farmer	74.65	75.35	+0.70
10	Andrew Smith	54.47	55.12	+0.65
11	Tom Pearce	60.11	60.67	+0.56
12	Alfie Palmer	64.65	65.20	+0.55
13	Jamie Kay	82.65	83.19	+0.54
14	Liam Glister	69.21	69.76	+0.54
15	Martyn Freeman	69.60	70.12	+0.52
16	Jack Kempster	53.22	53.74	+0.52
17	Dale Mills	65.07	65.57	+0.50
18	Daryl Beaven	64.77	65.24	+0.47
19	Shane Reidy	58.40	58.87	+0.47
20	Ant Pratley	57.49	57.94	+0.44
21	Charlie Shears	52.17	52.58	+0.41
22	Jamie Rhodes	53.21	53.62	+0.41
23	Matt Yarrow	75.90	76.30	+0.40
24	Ashton Brown	80.68	81.04	+0.36
25	Adam Lea	67.89	68.24	+0.35
26	Joe Bagguley	74.22	74.54	+0.32
27	David Moule	75.88	76.16	+0.28
28	Claire Spencer	48.54	48.82	+0.28
29	Lewis Richards	57.07	57.34	+0.27
30	Stuart Melbourne	52.40	52.67	+0.26
31	Wayne Barrett	64.77	65.02	+0.26
32	Zac Rendell	62.08	62.33	+0.25
33	Jeff Saunders	56.83	57.07	+0.24
34	Mark Wilson	57.61	57.84	+0.23
35	Dexter Cornes	48.91	49.09	+0.18
36	Scott Mc	80.77	80.94	+0.17
37	Steve Boundy	71.68	71.84	+0.16
38	Dan Sperring	41.32	41.48	+0.16
39	Liam Moore	65.70	65.85	+0.15
40	Thomas Goodrich	48.23	48.37	+0.14
41	Mason Beaven	64.44	64.58	+0.14
42	Steve Wynn	60.63	60.75	+0.12
43	Jamie Treacher	51.11	51.22	+0.10
44	Jay Anderson	69.86	69.95	+0.08
45	Jamie Shovelton	65.78	65.86	+0.08
46	Cameron Oram	60.99	61.06	+0.08
47	Pete Evans	41.96	42.03	+0.08
48	Dan Cornes	59.66	59.73	+0.07
49	Martin Haines	63.69	63.75	+0.06
50	Paul Philpot	46.71	46.77	+0.06

Arran leads the first table

The biggest mover during September was Arran Cundick, whose Q4QS Average rose from 53.83 to 55.12.

That's an increase of 1.29 points, and it was achieved while his qualifying event count increased from seven to 13. That gives him a fairly clear lead in the first monthly table.

Luke Yates was the other player to gain more than a full point, climbing from 62.84 to 63.92 for an improvement of 1.08.

George Nurdin completes the top three after moving from 58.48 to 59.36, a rise of 0.87.

Kai Carter and Henry Povey round out the top five.

Improvement at every level

This is probably the part of the table I like most.

There isn't one standard of player dominating it.

Joe Quiney was already averaging 76.88 and still managed to push that up to 77.61.

Jamie Kay started September at an already excellent 82.65 and finished it at 83.19. Ashton Brown moved beyond the 81 mark, while Scott Mc also managed to improve an average that was already above 80.

At the other end of the scale, there are players improving from averages in the 40s and 50s.

That's exactly what I hoped this feature would show.

Improvement doesn't have to mean suddenly becoming an 80-average player. If somebody moves from 48.54 to 48.82, or from 53.83 to 55.12, they have moved forward relative to where they were a month ago.

Some impressive workloads as well

A few names further down the table are worth highlighting because of the amount of darts behind their numbers.

Henry Povey added 17 events during the period and still increased his Q4QS Average by 0.76.

Steve Boundy's average moved from 71.68 to 71.84 despite his recorded event total increasing from 139 to 154.

Cameron Oram now has 163 events in the figures and still managed to edge his average upwards.

The more established a player's figures become, the harder it can be to shift the overall number noticeably, so smaller gains can still represent worthwhile progress.

And, yes, I've even sneaked into the bottom of the first Top 50 myself — 46.71 to 46.77. Improvement is improvement!

A new monthly Q4QS feature

I'll run this again at the end of October.

The aim isn't to turn it into another ranking of who the best players are. We already have plenty of rankings for that.

This one is about who is moving forward.

The full Top 50 will be published here each month, while I'll put the Top 10 into the Q4QS Facebook group.

If you're already in the database but aren't in the group, joining gives you the chance to feature in a future Most Improved list.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Jack Johnson Hits 125.25 as 61 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 30 September 2026

Wednesday produced another substantial night for Q4QS, with 61 tournaments added to the database and some exceptional averages appearing from one end of the country to the other.

The headline number was an enormous 125.25 from Jack Johnson in Tonbridge, but he was far from alone. Carl Wilson hit 115.62, Johnny Haines 111.55, Adrian Wood 111.33 and Roger Crook 108.62.

Closer to the usual Q4QS heartland there were wins for Ryan Palmer at Sartan, Kieran Smith at Stonehouse, Darren Herbert in Chard, James Chudleigh at Bodmin and Matt Lambert at Barnstaple.

And the women's game was busy again, with eight WADC Vaults included in Wednesday's results.

Jack Johnson hits a huge 125.25

The biggest number of the day came at the 6 and 1 Club in Tonbridge, where Jack Johnson produced a remarkable 125.25 average in a 2–0 victory over Robert Barton.

Johnson wasn't simply responsible for the biggest average either. He went on to win the tournament, beating George Whyte 3–1 in the final, and also recorded 99.95 during the knockout stages.

He finished with seven wins on the night.

A 125.25 is an enormous number in any company and comfortably headed Wednesday's Q4QS averages.

Carl Wilson's remarkable week continues

Carl Wilson seems determined to appear in Yesterday's Results every day at the moment.

After winning Monday's PDC World Championship qualifier and following it with another tournament victory on Tuesday, Wilson was back in action at Crowborough Social Club on Wednesday.

And he won again.

This time he produced a huge 115.62, alongside 91.09, 90.18 and 86.71, before beating Vincent Smart 3–0 in the final.

That's three tournament wins on three consecutive days, including the World Championship qualifier in the middle of them.

Didcot produces another cracker

The Vault at GWRSA Club in Didcot produced another very strong night.

Johnny Haines hit 111.55, while Roger Crook averaged 108.62 when the pair met earlier in the competition.

They eventually met again in the final, where Haines beat Crook 3–2, averaging 95.72.

Jayden Jones also joined the three-figure club with a 100.20.

That's Haines following Tuesday's 115.62 in Faringdon with another average above 110 just 24 hours later.

Adrian Wood hits 111.33 – Ryan Palmer wins at Sartan

There was another big number at one of the regular Q4QS venues, The Sartan Club in Bishopsworth.

Adrian Wood averaged a superb 111.33 in a 2–0 victory over Scott James Anstey.

But the tournament belonged to Ryan Palmer.

Palmer produced averages of 91.09, 87.84 and 87.64 during the night before beating Owen Smith 3–2 in the final.

He finished with eight wins, with Owen Smith and Shay Goff both recording five.

That's exactly the sort of night where the headline average and the tournament story belong to two different players.

Kieran Smith dominates at Stonehouse

At Magpies Social Club in Stonehouse, Kieran Smith put together one of the more complete performances of the night.

Smith averaged 93.71 in his 3–1 final victory over Josh Lewis, having already recorded a 91.09 earlier in the competition.

He finished with seven wins, with Lewis and Alex Cantillion recording six apiece.

Bodmin produces more strong numbers

At Bodmin Band & Social Club, James Chudleigh took the title with a 3–1 final victory over Leo Strick.

Chudleigh averaged 85.54 in the final, but the biggest number of the tournament came from Jamie Kay, who hit 96.97.

Logan Symons jnr also had a strong night, reaching 91.09, 85.90 and 85.32.

Chudleigh finished with eight wins to take the tournament.

Andy Steed wins again

Andy Steed has been appearing regularly in these reports and Wednesday brought another tournament victory.

At Break N Dish in Street, Steed beat Dean Baker 3–0 in the final.

His best average was 92.70, while he also recorded 89.64 and 85.08.

Steven Rees reached 90.28 and 83.50 during another competitive night in Somerset.

Darren Herbert wins in Chard

At The Choughs Hotel in Chard, Darren Herbert took the title after beating Kieran Spurdle 3–2 in the final.

Herbert produced the tournament's best average with 90.18 and finished with six wins.

Spurdle had five wins and pushed him all the way in the decider.

Matt Lambert takes Barnstaple title

At Barnstaple Football Club, Matt Lambert beat Sam Chance 3–1 in the final.

Lambert finished with seven wins and recorded a best of 77.08.

The highest average of the tournament belonged to Neil Ridd at 81.24, while Chance also reached 77.08.

More big numbers around the country

There were far too many strong performances on Wednesday to fit them all into the headline positions.

Dewi Beynon hit 107.36 at Bedlinog, where Stephen Cake eventually took the title and produced 103.33 himself.

Jason Collins reached 107.36 at Rocket Ronnies in Southampton, although Joey Cole went on to win the tournament.

At Hednesford, Dan Hands averaged 104.86 in the final, with opponent Paul Redfern averaging 103.15.

Kevin Edwards hit 103.66 on his way to winning at Clacton, Ryan Mitchell recorded the same number at Guildford and Robbie Martin produced 103.66 and 100.20 at St Leonards before taking the title.

Andrew Cook hit 100.20 at St Austell, while Tom Baughan reached 100.20 at Bradmoor Farm.

There was strength everywhere you looked.

Tyler Garrett hits 100.20 in the Junior Volts

The juniors deserve another mention after a particularly impressive performance in Pontypool.

At the Junior Volts at Pilcs Sports & Social Club, Tyler Garrett averaged 100.20 in his 3–0 final victory over Joshua Russell.

Garrett also recorded 96.97, 88.41 and 85.08 and finished with eight wins.

That's an outstanding set of numbers at junior level rather than simply one exceptional match.

Elsewhere, Jackson Osborne won at Llantwit Major, Theo Fiddy took the title in Norwich, Taylor Hayward won at Stowmarket and Aaron Rea won at The Kings Pub in Exeter.

Eight WADC winners on Wednesday

There were eight WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments in Wednesday's results, and they deserve their own roundup.

Donna Buckley won at Resolven, beating Grace Holman 3–0 in the final.

Pennie Lewis took the Hampshire event against Bridget McGuire, while Nicky Denham won at Bradmoor Farm in Aylesbury against Gill Clark.

At Duffy's in Pontypridd, Kirsten Casley produced one of the stronger WADC performances of the night, averaging 70.45 in her 3–1 final victory over Celyn Saunders.

There was another 70.45 at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury, where Kacey Ayres went on to beat Kelsey Haigh 3–1 in the final.

Jane Price won at The Bengeworth in Evesham, recording a best of 69.91 before beating Sam Higgins 3–0 in the final.

The other winners were Juliet Findley at The Men of March and Suzanne Price at The Monty Club in Newtown.

Another eight women's competitions going into the database is every bit as important as the headline averages. As these events build up week after week, we'll start getting a much deeper picture of the WADC players and venues too.

Five performances that caught my eye

1. Jack Johnson – 125.25 — Tonbridge
2. Carl Wilson – 115.62 — Crowborough
3. Johnny Haines – 111.55 — Didcot
4. Adrian Wood – 111.33 — Sartan Club, Bishopsworth
5. Roger Crook – 108.62 — Didcot

Just outside those five were Dewi Beynon and Jason Collins at 107.36, Dan Hands at 104.86 and several more players above the 100 mark.

61 more tournaments into Q4QS

Another 61 tournaments means another substantial set of results feeding into the Q4QS rankings, player histories, venue records, form and head-to-head data.

Wednesday had almost everything: huge averages, familiar venues, strong Welsh events, eight WADC tournaments and another junior breaking the 100 barrier.

And while 125.25 from Jack Johnson is an obvious headline, there were stories much deeper into the results as well.

That's what makes going through all 61 tournaments worthwhile.

You Don’t Have to Be Amazing to Play Competitive Darts

 

How good do you actually need to be to play competitive darts?

It's something I've thought about quite a lot.

If most of your darts viewing comes from the PDC, it would be very easy to think you need to average 80 or 90 before you should even consider entering a tournament.

An 85 average can look ordinary on television. Players average 90 and lose comfortably. Occasionally somebody can average close to 100 and still find themselves going home.

But professional darts isn't normal darts.

So I decided to use the Q4QS database to look at the players who are actually going out and competing.

And the numbers tell a very different story.

You don't have to be amazing to play competitive darts.

More than 5,500 competitive players

For this analysis I've concentrated on players who have played enough events to establish a Q4QS Average.

That leaves 5,590 players.

At one end we have some of the very best players in the world.

At the other we have ordinary grassroots players entering local competitions.

And there is pretty much everything in between.

Importantly, these aren't somebody's best five legs on a practice board. They are averages built from actual competitive darts.

So what does a competitive darts player really look like?

The answer isn't 80 or 90

The biggest concentration of players isn't around 80.

It isn't even around 70.

The largest five-point group is in the 56–60 range.

There is another huge group between 61 and 65.

The median Q4QS Average across the entire sample is 64.67.

The mean is 66.35.

The most common exact Q4QS Average is 56.80, although with averages recorded to two decimal places I wouldn't read too much into one exact figure. Rounded to a whole number, the biggest concentration is around 60.

Whichever measure we use, the conclusion is much the same.

The centre of competitive darts is nowhere near the averages we regularly see on television.

What about an 80 average?

I've scored at several Q Schools and I've always had 80.00 in my head as an important benchmark.

That's my own opinion. It isn't an official PDC minimum and averaging 80 certainly doesn't guarantee success at Q School.

But from what I've seen, it's around the minimum level where I personally start thinking seriously about Q School standard.

So how many of these 5,590 players actually average 80 or more?

539.

That's just 9.6%.

In other words, more than 90% of the qualifying competitive players in this sample average below 80.

Go higher and the numbers fall rapidly.

Only 214 players — 3.8% — average 85 or better.

Only 69 — 1.2% — average 90 or better.

Only 14 players — 0.25% — average 95 or better.

And there is just one player in the database with a Q4QS Average above 100.

Suddenly an 80 average doesn't look very ordinary.

Television gives us a strange idea of a good average

That's probably inevitable.

We spend hours watching some of the best darts players on the planet.

Someone averages 89, loses 6–2 and we hear that they've had a poor game.

Perhaps they have by their standards.

But an 89 average isn't poor darts.

Across this population, it's exceptional.

An 80 average puts you roughly in the top 10%.

Get into the 83–84 area and you're around the top 5%.

Reach the low 90s and you're getting towards top 1% territory.

That's quite a different perspective.

Where does your average put you?

With thousands of players, we can start putting averages into context.

Very approximately:

Q4QS Average	Where it puts you
59	Top 75%
65	Around the top 50%
73	Around the top 25%
80	Around the top 10%
83–84	Around the top 5%
92	Around the top 1%

That makes a 70-something average look rather different from how it might appear on television.

If you're averaging around 73 consistently in competitive darts, you're roughly in the upper quarter of this population.

That's decent darts.

The Q4QS colours give us another way of looking at it

I then wondered whether the Q4QS colour rankings would show the same pattern.

They do.

I calculated the average Q4QS Average of the players in each current colour band.

Q4QS Colour	Ranking	Average Q4QS Average
Gold	1–200	88.53
Silver	201–500	82.43
Bronze	501–1,000	78.75
Black	1,001–2,000	74.14
Brown	2,001–3,000	69.51
Blue	3,001–4,000	66.51
Green	4,001–5,000	63.96
Red	5,001–6,000	61.86
Purple	6,001–7,000	59.96
Pink	7,001–8,000	58.19
Orange	8,001–9,000	56.78
Yellow	9,001–10,000	54.86

I really like this table.

It gives players a completely different set of targets.

The average Yellow-ranked player is around 55.

Orange is around 57.

Purple is almost exactly 60.

Red is around 62.

Green is around 64.

Blue moves into the 66–67 territory.

Brown is getting close to 70.

Black is around 74.

Bronze is nearly 79.

Silver is above 82.

Gold averages almost 89.

These aren't qualification marks. Averaging 74 doesn't automatically make you a Black-ranked player because Q4QS ranking isn't based solely on average.

But they are useful benchmarks.

If you're Purple, perhaps your immediate target isn't an 80 average.

Maybe it's the typical Red level.

Then Green.

Then Blue.

That's a much more achievable way of looking at improvement.

And then there's me

I'm useful at the other end of this argument.

I'm roughly a 50-average player.

I've averaged 70.

I've also averaged 40.

Consistency is very much a work in progress.

But I play competitive darts.

I'm not entering tournaments expecting to become the next world champion. I'm playing because I enjoy competing and because I want to improve.

There is a tendency in darts to think you have to reach some imaginary standard before you're allowed to enter.

You don't.

There will always be somebody better than you.

That's true if you average 50.

It's true if you average 70.

And unless your name happens to be Luke Littler or Luke Humphries, it's probably true if you average 100.

Half a point matters

This might be my favourite result from the whole exercise.

When we talk about getting better at darts, we usually think in big numbers.

"I'm averaging 55 and want to average 65."

Or:

"I'm at 60 and want to reach 70."

But ten average points is an enormous improvement.

So I looked at something much smaller.

Half a point.

Around a 60 average, there are approximately 134 players within the next half-point of the Q4QS average distribution.

At 65, it's around 105.

At 70, around 76.

At 75, around 72.

At 80, around 48.

At 85, only around 19.

At 90, just seven.

That doesn't mean adding half a point automatically moves your Q4QS ranking by that many places. The ranking takes much more into account.

But it shows just how densely packed the playing population is around grassroots levels.

Don't find ten points — find half a point

I think that's a much better way of approaching improvement.

If I'm averaging 50 and decide I need to get to 80, I've given myself a 30-point target.

That sounds ridiculous.

What if I try to get to 50.5?

Then 51.

Then 51.5.

Then 52.

Suddenly the target isn't quite so ridiculous.

And around the busiest areas of the average distribution, those little improvements can move you past a surprisingly large number of players on the average curve.

Half a point matters.

A point matters.

Consistency matters.

It gets harder the higher you go

The numbers demonstrate something else as well.

The player population becomes thinner as the averages rise.

At grassroots levels, there can be more than 100 players squeezed into half an average point.

At 90, there are only a handful.

And finding an extra half-point when you're already averaging 90 is considerably harder than finding one when you're averaging 55.

That's part of what makes elite darts so impressive.

The margins become tiny.

Average isn't everything

There's one other important caveat.

Q4QS ranking isn't simply an average table.

Actually entering tournaments matters.

Winning matches matters.

Who you play matters.

Consistency matters.

That's why somebody with a relatively modest average can still have a respectable ranking.

Darts matches aren't awarded to whoever has the best season average.

You still have to win the legs.

So don't become obsessed with one number.

Use it as a measure of improvement rather than a definition of how good you are.

Stop comparing yourself with the PDC

Professional darts is brilliant.

It's also a terrible benchmark for deciding whether you're good enough to enter your local tournament.

Those players are at the extreme end of the curve.

That's why they're professionals.

An average that looks disappointing on television can represent an exceptional standard across the wider competitive game.

And an average that looks poor compared with the PDC might actually be completely normal at grassroots level.

So if you're sitting at home averaging 50, 55 or 60 and thinking you aren't good enough to enter a tournament, perhaps think again.

Will you win it?

Probably not.

Could you lose your first match?

Absolutely.

So could everybody else who enters.

Could you compete?

Yes.

You might already be good enough

That's ultimately what I took from looking at these numbers.

There isn't a magic average where somebody suddenly becomes entitled to call themselves a competitive darts player.

You don't need to average 80.

You don't need to average 70.

You don't even need to average 60.

If you want to play competitive darts, enter something.

Find out where you are.

Then try to improve.

And rather than looking 10 or 20 points further up the average table, start with half a point.

Then another half.

Then another.

Because when you stop comparing yourself with the handful of extraordinary players we watch on television and start comparing yourself with thousands of people who actually play competitive darts, things look very different.

You don't have to be amazing to play competitive darts.

You just have to play.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Johnny Haines Hits 115.62 as 77 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 29 September 2026

Tuesday was a big night for grassroots darts, with 77 tournaments added to Q4QS and some seriously good numbers appearing across the country.

The graphic picked out Liam Trotman's 107.36, Joe Quiney's 98.60 and Andy Steed's 96.65, but digging further into the results uncovered even more.

Johnny Haines hit a huge 115.62 in Faringdon, while Tyler Thorpe and Tony Chapman both reached 107.36. There was also a remarkable final at Syston where James Young averaged 105.46 — and still lost to Steve Haggerty, who averaged 104.86.

And with seven WADC Vaults played on Tuesday, there is plenty from the women's game to include as well.

Johnny Haines hits 115.62 in Faringdon

The biggest average I'm picking out from Tuesday came at the Vault at Faringdon Town Football Club.

Johnny Haines produced a superb 115.62 in a 2–0 victory over Otto Hookham.

It wasn't just one big performance either. Haines also recorded 96.97 and 91.09 during the night and finished with seven wins.

However, he didn't take the title.

That went to Ash McKeever, who beat Haines along the way and then defeated him 3–1 in the final.

Another good example of why I like looking beyond simply who won each tournament.

A remarkable final at Syston

One of the matches that really caught my eye came at The Brookside in Syston.

James Young averaged 105.46 in the final.

Normally that would be more than enough to win a grassroots tournament.

Not this time.

Steve Haggerty averaged 104.86 and beat him 3–0.

Haggerty had also produced a 102.00 earlier in the tournament.

A 105.46 losing average against a 104.86 is certainly one of the more unusual finals I've seen appear in the Q4QS results.

Liam Trotman hits 107.36 in Portishead

Closer to Q4QS home territory, there was another huge performance at the Tuesday Open at Portishead Workmens Darts.

Liam Trotman hit 107.36 in a 2–0 victory over Max Maggs and also recorded an 88.41.

Trotman eventually lost 2–1 to Logun Godbeer, who went on to reach the final.

The tournament itself was won by Christopher Staples, who beat Godbeer 2–1 and finished the night with nine wins.

Again, the biggest average didn't belong to the eventual champion.

Joe Quiney produces a big night at Bretforton

There was an excellent performance at Bretforton Sports Club near Evesham, where Joe Quiney won the Vault.

Quiney hit 98.60, followed it with other strong numbers and then averaged 95.94 in a 3–0 final victory over Danny Lauby.

Lauby himself reached 89.33 and 88.41 during the competition.

Quiney and Lauby both accumulated seven wins, but it was Quiney who took the title.

Andy Steed impresses again in Tiverton

Andy Steed continues to appear regularly among the stronger Q4QS performances.

At Elmore Football Club in Tiverton, Steed won the Vault with a 96.65 average in his 3–1 final victory over Dave Fisher.

He also recorded 93.94, 88.41 and 85.89 during the tournament and finished with eight wins.

That's a particularly solid set of numbers rather than simply one standout match.

Carl Wilson follows Monday's success with a 101.59

Carl Wilson had a pretty good couple of days.

After winning Monday's PDC UK & Ireland World Championship qualifier, he was back playing a Vault on Tuesday at East Grinstead Social and Ex Services Club.

Wilson won that as well.

He averaged 101.59 in his 3–1 final victory over Dan Russell, having also produced 96.97 and 92.02 during the tournament.

Not a bad follow-up to Monday.

Some big Welsh numbers

There were several excellent performances in the Welsh Vaults.

At Loughor Workingmens Club in Swansea, Lee Evans averaged 104.46 in the final, beating Kai Clark 3–1. Evans also recorded 96.97 and 90.18.

At Lindsay Constitutional Club, Connor Hopkins hit 101.89 and then averaged 98.42 in his 3–2 final victory over Ryan Davies.

And at Vetz Club in Pontycymer, both finalists broke the 100 barrier.

William Thomas hit 103.66, while eventual winner Mike Huntley also hit 103.66 and added another 100.20 during the night before beating Thomas 3–0 in the final.

That's some serious strength across the Welsh events.

Josh McCarthy breaks 100 in Swindon

Josh McCarthy followed Monday's win at North Star in Calne with another title on Tuesday.

This time it came at Wiltshire Darts House in Swindon.

McCarthy averaged 100.20 in the final, beating Rich Griffee 3–0.

He also recorded 93.94 and 92.02 and finished with eight wins.

Two tournament victories on consecutive nights at different venues is a decent couple of days.

Ryan Palmer wins at Widden

At Widden Rugby Club in Gloucester, Ryan Palmer won the Vault with a 3–0 victory over Nigel Vernall.

Palmer finished with seven wins, while Alfie Palmer produced the highest average of the tournament at 85.89.

Andrew Burford reached 79.11, with Ryan Palmer's best listed performance coming in at 76.42.

Ryan Greenslade takes Taunton title

At Darts @ The Lawns, Ryan Greenslade won the Taunton U70 Round Robin Super Series.

Greenslade beat James Wellbelove 4–1 in the final and finished with nine wins.

Ben Hayman produced the highest average of the tournament at 83.50, while Greenslade reached 79.11.

Junior Volts spread across the country

Tuesday was another busy night for the Junior Volts programme.

At Highbridge Social Club, Tai Anderson beat Oliver Reece 3–0 in the final. Bradley Bateman produced the best average there at 70.91.

There were also wins for Rhys Evans at Resolven, Jenson Macey at Gosport, Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris at Cannock, Charlie Lowin at Halesowen, Finley Holmes-Harker at Skegness, Alfie Mills at Gillingham, Archie Isaacson on the Isle of Wight and Joshua Russell at Ogmore Vale.

There were some impressive numbers among them too.

Tyler Shuck reached 91.09 at Halesowen, while Joshua Russell also hit 91.09 at Ogmore Vale.

Harley Glycos produced a 100.20 in the Calstep Wales Newport results.

WADC: seven tournaments on Tuesday

There were seven WADC Vault 3.0 tournaments in Tuesday's results, so there was plenty of women's darts added to Q4QS.

At Shooters in Leominster, Louise Davies beat Karrina Barnes 3–0 in the final. Clare Bywater produced the highest average of the tournament at 60.85.

At The 9 Darter in Port Talbot, Kirsten Casley beat Celyn Saunders 3–0 and averaged 69.37 in the final.

Lisa McClatchey won at London GAA in Ruislip, beating Maggie Sutton 3–0 and averaging 63.51.

At The Church Wicketts in Telford, Alyssya Petty beat Tamzin Warrillow 3–1 and finished with six wins.

Jenny Levett won at The Empire Club in Lancing, beating Tracey Collins 3–1.

At Trebles Darts in North Walsham, Lynsey Childs beat Gemma Reynolds 3–2 in the final, while Reynolds produced the event's best average of 63.61.

And at Wiltshire Darts House in Swindon, Dani Kearns beat Chris Savvery 3–0. Savvery produced the highest WADC average among the seven events at 75.15, while Kearns reached 69.91.

That's seven more women's tournaments feeding into the Q4QS database, covering a good geographical spread and a range of playing standards.

Five performances that caught my eye

If I leave aside the very short-format Shepperton results, which produced some unusually high averages over tiny samples, these are five performances that stood out to me:

1. Johnny Haines – 115.62 — Faringdon
2. Liam Trotman – 107.36 — Portishead
3. Tony Chapman – 107.36 — King's Lynn
4. James Young – 105.46 — Syston
5. Steve Haggerty – 104.86 — Syston

And there are plenty just outside that five: Lee Evans at 104.46, Charlie Little and William Thomas at 103.66, Mike Huntley at 103.66 and 100.20, Connor Hopkins at 101.89 and Carl Wilson at 101.59.

77 tournaments added to Q4QS

Tuesday is becoming one of the most interesting days of the week for the database.

77 tournaments means another substantial batch of matches, averages and player results, ranging from Junior Volts and WADC competitions through to Vaults and local opens.

And Tuesday demonstrated again why Yesterday's Results shouldn't simply be a list of tournament winners.

Johnny Haines hit 115.62 without winning. James Young averaged 105.46 in a final and lost. Liam Trotman hit 107.36 but didn't reach the final.

Those performances are every bit as interesting to me as who lifted the trophy.

That's exactly the sort of thing the growing Q4QS database is allowing me to find.

Joe Hunt Tops Challenge Tour as Tour Cards and Ally Pally Places Are Decided

 

The 2026 PDC Challenge Tour reached its conclusion in Wigan with plenty still on the line going into the final weekend.

Two PDC Tour Cards were available through the final Order of Merit, alongside World Championship opportunities and, for the player finishing number one, a place in the Grand Slam of Darts.

By the end of Sunday, Joe Hunt had completed a superb late charge to finish top, Derek Coulson had secured the second Tour Card and the battle immediately behind them had gone right down to the wire.

Hunt times his run perfectly

Joe Hunt could hardly have picked a better time to hit top form.

He went into the closing weekend chasing Derek Coulson at the top of the standings, but victory in Challenge Tour 22 was followed by another title in Challenge Tour 23.

Hunt began Event 23 with a 5-0 win over Coulson and later produced a 109.56 average against Nathan Rafferty.

By the quarter-finals he was still going strong, edging Jack Aldridge 5-4 before beating Harrison Leigh 5-3 in the semi-final.

That set up a final against Jack Tweddell, and Hunt finished the job in convincing fashion with a 5-1 victory and a 99.48 average.

It was Hunt's fifth Challenge Tour title of the season and took him to £20,400 at the top of the final Order of Merit.

The reward is considerable.

Hunt earns a two-year PDC Tour Card for 2027 and 2028, while finishing number one also gives him a place in the Grand Slam of Darts.

It was a remarkable finish to the season and a reminder of how quickly the Challenge Tour picture can change when somebody strings together a series of deep runs.

Coulson gets the Tour Card his season deserved

For much of the closing part of the season, Derek Coulson had been the man everyone was chasing.

The final Sunday did not go his way, including that first-round defeat to Hunt in Event 23, but the work had already been done.

Coulson finished second on £15,500, comfortably clear of third place, and therefore joins Hunt in earning a two-year PDC Tour Card.

Hunt may have taken the number-one position at the end, but Coulson's consistency across the season ensured he still walked away with the main prize he had been chasing.

Morris and Klose separated by just £200

Behind the top two, things became much tighter.

Tommy Morris finished third on £12,450, with Daniel Klose fourth on £12,250.

Just £200 separated them after 24 Challenge Tour tournaments.

Morris gave himself an important boost in Event 23, beating Steve Lennon 5-3 in the quarter-final with a 98.30 average before losing 5-4 to Jack Tweddell in the semi-final.

Those extra winnings proved extremely important.

The final top four were:

Position	Player	Prize Money
1	Joe Hunt	£20,400
2	Derek Coulson	£15,500
3	Tommy Morris	£12,450
4	Daniel Klose	£12,250

The Challenge Tour also provides World Championship places, although players who qualify through a higher route do not take an additional place from the Challenge Tour allocation.

That matters because Hunt is in position to qualify for Alexandra Palace through the ProTour route.

As things stand, that puts Coulson and Morris into the Challenge Tour World Championship positions, with Klose next in line if Hunt's qualification comes through elsewhere.

For Klose, that could turn a £200 near miss into a World Championship appearance after all.

Williams wins the final event of the season

There was still one more tournament to play after Hunt had made his move at the top.

Challenge Tour 24 went to Patrik Williams.

Williams beat Jenson Remory 5-3 in the quarter-final before edging Sam Jackson 5-4 in the semi-final.

He then defeated Jack Aldridge 5-3 in the final, averaging 94.78.

The £3,000 winner's prize lifted Williams to 14th on the final Order of Merit on £6,600.

Aldridge also finished the season strongly, reaching the final and ending the campaign seventh on £8,150.

Plenty left wondering what one more run might have done

The final standings show just how costly one missed opportunity can be over the course of a Challenge Tour season.

Behind the leading four came Archie Self on £9,500, Tommy Lishman on £8,950, Jack Aldridge on £8,150, Jack Tweddell on £8,050, Daniel Ayres on £7,750 and Aden Kirk on £7,450.

Tweddell's late run was particularly impressive. He reached the final of Event 23 after beating Morris 5-4 in the semi-final before running into Hunt.

But once the season was finished, the biggest prizes had gone to Hunt and Coulson, while Morris and Klose were left separated by only £200.

Across 24 tournaments, that is an incredibly small margin.

One more route to Alexandra Palace

The Challenge Tour season finished on Sunday, but many of the same players were back in action on Monday for the UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder & Associate Member World Championship Qualifier.

This time there was no season-long Order of Merit.

There was one World Championship place available, and the only way to get it was to win the tournament.

That place went to Carl Wilson.

Wilson comes through the field

Wilson had not been one of the headline names going into the qualifier, but that did not matter once play began.

He beat Kevin Lane and Jack Vincent before surviving a very tight 6-5 match against Jack Aldridge.

Wilson then beat Robbie Martin 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

From there, the level of opposition became even tougher.

He defeated former Lakeside world champion Steve Beaton 7-5 and then beat Steve Lennon 7-3 in the semi-final.

That left one match between Wilson and a first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

Standing in his way was Shane McGuirk.

McGuirk falls one match short

McGuirk had put together an excellent run of his own.

He beat Christopher Wickenden in the last 16, Alan Norris in the quarter-final and then Mervyn King 7-5 in the semi-final.

The final was competitive too.

McGuirk produced the higher average, 93.88 compared with Wilson's 89.27, but Wilson won the match 7-4 to secure the World Championship place.

For Wilson, it means a first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

For McGuirk, it was another painful near miss after reaching the final of this qualifier for the second successive year.

Beaton, King and Lennon also go close

There were some very familiar names deep into the qualifier.

Steve Beaton's hopes ended in the quarter-finals against Wilson.

Mervyn King reached the semi-finals before losing to McGuirk, while Steve Lennon made the other semi-final.

Alan Norris, Nick Kenny and Gary Jackson were also among those reaching the last eight.

But this was a tournament where there was only one prize.

Everyone other than Wilson went home knowing they had fallen somewhere short of the one result that mattered.

A weekend that changed careers

The final Challenge Tour weekend and Monday's World Championship qualifier settled a number of major questions.

Joe Hunt finishes the year as Challenge Tour number one, earns a two-year Tour Card and takes a place in the Grand Slam.

Derek Coulson finishes second and earns the other two-year Tour Card.

Tommy Morris has secured his place among the leading Challenge Tour players in the World Championship race.

Daniel Klose finished just £200 behind him and is currently next in line if Hunt qualifies through the ProTour route.

And Carl Wilson produced perhaps the most dramatic story of all, coming through a huge one-day qualifier to book his first appearance at Alexandra Palace.

For some players, the weekend brought the biggest reward of their careers.

For others, an entire 24-event Challenge Tour season came down to a few hundred pounds, one deciding leg or one missed opportunity.

That is how fine the margins can be at this level.

Yesterday’s Darts Results: Jayden Walker Hits 100.20 as 29 Tournaments Join Q4QS – 28 September 2026

Monday brought another 29 tournaments into the Q4QS database, with a mixture of Vaults, Junior Volts, restricted-average competitions and the PDC World Championship qualifier.

For me, the grassroots performance of the day came from Salisbury, where junior Jayden Walker hit a superb 100.20 and went on to win the tournament.

Roger Crook also hit 100.20 on his way to winning in Didcot, while Josh McCarthy won a close final at North Star in Calne and Alfie Barney had an excellent night at Clandown.

Jayden Walker breaks 100 in Salisbury

The standout grassroots number of the day came at Stratford Social Club in Salisbury.

Jayden Walker averaged 100.20 in a 3–0 victory over Leo Fowler in the Junior Volts Series 1.

Walker then went on to win the tournament, beating Jacob Stott 3–0 in the final, and finished with 12 wins across the recorded results.

We've seen plenty of promising junior performances appearing in Q4QS, but a three-figure average deserves attention at any level.

Roger Crook wins in Didcot – and hits 100.20

There was another three-figure average at the GWRSA Club in Didcot, where Roger Crook won the Vault.

Crook's best performance was an excellent 100.20 in a 2–0 victory over Simon Goswell. He also recorded an 83.50 and accumulated 14 wins across the results.

Stephen Wilkes also finished with 14 recorded wins, while Preben Krabben reached ten.

Josh McCarthy takes North Star title in Calne

There was a close finish at North Star Club in Calne, where Josh McCarthy beat Scott Mc 3–2 in the final.

McCarthy averaged 80.44 in the decider, having previously beaten Gary Hiscock 3–2 in the semi-final.

Scott Mc actually produced the higher average in the final at 87.82, having also hit 90.18 in a 3–0 semi-final victory over Mitch McCarthy.

So although McCarthy took the title, Scott produced two of the strongest numbers in the knockout stages.

Alfie Barney wins at Clandown

At Clandown Darts Promotions, Alfie Barney put together a strong night in the Monday Under-65 Round Robin.

Barney beat Jayden Osmond 3–0 in the final, hit the tournament's highest recorded average of 77.74 and finished with 16 wins.

Osmond accumulated 14 wins, Freddie Keen 12 and Eddie Hughes ten, with Hughes reaching a best of 75.20.

With 124 matches recorded, there was plenty of darts played at Clandown on Monday.

Carl Wilson secures his World Championship place

Away from the grassroots events, there was a much bigger prize at stake in the PDC UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder & Associate Member World Championship Qualifier.

Carl Wilson beat Shane McGuirk 7–4 in the final to secure the World Championship place.

The biggest average of the entire day's export actually came from Darren Beveridge, who hit 106.09 in a 6–0 victory over Daniel Ayres.

Ted Evetts reached 102.48, while Jack Aldridge recorded 101.60.

Wilson finished with 16 recorded wins across the qualifier.

Strong night across the Welsh Vaults

There were three Welsh Monday Vaults worth picking out.

At Cardigan Rugby Club, Dorian Thomas beat Justin Smith 3–2 in the final.

Both Thomas and Smith reached 93.94 during the tournament, while Danny Williams recorded 91.09. Dorian finished with 12 wins and Justin with ten.

At the Clive Arms in Cardiff, William Thomas beat Edward Manley 3–0 in the final, averaging an excellent 93.94.

Manley also had a strong night, reaching 91.09 and 88.41 and accumulating 14 wins across the results.

At Duffys in Pontypridd, Kurt Parry beat Marc Saunders 3–0, averaging 86.71 in the final. Parry finished with 16 wins and also recorded an 82.47.

Tyler Thorpe wins in Daventry

At Daventry Town Football Club, Tyler Thorpe beat Michael Feasey 3–1 in the final.

Thorpe produced the highest average of the tournament with 90.18 and also recorded 86.78.

Feasey reached 86.71 and accumulated ten wins across the available results.

Two winners in Paignton

There was another busy night at 8 Ball Bar & Sports in Paignton, with two sets of Vault results included in the export.

Andy Steed beat Alfie Hutton 3–0 in the final. George Butcher produced the best average at 82.72, Harry Madge reached 81.24 and Steed recorded a best of 80.40.

The second competition went to Chris Tuck, who beat Josh Rose 3–1 in the final.

Kirky Godbeer produced the highest listed average in that event at 72.25, while both Godbeer and Rose accumulated ten wins.

More Junior Volts winners

Salisbury wasn't the only Junior Volts venue in action.

At Barry Town United, Henry Pearson beat Elijah Bishop 3–1 in the final, with Pearson also producing the best average of 67.21.

Zach Joyce won in Milton Keynes, beating Mika Usher-Yu in the final. Usher-Yu produced the best recorded average there at 79.11.

At Lancing, Jamie Johnson beat Morgan McGinty 3–1, while Ethan Yates recorded a best of 75.15.

There was plenty of junior darts again, but Walker's 100.20 in Salisbury was clearly the number that stood out.

A few more Monday winners

There were other performances worth mentioning beyond the headline events.

At the Bullseye Bar in Lichfield, David Hitchman beat Riley Smith 3–0 in the final and recorded an 81.24 during the competition.

At Broadway Social Club, George Humphreys beat Callum Davies 3–1 to win the CEC Heavyweight Championship Evening. Shaun Barnes produced the highest recorded average there at 79.11.

At Legends Sports Bar in Wisbech, Sid Stovold beat Tony Chapman 3–2. Chapman produced the strongest numbers at the event, including 88.24, 87.11 and 85.08.

Five grassroots performances that caught my eye

1. Jayden Walker – 100.20 — Stratford Social Club, Salisbury
2. Roger Crook – 100.20 — GWRSA Club, Didcot
3. Dorian Thomas – 93.94 — Cardigan Rugby Club
4. William Thomas – 93.94 — Clive Arms, Cardiff
5. Scott Mc – 90.18 — North Star Club, Calne

The PDC qualifier sits separately, where Darren Beveridge's 106.09 was the highest recorded average in Monday's complete export.

29 more tournaments into Q4QS

It wasn't as busy as the weekend, but another 29 tournaments still gives us plenty to add to the database.

There were strong performances from established players, plenty of Junior Volts action, competitive Monday Vaults and good nights at venues including Salisbury, Calne, Clandown, Paignton, Didcot and across Wales.

But the number I'll remember from Monday is 100.20 from Jayden Walker.

A junior breaking the three-figure barrier and then going on to win the tournament is a pretty good story to start the week.