darts can still be fun!
Darts Researcher
PATRICK CHAPLIN worries a bit about darts becoming too serious and
suggests a few ways of playing the game for laughs…
DARTS CAN STILL BE FUN!
Up until the early 1970s
darts’ development from a public bar pastime to a major sport had hardly begun
even though millions of us had been playing the game for years.
The emergence of the
British Darts Organisation and the subsequent T.V. interest suddenly accelerated
the evolutionary process until now, fifteen years on, we have a pastime called a
sport which, in my opinion, is in danger of taking itself too seriously.
Professional players
relax through the medium of highly lucrative exhibition nights but what about
the run-of-the-mill league or club player who wants nothing more than to play
darts? How does he or she relax?
In Darts World
recently, ‘Coach’ has been looking at alternative games but I cannot help but
feel that, in the main, those suggestions retain the element of serious
competition or act as a continuing aid to practice, encouraging consistency and
accuracy. What – I say what about the masses of you out there who want a chance
to genuinely RELAX for a short while away from the pressure of match play
but not away from the dartboard?
I have played darts
seemingly all my life. (I must take a rest soon as my arms are beginning to
ache!) I take a great interest in the game. I love it. The regular meetings of
the darts club to which I subscribe are spent in keen competition with an
alternative game such as HALVE ITor KILLER usually rounding off
the evening.
Like all clubs we have
our star players who do have a tendency to hog the board on occasions and it was
as a result of some committee ribbing of these ‘star hoggers’ that the
suggestion was made, tongue-in-cheek, that we should arrange just one night of
darts where all the players stay on the dartboard all evening.
It was not such a tough
order as we first thought.
So we set about
‘inventing’ games of darts each of which involved the participation of every
player for only as long as it took each darter to throw his or her three (or in
one case four) arrows. A second criterion we set ourselves was that each game
should be basically silly. What better way to relax than to make a fool
of yourself with your pals?
The games that follow are
a selection of those that the club members eventually came up with. In the
majority of cases it is the highest (or lowest) score that wins each leg. At my
local, the Blue Boar, we prepared a league table, awarding points to darters for
coming 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th
(10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points respectively). The highest total at the end of the
evening won whatever trophy of prize the committee had managed to provide from
limited Club funds.
It is the very nature of
the games themselves that inject the element of fun and which just for one night
at least, pulled us away from any thoughts that darts should be forever taken
seriously.
WRONG HAND
Each player throws his or her own darts with the wrong hand, i.e. right-handers throw left-handed,
left-handers through right-handed. It is truly fascinating how inaccurate a good
player can be with the opposite hand. Highest – or lowest – score (depending on
the agreed rules) wins the round.
SOCK IT TO ME
Each player
throws three darts wearing an old (clean) woollen sock over his or her throwing
hand. Easy? You try it. If no one will risk using a sock, try instead to throw
using a glove puppet. (See photo of me practising with Dermot the Frog twenty
years ago!)
UP AND UNDER
Each player stands with his or her back to the dartboard, leans over forward and throws the darts
between his or her legs at the board. Watch the wallpaper or any on-lookers that
may be standing a little too close. It may be wise to have the St. John
Ambulance in attendance for this game.
WHERE’S THE BOARD?
Each darter in turn is blindfolded for this one. Once blindfolded it is not a
good idea to try and disorientate the player. Who knows where the darts may fly
or who might get hurt? It’s no fun playing ‘Where’s the Board?’ if everyone else
is out in the car park for each throw. Just turn the player and then point him
or her in the direction of the dartboard and keep supporters away from the oche.
Self-explanatory. Not necessarily in this order, perhaps normal hand,
other hand and under arm instead. Again a game that is over quickly but gives
you time to marvel at how accurate under arm throwing can be.
Each player throws four darts and the highest
score wins that round. But it is not as simple as that. The same four
darts, selected by the committee, are used by each player, each dart being of a
different type and weight. A typical set might comprise an old wooden ‘French
dart’, a couple of ancient brass projectiles and a 45grm tungsten ‘bomber’.
Watch each player concentrate hard and then see the darts go exactly where they
want! Reverse the game for FOUR DART LOW.
HIT THE QUID
The title indicates that this game is not new. A few years ago a £1 (one pound) note would
be pinned flat across the bull’s-eye. The players had three darts; the idea
being to hit the quid with all three. However, the rules were that the first
dart must be thrown from the toe-line, the second from a line one yard in
front of the oche and the third from one yard behind it. The winner took the
pound note.
It is certainly not an easy game. Nobody should miss the first shot. The second brings back memories of
playing fairground darts (so aim low) and the third aim high and throw hard!
With pound notes out of circulation and darters reluctant to put a fiver up, I
suggest you shoot for bull’s-eyes and score two points for each inner and one
point for an outer. Best score wins. Alternatively, pin a photograph of the
club secretary on the board and see how accurate darters become!
SITTING DOWN
Ideal for the lazy darter. Each player throws three darts from a sitting position, either on
the floor or from a stool. As usual, highest, or lowest, score wins. (That wall
needed replastering anyway!)
LOOPS
Three darts each. The idea of this quick fire game is to
hit the loops of the numbers around the edge of the dartboard, e.g. the 8, 9,
10, etc. Score one point per loop. This is also a great game to boost flagging
sales of darts sharpeners.
As I mentioned earlier, this is only a selection of the games we came up with and I am sure that you can
come up with others just as simple, quick and entertaining. I recommend this
‘one-off’ type of evening strongly to you all. Perhaps your club could use them
as a basis of your next charity night (Please do!) where every member takes
part, every player being sponsored so much per point.
I sometimes think that the game we all love is becoming just a little too serious – and at times too
personal – and that we all need to remember the game’s roots; darts played for
pleasure. With regular events such as casual or charity fun nights you can take
your mind off of the restrictions of league play and forget the foolishness
demonstrated by some of the so-called professionals and just relax and enjoy
your darts.
Failing that, you could always go fishing.
Text © 1988-2008 Patrick Chaplin
Photos © 1988-2008 Ian Hughes
This article first appeared in Darts Player 89.
Historian’s Note:
This 20-year old article was written when I still had a sense of humour and long
before my hair went grey. Apart from a few typos, grammatical and other minor
amendments this is how this piece looked in 1988. I do not apologise for the
‘aching arm’ joke at the beginning. That joke was a lot younger then too!
The Blue Boar Men’s Darts Club (which included women too) cannot lay claim to have ‘invented’ all the
games but each and every one had our ‘spin’ on it. Sadly, although the Blue Boar
still stands and still sells good real ale, the Harness Bar where the Club used
to meet every Wednesday no longer resounds to the thud of darts on bristle. The
Club disbanded in the early 1990s and the dartboard was subsequently removed.
For a few years I edited ‘Out of the Blue’, the club newsletter, subtitled the ‘Official Bullsheet of the
BBMDC’. It featured match reports and results and, importantly for me, it was
where I first published fragments of darts history and began my research which
eventually engulfed my entire life.
© Patrick Chaplin 2008 |
