Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed projectiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard .
62-562: The Jocky Wilson Cup (officially the PartyPoker.com Jocky Wilson Cup for sponsorship) was a professional darts team tournament that took place at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on 5 December 2009. This one-off tournament, which was named after Jocky Wilson , a two-time world darts champion , was the last of the eight non-ranking Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events of
124-434: A 161 checkout. A 13-dart finish won Taylor leg eight and Anderson the ninth on double 16. In the tenth leg, Taylor threw a 10 dart leg to beat Anderson 6–4 and complete England's 6–0 whitewash of Scotland. Taylor was pleased to win the tournament, saying, "Jocky's a legend so to win the first event staged in his name is fantastic. Robert came back brilliantly from losing 6-0 and Gary was superb, but James showed his quality. It
186-450: A 240 maximum during the event and Phil Taylor hit a 188 checkout (Q20-Q20-D14). The tournament was discontinued in 1996 and the board has not been used in a professional event since. Assuming standard scoring, the optimal area to aim for on the dartboard to maximize the player's score varies significantly based on the player's skill. The skilled player should aim for the centre of the T20, and as
248-496: A 3–1 lead for England. He extended the nation's lead by one leg on the double 10 before two maximum and a double 6 finish from Thornton, giving Scotland a win on leg 6. He missed double 20 for a 116 checkout, Wade hit double 16 to put England another leg ahead. England won the match 6–2 and the Cup with Taylor's finish on double 18. Wade commented on England's overall win: "It's brilliant but the match isn't over yet and it would be great to win
310-468: A compromise between density and cost. Barrels come in three basic shapes: cylindrical, ton, or torpedo. The shafts are manufactured in various lengths, and some are designed to be cut to length. Shafts are generally made from plastics, nylon polymers, or metals such as aluminium and titanium; and can be rigid or flexible. Longer shafts provide greater stability and allow a reduction in flight size which in turn can lead to closer grouping; but, they also shift
372-449: A dart at the board with their non-dominant hand to obtain their 'number'. No two players can have the same number. Once everyone has a number, each player takes it in turn to get their number five times with their three darts (doubles count twice, and triples three times). Once a person has reached 5, they become a 'killer'. This means they can aim for other peoples numbers, taking a point off for each time they hit (doubles ×2, triples ×3). If
434-501: A dartboard is " butt "; the word comes from the French word but , meaning "target" or "goal". The standard numbered point system is attributed to Lancashire carpenter Brian Gamlin, who devised it in 1896 to penalise inaccuracy, though this is disputed. Many configurations have been used, varying by time and location. In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester Log End boards differ from
496-677: A disk and bound with a metal ring. This new dartboard was an instant success. It was more durable and required little maintenance. Furthermore, darts did little or no damage to the board; they simply parted the packed fibres when they entered the board. The earliest darts were stubs of arrows or crossbow bolts. The first purpose-made darts were manufactured from solid wood, wrapped with a strip of lead for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These darts were mainly produced in France and became known as French darts. Metal barrels were patented in 1906, but wood continued to be used into
558-430: A game in which one player at a time throws three darts per turn. The throwing player must stand so that no portion of their feet extends past the leading edge of the oche, but may stand on any other portion and/or lean forward over it if desired. A game of darts is generally contested between two players, who take turns. The most common objective is to reduce a fixed score, commonly 301 or 501, to zero ("checking out") with
620-513: A great deal on the individual player's throwing style. For competitive purposes, a dart cannot weigh more than 50 g (1.8 oz) including the shaft and flight and cannot exceed a total length of 300 mm (12 in). The World Darts Federation uses the following standards for play: The regulations came about owing to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world playing at different lengths, with 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) being
682-399: A person gets to zero they are out. A killer can aim for anyone's numbers, even another killer's. Players cannot get more than 5 points. The winner is 'the last man standing'. Another version of "Killer" is a "knock-out" game for three or more players (the more the better). To start, everyone has a pre-determined number of lives, (usually 5) and a randomly chosen player throws a single dart at
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#1732863249444744-445: A player left with a difficult finish (e.g. 5 and one dart remaining) might deliberately bust in order to revert to an earlier score that would allow an easier finish. Under Northern Bust rules, though, doing so would leave them on 5. A darts match is played over a fixed number of games, known as legs. A match may be divided into sets , with each set being contested as over a fixed number of legs. Although playing straight down from 501
806-438: A player on 93 (T19, D18) hits single-19 with their first dart, they can still finish, but will now need to check out 74 (T14, D16). Checkout charts detailing which numbers are required for each particular finish are widely used. In the 1990s, a board with a "quad" ring between the triple ring and the bullseye appeared, which gave quadruple points, meaning a 240 maximum (three quad-20s), a 210 maximum checkout (Q20-Q20-Bull) and
868-401: A score of 180 in exuberant style. Once a player reaches a low enough score, they are considered to be "on a finish", meaning they can win the game/leg with their remaining darts. In professional matches, the match referee will usually tell the player which score they require once on a finish. As the winning dart in a game must be a double or bullseye, the highest possible finish with three darts
930-413: A set of four darts. Four thrown darts equals a turn. Five turns by each player constitutes a game. The dart board score starting from the outside ring are: 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 25 - bullseye 50. Cricket is a widely played darts game involving a race to control and score on numbers between 20 and 15 and the bullseye, by hitting each of these targets for three marks to open or own it for scoring. A hit on
992-524: A seven-dart finish (five quad-20s, triple-17, bullseye) were possible. One make of this board was the Harrows Quadro 240. The board was used during the short-lived WDC UK Matchplay . Although no seven dart finish was ever scored on the board, John Lowe did come close to a 9 dart finish in the 1993 PDC UK Matchplay. He scored 200 (T20-T20-Q20), then 160 (20-T20-Q20), and got his final T20 and T15, only to miss D18 on his final throw. Several players did score
1054-413: A single throw (3 darts) results in the player losing half their accumulated score. Any number of players can take part and the game can vary in length depending on the number of targets selected. The game can be tailored to the skill level of the players by selecting easy or difficult targets. "Killer" is a 'knock-out' game for two or more players (at its best at 4–6 players). Initially, each player throws
1116-604: A traditional pub game . Darts is commonly played in the British Isles , and recreationally enjoyed around the world. In 1908 darts was declared to be a game of skill and was thus allowed to be played in pubs. This came about after the landlord of the Adelphi Inn in Leeds was prosecuted for allowing darts to be played in his pub. As darts was considered a game of chance at the time, it was not allowed on licensed premises. The landlord
1178-515: Is 170 (T20, T20, inner bull). Finishes are also known as "check outs". Regular players become familiar with the combinations needed to check out a particular number. For instance, a player on 138 could hit T20, T18, D12. Most numbers can be checked out with more than one combination (for 138, a player could also hit T19, T19, D12). Good arithmetic is helpful, as in the event of missing a target number players need to quickly recalculate their new score and which number they now need to hit. For instance, if
1240-549: Is a drinking game that involves throwing darts at opponents' beer cans. The resulting drinking actions depend on how and where the beer can was hit with the dart. The original name of this sport was called Vogelpik. Vogelpik is the early version of the modern game of Belgian darts. Belgian darts has remained a very popular game in the Belgian community since the 18th century. It is not only relaxing but also helps to develop coordination skills, precision and self-control. Each player has
1302-421: Is cheap but light and therefore brass barrels tend to be very bulky. Tungsten, on the other hand, is twice as dense as brass; thus a tungsten barrel of equivalent weight could be thirty percent smaller in diameter than a brass one. Pure tungsten is very brittle, however, so an alloy is commonly used, with between 80 and 95 percent tungsten and the remainder usually nickel, iron, or copper. Nickel-silver darts offer
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#17328632494441364-731: Is in play. Giles Smith Giles Smith (born 1962 in Colchester , Essex) is a British journalist for The Times . In 1998 he was named Sports Columnist of the Year. He attended Colchester Royal Grammar School . Smith was one of the members of a band called Orphans Of Babylon with Geoff Lawrence who in 1983 produced the cassette Pinch Me - I Think I'm In Kent , which was recorded and Produced by their friend, Dave Hoser at Future Studios in Chelmsford. The tracks were edited (there were over 200 edits) and mastered at Octopus Studio by Dave. The album
1426-469: Is known as "going bust". The player's score is reset to its value at the start of that turn, and any remaining throws in the turn are forfeited. In some variants, a player who busts has their score reset to its value before the individual dart that caused the bust. This rule (referred to as a "Northern Bust" in London) is considered by some players to be a purer version of the game. Under the standard rules above,
1488-444: Is standard in darts, sometimes a double must be hit to begin scoring, known as "doubling in", with all darts thrown before hitting a double not being counted. The PDC's World Grand Prix uses this format. The minimum number of thrown darts required to complete a leg of 501 is nine. The most common nine-dart finish consists of two 180 maximums followed by a 141 checkout (T20-T19-D12), but there are many other possible ways of achieving
1550-472: The bullseye . After the break, Wade finished twice on double 10 to go 4–3 behind and tied at 4–4 with a double 12 after Anderson missed tops to go 5-4. Wade used the misses from Anderson at the bullseye and double 16 to take the lead and secure a 6–4 win with a double 10. Wade said post-match he was "really lucky" to have won because he missed his targets in the first four legs and felt that he would have lost if Anderson had gone five legs ahead. The second match
1612-406: The 1 section, round 2, the 2 sections, and so on until round 7. Standard scoring is used, and doubles and triples are counted. Only hits on the wedge for that round are counted. The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of seven rounds (1–7); or who scores a Shanghai, which wins instantly, a Shanghai being throws that hit a triple, a double and single (in any order) of the number that
1674-470: The 1950s. The first metal barrels were made from brass which was relatively cheap and easy to work. The wooden shafts, threaded to fit the tapped barrel, were either fletched as before or designed to take a paper flight. This type of dart continued to be used into the 1970s. With the widespread use of plastic, the shaft and flight came to be manufactured separately, although one-piece moulded plastic shaft and flight darts were also available. According to
1736-440: The 2009 season. The tournament was contested by two nations of two players each. The winning nation was the first country to earn four points over a five-match series – four singles fixtures and one doubles game. Phil Taylor and James Wade of England won the competition and whitewashed their opponents Gary Anderson and Robert Thornton of Scotland 6–0. Wade won the first game against Anderson 6–4; Taylor beat Thornton 6–0 in
1798-483: The Darts Regulation Authority, a regulation board is 451 mm (17.8 in) in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections. Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal. Quality dartboards are still made of sisal fibres from Eastern Africa, Brazil, and China; less expensive boards are sometimes made of cork or coiled paper. Modern darts are made up of four components:
1860-492: The East End of London. The board has fewer, larger segments, all numbered either 5, 10, 15 or 20. Players play down from 505 rather than 501, and stand the farthest 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) away from the board of any mainstream variation. "Halve it" is a darts game popular in the United Kingdom and parts of North America where competitors try to hit previously agreed targets on a standard dart board. Failure to do so within
1922-575: The US after publicity of thousands of injuries and several deaths. Round the Clock (also called Around the World, 20 to 1, and Jumpers) is a game involving any number of players where the objective is to hit each section sequentially from 1 to 20 starting after a starting double. Shanghai is played with at least two players. The standard version is played in seven rounds. In round one players throw their darts aiming for
Jocky Wilson Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-432: The best of his ability and England was under pressure to finish the task. The doubles match was next. Anderson hit a 180 to set up a 59 checkout for Thornton to win the first leg for Scotland. Wade finished with a 180 and a double 20, and thus England won leg two and took the lead when Wade made an 88 checkout after Thornton missed double 18. Wade was unable to claim leg four twice, but when Thornton missed double 20, he took
2046-467: The board to set a target (i.e. single 18) and does not play until that target is hit. The next player up has 3 darts to try and hit the target (single 18), if they fail, they lose a life and the following player tries. Once a player succeeds at hitting the target, they then become the target setter and throw a dart to set a new target. The initial target setter swaps places with the new target setter. The games carry on until every players' lives have been used,
2108-418: The board, though unlike in sports such as archery , these areas are distributed all across the board and do not follow a principle of points increasing toward the board's bullseye . Though a number of similar games using various boards and rules exist, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules. Darts is both a professional throwing sport and
2170-443: The compromise length. The standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered sections, scoring from 1 to 20 points, by wires running from the small central circle to the outer circular wire. Circular wires within the outer wire subdivide each section into single, double and treble areas. The dartboard featured on The Indoor League television show of the 1970s did not feature a treble section, and according to host Fred Trueman during
2232-402: The darts are thrown to land in a circle target on the ground. The darts are similar to the ancient Roman thrown weapon plumbata . For a brand named Jarts, the darts weighed about 1/4 pound, were 12 inches long, and had a pointed tip, the better to stick into the ground. On December 19, 1988, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission introduced an outright ban on metal-tipped lawn darts in
2294-421: The favourite to win the event. Thornton, the 2009 Players Championship Finals runner-up, said playing in Glasgow against England would possibly be the high point of his career and was looking forward to it. Anderson said he liked the challenge of playing Taylor and Wade due to their form. Taylor commented it would be desirable to win the tournament and dedicate it to Wilson. Wade said his match against Anderson had
2356-452: The feat. Three 167s (T20-T19-Bull) is considered a pure or perfect nine-dart finish by some players. There are several regional variations on the standard rules and scoring systems. American darts is a regional U.S. variant of the game (most U.S. dart players play the traditional games described above). This style of dartboard is most often found in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of New York state. Beer darts
2418-413: The final dart landing in either the bullseye or a double segment to win. Not all three darts need to be thrown on the final turn; the game can be finished on any of the three darts. When two teams play, the starting score is sometimes increased to 701 or even 1001; the rules remain the same. A throw that reduces a player's score below zero, to exactly one, or to zero but not ending with a double or bullseye
2480-481: The final two games too. Gary and Robert will be playing for pride and I'm sure they'll do a job in the last two games." Wade met Thornton in the fourth game. Thornton won the first leg on a 95 checkout, before Wade broke back scoring 168 to set up a double 12 finish that he hit on the first try. Wade took the third leg after Thornton failed to complete a 156 checkout. Thornton produced a 106 checkout to move level again on leg four before Wade made an 11-dart finish to take
2542-431: The first episode, this is the traditional Yorkshire board. Various games are played using the standard dartboard. However, in the official game, any dart landing inside the outer wire scores as follows: The highest score possible with three darts is 180, commonly known as a "ton 80" (100 points is called a ton), obtained when all three darts land in the triple 20. In the televised game, the referee frequently announces
Jocky Wilson Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-407: The first to win six legs would win the tournament. If the doubles match was tied, the team with the most maximum scores or the player who made the first maximum would be declared the winner. One point was awarded to the winners of each four singles games and two to the winning team of the doubles fixture. The first country to earn four points would win the tournament. Bookmakers installed England as
2666-621: The future." Giles Smith of The Times called the competition "a pioneering and, you would have to say, pretty ambitious attempt to reconjure the broiling patriotic fervour and all-out historical needle that used to accompany the old home international football matches between England and Scotland, except with darts." This was the only time the Jocky Wilson Cup was held; the PDC World Cup of Darts succeeded it in 2010. Darts Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of
2728-489: The inner as 50. Dartball is a darts game based on the sport of baseball . It is played on a diamond-shaped board and has similar scoring to baseball. Dart golf is a darts game based on the sport of golf and is regulated by the World Dolf Federation (WDFF). It is played on both special golf dartboards and traditional dartboards. Scoring is similar to golf. This is a regional variant still played in some parts of
2790-408: The kite, and the smaller pear shape. The less surface area, the less stability but larger flights hamper close grouping. Some manufacturers have sought to solve this by making a flight long and thin but this, in turn, creates other problems such as changing the dart's centre of gravity. Generally speaking, a heavier dart will require a larger flight. The choice of barrel, shaft, and flight will depend
2852-409: The last man standing is the target setter whose target was not hit. For less experienced players, doubles and trebles as part of the same number can be counted, i.e. a target of treble 20 can still be counted as a success if the double or single 20 is hit and vice versa. Lawn darts (also called yard darts and garden darts) is an outdoor game, with gameplay and objective similar to horseshoes , in that
2914-411: The lead again in the fifth leg. Wade missed double 12 three times and Thornton won leg six on double 20. Checkouts of 90 and 160 provided Wade with a clear lead until Thornton won a fourth leg with a clinical finish on the bullseye for a 121 checkout. Thornton scored a maximum in the tenth leg, but Wade finished on double 14 to take a 6–4 victory. Anderson and Taylor played the final match. Anderson took
2976-413: The opening leg on double 4 after Taylor failed to complete a 135 checkout on the bullseye. A 96 checkout from Taylor in leg two tied the game before Anderson finished on double 20 in the third leg. Taylor took leg four with a 68 checkout when Anderson missed the bullseye and the fifth in 11 darts for a clear lead. He took the sixth leg and Anderson the seventh on double 20 after Taylor missed the bullseye for
3038-471: The player's skill decreases, their aim moves slightly up and to the left of the T20. At σ = 16.4 mm the best place to aim jumps to the T19. As the player's skill decreases further, the best place to aim curls into the centre of the board, stopping a bit lower than and to the left of the bullseye at σ = 100 mm. Many games can be played on a dartboard, but the term "darts" generally refers to
3100-421: The points, the barrels, the shafts and the flights. The points come in two common lengths, 32 and 41 mm (1.3 and 1.6 in) and are sometimes knurled or coated to improve players' grip. Others are designed to retract slightly on impact to lessen the chance of the dart bouncing out. The barrels come in a variety of weights and are usually constructed from brass, nickel-silver , or a tungsten alloy. Brass
3162-497: The potential to establish the overall mood. Sportscaster Sid Waddell said that Taylor would not treat the event as an exhibition and did not expect England to win all five matches. All matches were held on the evening of 5 December. Anderson played Wade in the opening match of the competition, taking 20 minutes to build a 4–0 lead from checkouts of 96 and 118, and a double 5 finish. He missed four targets in leg five, allowing Wade to claim his first leg with an 85 checkout on
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#17328632494443224-496: The rotational symmetry by placing the "20" at the top, there are 19 factorial , or 121,645,100,408,832,000 possible dartboards. Many different layouts would penalise a player more than the current setup; however, the current setup actually does the job rather efficiently. There have been several mathematical papers published that consider the "optimal" dartboard. Before World War I, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm. But darts pocked
3286-597: The second. Wade and Taylor defeated their opponents in the doubles match 6–2 for the overall victory and won their final two singles matches 6–4 over their Scottish opponents. The Jocky Wilson Cup, sponsored by online gambling company Partypoker , was launched in August 2009 by the PDC. The tournament was named after Jocky Wilson , a two-time world darts champion . It was held at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow , Scotland, on 5 December. This
3348-433: The standard board in that they have no triple, only double and bullseye. The Manchester board is smaller than the standard, with a playing area of only 25 cm (9.8 in) across, with double and bull areas measuring just 4 mm (0.16 in). The London Fives board is another variation, with only 12 equal segments, with the doubles and triples being a quarter of an inch (6.35 mm) wide. Mathematically, removing
3410-414: The surface of elm such that it was common for a hole to develop around the treble twenty. The other problem was that elm wood needed periodic soaking to keep the wood soft. In 1935, chemist Ted Leggatt and pub owner Frank Dabbs began using the century plant , a type of agave, to make dartboards. Small bundles of sisal fibres of the same length were bundled together. The bundles were then compressed into
3472-457: The target counts as one mark, while hits in the doubles ring of the target count as two marks in one throw, and on the triples ring as three. Once opened in this manner, until the opponent closes that number with three marks on it of their own, each additional hit by the owner/opener scores points equal to the number of the target (which may also be doubled and tripled, e.g. a triple-20 is worth 60 points). The outer bullseye counts as 25 points and
3534-406: The weight towards the rear causing the dart to tilt backwards during flight, requiring a harder, faster throw. The flight stabilizes the dart by producing drag , thus preventing the rear of the dart from overtaking the point. Modern flights are generally made from plastic, nylon, or foil and are available in a range of shapes and sizes. The three most common shapes in order of size are the standard,
3596-417: Was contested by Taylor and Thornton. Finishes on double 8 and double 2 won Taylor the first two legs after Thornton missed the double twice to win the second. A 78 checkout put Taylor three legs in front, followed by finishing on double 8 in leg four after Thornton failed twice to hit double 18. Finishes on double 16 and 10 allowed Taylor to whitewash Thornton 6–0. Taylor commented that Thornton had not played to
3658-484: Was great fun." Wade observed the crowd booing the English team, which he said had no effect on Taylor or himself. He added, "we did the job that we came to Glasgow to do, so all in all, a good night all round." Thornton commented on Scotland's defeat: "Both myself and Gary missed too many doubles but it was a really enjoyable experience. You're never a loser with support like this and hopefully we can give them plenty to cheer in
3720-862: Was remastered by Dave Hoser in 2014. In 1986 Giles joined the Dumb Mermaids for a one-off concert at the Quay Theatre Sudbury. Smith's career in journalism began when he joined The Daily Telegraph in 1990 after a spell as one half of the 1980s band The Cleaners From Venus with Martin Newell . Since then he has written chiefly for The Times . He has published four books, Lost In Music , about life and growing up with music, and Midnight In The Garden Of Evel Knievel , and We Need To Talk About Kevin Keegan , both collections of extracts from his sports columns, and My My! Abba Through The Ages. He currently writes
3782-421: Was supported in his case by the best darts player in the region, William 'Bigfoot' Anakin. A dartboard was hung in the court and Anakin proved that darts was not a game of chance by hitting three double 20s in a row. The original target in the game is likely to have been a section of a tree trunk, its circular shape and concentric rings giving rise to the standard dartboard pattern in use today. An older name for
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#17328632494443844-457: Was the last of eight non-ranking PDC-sanctioned events in the 2009 season. The tournament was broadcast on Sky Sports 2 in the United Kingdom and on PDC TV. Two nations of two players each competed in the tournament: Robert Thornton and Gary Anderson for Scotland; Phil Taylor and James Wade for England. There were five matches in the cup: four 501 points singles matches and one 1001 points doubles game. All games were best of 11 legs , so
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