Whatever is claimed about darts being a "very serious competitive
sport", it also remains a top class
bar game. This is my
experience of it as a member of
my college darts
second team:
To be honest, at division 4 level, darts here is not really about the sport itself. It is very much a social event. Games are played in various bars around the University colleges and are a great way to visit places and meet people you wouldn't do otherwise. It is also (to fit into the stereotype of the sport) very much about drinking. Players drink before they play. They drink after they play. Usually, the loser of a singles match buys the victor a drink. Of course, beer is the darts players' drink of choice. Many players claim that they cannot relax enough to play well without drinking alcohol.
Matches are contested by two teams, each comprising of eight players. Each player plays one singles game and one doubles game; there are therefore a total of twelve legs played. Generally the singles are played at the start, usually with the best players playing first. The doubles is more tactical - does the captain put his best players together or spread them around? Double in - double out is employed, with singles played from 401 and doubles 601. Most colleges operate a systeming of 'trousering' where losing without doubling in is punished by being required to run around a certain area with your trousers around your ankles. There are also certain unwritten rules - players should go for the bullseye on their opening shot and after busting there should be no 'practice darts'
Technique is not hugely important at this level. A much more useful attribute is bottle - the ability to keep your head (and your trousers) with 16 semi-coherent students shouting insults at you is essential. This is because banter is another integeral part of the game.
Banter is use for both intimidation and atmosphere. Lines such as "3 on the board scores more" (referring to missing the target), "ladies darts" (going for the 19, not 20) and "no sense of humour" (deliberately avoiding wanker's fifty) must be shouted in unison by the non-throwing team. For this to be fully appreciated, a general understanding of terms is essential. As examples, 'wanker's fifty' is got by shooting 12, 18, 20, 'breakfast' is 1, 5, 20 and 'champagne' is a prefix used to indicate the tripled versions of these.
Due to the non-serious attitude taken about playing, it is easy for novices to take up league darts, especially if part of a college with multiple teams.