One hundred and ayyy-tayyyy. (Darts - General)

Member Name: Nigel1

Product:	Darts - General
Date:	12/03/09 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great and simple entertainment.

Disadvantages: Duck if the dart bounces out!

Darts has its roots in Medieval England. Many historians believe that the game of darts as we know it today evolved from archers shortening their arrows and throwing them at the bottom of wine barrels. When these barrels were in short supply, the archers improvised and used the cross-section of some medium sized trees. It is easy to see how this may indeed be true, as the cross section of the tree provided the rings and the cracks provided further segmentation. Indeed, so popular was this early game of 'darts' that Henry V111 enjoyed the game regularly (when he was not killing off his wives I presume).

It was around 1900 that the rules, board and darts began to settle into basically what they are to this day. Evolving slightly over time, until about 1945 when a standardised clock board was brought into being which has been used ever since.

Darts has come an awful long way since those days. It used to be seen as nothing more than a 'pub game', and beer-swilling men with stomachs as large as their egos, cigarette in one hand, darts in the other, would play the game in the seedy and darkly lit pubs around the country.

Since those days it has grown in popularity, with leagues being organised, and competitions taking place on a regular basis. Then in 1954 a National Darts Association was formed which organized various championships.

Two professional darts organizations prevailed, The British Darts Organization, founded in 1973, and The World Darts Federation which was founded three years later. Then, in 1992 a breakaway organization was formed which, today, is known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
These various organizations hold their own unique tournaments, although the PDC tournaments offer the most prize money and therefore attract the best players.

Darts was first televised as early as 1962, and in 1970 ITV televised the famous ' News of the World' Championship.

I personally prefer the darts from these earlier years as they seemed to have much more colourful characters such as Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson. Of these, I thought pint-sized Jocky Wilson was by far the most entertaining to watch. This contoversial Scottish coal delivery man, won a Butlin's dart tournament which convinced him that he had a future in darts and was a means for him to escape the poverty of his Scottish upbringing, so he turned professional.

Jocky was often seen during his matches, drinking back the beer and the lager in vast quantities, and almost always had a cigarette in his nicotine-stained hand. He would, amazingly enough, pull his darts out of the board with cigarette still in hand, which would often stain the board with his cigarette ash!!!

Totally and utterly controversial, Jocky was banned for punching referees. and was often unsteady on his feet due to the large intake of alcohol. He released a record in 1989 called 'Jocky on the oche' which only sold 850 copies, (851 if they forgot to count my copy!).

He had the world at his feet, winning The World Darts Championship on two occasions, and never failing to at least reach the quarter finals during his thirteen year stint in the World Championships.

He never officially announced his retirement, he just simply faded away into obscurity, leaving behind the prestige, money and glamour for a one-bedroom flat in his home town of Kirkcaldy, living off benefits and eventually becoming a total recluse. How the mighty can fall!!!

Modern day professionals seem rather bland in comparison to those heady days of Jocky & Co. Of course, Phil Taylor, as a 14 times World Champion, deserves a special mention because of his pure brilliance, but he doesn't seem to have any character about him which would bring him to life.

Plenty of commentators have enthralled viewers over the years with their great and professional commentaries, none more so than Sid Waddell, whose quotes and commentaries often had me 'rolling in the aisles'.

Here are a few of his most memorable:

"Jockey Wilson . . . What an athlete."

"That was like throwing three pickled onions into a thimble!"

"Well as giraffes say, you don't get no leaves unless you stick your neck out"

"That's like giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank"

"As they say at the DHSS, we're getting the full benefit here."

"This lad has more checkouts than Tescos."

"There's only one word for that - magic darts!"

"Steve Beaton - The adonis of darts, what poise, what elegance - a true roman gladiator with plenty of hair wax."

"There's no one quicker than these two tungsten tossers... "

Absolutely hilarious!!!!!

Summary: A great game with some colourful characters and even more colourful commentators.