Game of throws
The first form of darts began at the end of the 19th Century. Soldiers aimed at casks or tree trunks with arrows. As it became popular in pubs, punters would throw steeltipped darts into blocks of elm. Later dartboards were made of clay and finally cork.
The first purpose-made darts were made of wood, wrapped with a strip of lead for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. A board should be hung 5ft 8in from the floor. The oche – the line players stand behind while they throw – is 7ft 9in away. Pro games are made up of a certain number of sets, each of which is split into legs. Darts has a language all of its own. You can be in the Mad House (when you need a double one to finish and drive yourself crazy trying to get out of it) or get Shanghai (when you score a single, double and then treble of the same number. Getting a nine-darter is every player’s dream. That’s when you finish a game in the minimum nine darts required. The first in a televised tournament was John Lowe in 1984. Phil Taylor, above, holds the record for most with 11. While darts fans enjoy a pint or 10, players were banned from drinking on stage in 1989. Top 1980s player Jocky Wilson said he needed “seven or eight” vodkas to steady his nerves for a match. The PDC was formed in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation. The BDO also has a world championship held every January at Lakeside in Frimley Green, Surrey. The standard is considered to be lower than PDC. Andy “The Viking” Fordham, top right, regularly downed 24 bottles of beer plus brandies before playing matches. At his heaviest he weighed 31st and developed cirrhosis of the liver. Now retired, Phil “The Power” Taylor is generally considered the greatest player of all time. He won a record 16 World Championships. Before his darts career took off, Taylor made ceramic toilet handles after leaving school at 15. Most darts players have a nickname. This year you’ll see Jan “Double Dekker” Dekker, Gerwyn “The Iceman” Price and Danny “Noppie” Noppert. They also sometimes walk on with a gimmick. Peter Wright sports a colourful mohican, right, and dances on stage. Bobby George walked on covered in gold chains and bling, while Ted “The Count” Hankey wore a Dracula cape and threw plastic bats at the crowd. Two female players will compete against the men for the 2019 PDC title – Lisa “The Yorkshire Rose” Ashton, left, and Anastasia “From Russia With Love” Dobromyslova. The 2019 champ will win a cool £500,000.