Dart History

Welcome to my personal website! - Alan Williamson Jr.

Wicked Darts

Dart History

There is no one better that I know of who has delved into the history and folklore of darts more than Patrick Chaplin UK.  I won't even attempt to copy material or substitute my own on this subject here.  I give you a link to one of if not the best dart history sites in the world. ENJOY!

http://www.patrickchaplin.com

But...

Just for fun here are some neat factoids...

Development of Organized Darts

On premises where alcohol is consumed, English law has long permitted betting only on games of skill, as opposed to chance, and then only for small stakes. An apocryphal tale relates that in 1908, Jim Garside, the landlord of the Adelphi Inn, Leeds, England was called before the local magistrates to answer the charge that he had allowed betting on a game of chance, darts, on his premises. Garside asked for the assistance of local champion William "Bigfoot" Anakin who attended as a witness and demonstrated that he could hit any number on the board nominated by the court. Garside was discharged as the magistrates found darts, indeed, to be a game of skill.

In 1908 a decision was made by the Magistrates in Leeds, England which effectively ensured the eventual popularity of darts as a sport. At that time, "games of chance" were illegal in public houses (pubs). A pub owner called "Foot" Anakin was accused of operating a game of chance and prosecuted for allowing darts at his establishment. Foot argued that darts was not a game of chance, and obtained permission for a board to be set up in the courtroom. It is said that Anakin threw three darts in the 20 and invited any magistrate to do the same. The challenge was accepted, however the court officials were unable to duplicate Foot's shot, thus proving darts was indeed a game of skill and not of chance; the case was dismissed. The years afterward saw the progression of the game in British public houses; by World War II the majority of pubs had dartboards, and teams and matches with other pubs were arranged on a regular basis.

Dartboard Numbers

WHY ARE THE NUMBERS ON A DARTBOARD IN THE ORDER THEY ARE? 

This is probably the most asked question about the origins of the modern game.  Who was the devious person who structured the segments of the dartboard in such a frustrating manner?

The man who is credited with the ‘invention’ of the numbering sequence of the modern standard dartboard is BRIAN GAMLIN.  Gamlin was a carpenter from Bury in the County of Lancashire, England and came up with the infuriating sequence in 1896, at the age of 44.  He died in 1903 before he could patent the idea.

In those days many working men – and in particular those with carpentry skills – manufactured dartboards out of elm or poplar wood as a sideline.  This cottage industry was later prevalent across the North of England, the Midlands and the South East as darts grew in popularity from the mid-1920s onwards.  The reason for producing dartboards at home, or more properly in the garden shed, was to sell the boards to local pubs, thereby supplementing the family income.  However, more often than not, this income never found its way home at all.  Dartboards were exchanged for credit in the local pub or money earned would finds its way back over the bar.

The numbering of a standard dartboard is designed in such a way as to cut down the incidence of ‘lucky shots’ and reduce the element of chance.  The numbers are placed in such a way as to encourage accuracy.  That’s it.  Pure and simple.  The placing of small numbers either side of large numbers e.g. 1 and 5 either side of 20, 3 and 2 either side of 17, 4 and 1 either side of 18, punishes inaccuracy.  Thus, if you shoot for the 20 segment, the penalty for lack of accuracy or concentration is to land in either a 1 or a 5.

There are 2,432,902,008,176,640,000 different possible arrangements of the 20 segments on a standard dartboard so it is perhaps a little surprising that Gamlin’s arrangement of the numbers is almost perfect.

Gamlin himself is an enigma.  Like the lost court records in the case of William ‘Bigfoot’ Annakin, there is a vital piece of information in the Gamlin story that is missing.  Despite the most thorough of searches no record can be found of Gamlin’s death in 1903.  Looking three years either side, for both counties of Lancashire and Suffolk reveal no one of that name terminating at that time.  However, the answer may be that this is because Gamlin was on the move.

The Daily Mirror in 1992 was asked the question “Who decided the numbers on a dartboard should be so jumbled and why?”  The reply read:

"Brian Gamlin of Bury, Lancs, introduced the odd numbering system in our fairgrounds in 1896, boasting "No Skill Required".  Drunks had no chance, as a test of sobriety, the darts game 'round the clock' (in which players have to score with darts in numerical order) became a great success".

So this is why his death cannot be traced.  If Gamlin was a showman then, sure, he would be on the road for at least six months of the year.  It makes a lot of sense for the idea to have come from within the fairground community.  They were the primary cause of the importation of so many ‘French darts’ which have, over the years become known as ‘fairground darts’.  Darts has been a feature of fairground side stuff from the mid-19th century onwards, so who better than a showman – always looking for new ways of attracting punters – to come up with this devious numbering arrangement?

Note:  For those new to the game of darts the left-hand side of the dartboard is recommended as there are proportionately more high numbers grouped there, i.e. 16, 8, 11, 14, 9 and 12.  No huge scores can be guaranteed with this tactic, but at least you’ll never hit 5’s or 1’s. (At least that’s the theory!)  This side of the dartboard is known as the ‘married man’s side’ because married men always play safe!

Throwing Distance

First let us define exactly which distance we are talking about. Drop an imaginary line down the face of the board and continue this to a point on the floor. Draw a line from this point to the back of a raised toe oche. (The pronunciation is 'hockey'.) The extent of this horizontal line is your throwing distance.

Thus we are measuring from the face of the board and not from the wall. And we are measuring to the back of the oche, not to the front or centre. Some pubs have a metal strip to mark the throwing distance, and inevitably this is well worn where players have encroached over it. What distance this strip represents is rarely stated. The visitor must ask. Other pubs have a rubber mat marking distances, most likely 8ft, 8ft 6in and 9ft. But for top-line league play and tournament play, there is only one satisfactory answer: a raised oche.

What the throwing distance should actually be is a point that often prompts debate. Before and after the 1939-45 war a 9ft throw was popular. Thus, when looking back at the scores of outstanding players of yesterday such as Joe Hitchcock or Jim Pike, the darts enthusiast must remember that these two were standing further from the board than today's players.

From 9ft, the throwing distance gradually crept nearer the board until 7ft 6in was the rule for most major competitions in Britain. The News of the World was, and is, an exception. It keeps its traditional 8ft mark.

Many overseas countries were not keen on 7ft 6in because they felt it was too short. A compromise came at a meeting of the World Darts Federation in December 1977. Not surprisingly, the Federation worked in meters; 7ft 6in is 2.28 meters, and 8ft is 2.44 meters. It settled on 2.37 meters, which is how we arrive at the unusual distance of 7ft 9 1/4in, now adopted by the BDO. and N.D.A.G.B.

This extra 3 1/4in did not stop standards from continuing to improve. Soon after the change Bill Lennard (Lancs) averaged 34.2 with every dart in an international event - and this, of course, included his shots at a double. Dave Whitcombe (Kent) averaged 33.4.

But in Britain there are still variations in distance. In Greater Nottingham the traditional throw was only 6ft! Around Nottingham we hear of 6ft 6in. Yet make a short trip into Derbyshire and there they throw a longer distance.

WHERE DOES THE WORD OCHE ORIGINATE?

'Oche' as a word meaning the throwing line which a dart player stands behind to throw his or her darts is comparatively recent, being introduced by the British Darts Organization in the mid-1970s. The actual word is believed to be derived from Old Flemish (or similar) meaning a notch or nick.

Before then, the truth is that, since the 1920s, the word was ‘hockey’ and not ‘oche’ was used in competition rules. This word was used by the News of the World for their individual darts competitions from the late 1920s onwards.

Its derivation is obscure but my best guess is that it derives from the word
'hocken' an old English word, utilized more in the North of the country than anywhere else. The word means 'to spit.'  Given that darts was originally played in the public bar or vault where the floor was covered in sand and the room liberally furnished with spittoons, my theory is that the ‘hockey’ line was determined by the length that a given player could spit from a position with his back to the dartboard.

As far as I know no one else has tried to solve this mystery and even the
Oxford English Dictionary can't help!  Anyone who has any alternative theory is invited to drop me a line.

Brief History about Tungsten Metal

The word tungsten means "heavy stone" in Swedish. The chemical symbol for tungsten is W which stands for wolfram. The name came from medieval German smelters who found that tin ores containing tungsten had a much lower yield. It was said that the tungsten devoured the tin "like a wolf". Pure tungsten metal was first isolated by two Spanish chemists, the de Elhujar brothers in 1783. Tungsten is a greyish-white lustrous metal, which is a solid at room temperature. Tungsten has the highest melting point and lowest vapor pressure of all metals, and at temperatures over 1650°C has the highest tensile strength. It has excellent corrosion resistance and is attacked only slightly by most mineral acids. 

Most tungsten darts indicate the percentage of tungsten content; this varies from anything from 80- 95% tungsten. Generally speaking the higher the tungsten content the thinner the dart for the given weight. Thin darts help with grouping and a greater chance of hitting that elusive 180! Dart weight, shape & design are all personal choice and that is why we can now see a large range of weights and designs. There are no better darts as such as each thrower will have their own preference. 

In additional to tungsten darts the second most popular are made from brass. Most clubs and pubs will have sets of these for you to use. They are in most cases thicker than tungsten darts as the brass is not as dense as tungsten. Brass darts are a good first choice if you are just starting or play infrequently. 

The Nodor-Winmau Story
A Brief History... How These Two Companies Merged
By Frank Bilotta with Patrick Chaplin, the Darts Historian  

The British history of dartboard manufacturing is a fascinating story that started in earnest in the early part of the twentieth century and is still taking interesting twists and turns. This story is about two companies that have been at the forefront of the darts industry for many decades and jointly have had a major positive influence over the sport.  Interestingly, both Winmau and Nodor were originally founded in the East End of London and until recently, were arch rivals.

Let’s wind back the clock to 1919 when an industrial chemist, Ted Leggatt, invented and then went into business manufacturing ‘NODOR’ modeling clay.  It was called Nodor because, unlike its main competitor, it had no odor.

Since the end of the Great War, the popularity of darts had increased significantly causing Leggatt to experiment with Nodor plasticine as a material for possible use in the construction of dartboards. In 1923, the first Nodor plasticine dartboard was marketed. It was not generally popular with the dart playing public because it lacked the ‘plonk’ sound as the dart struck the dartboard. A sound that was familiar to all those who played on the notorious wooden elm boards.

By 1924, Leggatt had added elm dartboards to Nodor production, and by 1928, brass darts are added to the range of products.

During 1931, Frank Dabbs, a Kent publican, approached Leggatt with an idea for a new dartboard construction, namely short pieces of rope laced vertically and bound to form a circular playing surface.  Leggatt refines the idea and files for a Patent along with Dabbs. By 1935, the Nodor ORIGINAL BRISTLE dartboard is launched. Leggatt helps found the National Darts Association and becomes it’s first President.  At about the same time, the present day ‘clock’ pattern is adopted as the standard for dartboards worldwide.

During World War II, dartboard production was moved to Devon as a precaution, and manufacturing continued despite a shortage of raw materials. In 1945, production moved back to London’s East End. In 1959, Dunlop contracted to buy and sell exclusively all Nodor dartboard capacity, but by 1966, the contract ended.  Leggatt had retired and the company was purchased by Fred Grisley, Leggatt’s brother-in-law.

In 1968, Nodor was approached with a proposal to transfer their factory to South Wales, an area of high unemployment. Eventually, the company relocated to Cardiff.

It was in 1983 that the current owners, the Bluck family, headed by John Bluck, acquired Nodor and moved its factory to Bridgend. Bluck already had an involvement with the darts industry via his company, Brackla Engineering, a leading manufacturer of tungsten darts. By 1984, his company had invented and patented the first staple-free bull's-eye, Supabull which  quickly took the market by storm.

With the creation of Red Dragon mail order darts equipment in 1976, and much to the chagrin of Brackla’s competitors, tungsten darts were priced to suit the pocket of the working man.

Recognizing the increasing threat from poor quality, low priced dartboards from the Far East, Bluck reluctantly, but bravely made the decision in 1999 to move the dartboard production to Kenya, Africa, home of the best sisal in the world. Sisal is the key ingredient for bristle dartboards.  Nodor has always insisted on using prime East African sisal which also happens to be the preferred choice of the British Admiralty for marine ropes.

Valued support from the Kenyan authorities made the difficult transition easier. Discussions with Dickson Mbugua, the Commercial Attaché at the Kenya High Commission in London, followed by many meetings and encouragement from Albert Gumo, chief Executive EPZA in Nairobi, resulted in the decision to set up production at the Athi River Export Processing Zone.  The EPZ Authority has operations in several countries worldwide. It’s primary aim is to encourage inward investment. First, renting factory space, the company now owns its own factory and warehouse complex. Nodor manufactures quality dartboards with a skilled local work force and uses the most advanced manufacturing techniques, developed by Nodor’s own engineers, seen in the industry.

In 1945, just down the road from Nodor in the East End of London, Harry Kicks Senior invested his demob money in establishing an elm dartboard manufacturing company. It was first located in a bomb damaged building and used only a paraffin lamp for light, a coal fire for heat and his father for hand painting the colors on the dartboards. He delivered the dartboards, by hand, using London’s Underground System to the Watney Brewery, his first customer.  Around 1952, he began to make dartboard cabinet by hand, including French polishing and applying graphic transfers supplied by the Breweries.

Soon afterwards, Kicks began manufacturing paper-coil dartboards under the brand name Keep Dry as they did not require soaking, unlike the elm dartboards.  By 1960, the Keep Dry brand name was sold to Scotts Dartboards of South end, a specialist manufacturer of paper boards.

Kick’s eldest son, Harry Kicks, Junior, joined the business at this time.  Three years later, Ian Kicks, joined the company.  After the Nodor bristle dartboard patent had expired, the Kicks business began to manufacture bristle dartboards from a stable block in the East End under the company name H.A.Kicks and Sons.

The company was forced to move in 1989 because of a compulsory purchase order, to make way for a block of high rise flats to be built. The company relocated to its current location in Haverhill, Suffolk. All went well until the U.K. was hit by Dutch Elm Disease and all production shifted to bristle dartboards.  The business slowly prospered, establishing a reputation for quality.

In 1973, Harry Kicks Senior achieved a major breakthrough deal with Olly Croft of the British Darts Organization (BDO), the governing body for darts in the U.K. From then on, the H.A.Kicks dartboards would be the official dartboards of the BDO and be allowed to carry its logo and would appear in many international darts tournaments.

By the mid-seventies, Kicks changed the company name to Winmau (pronounced Win More) using the first three letters of his wife’s first two names, Winifred Maud.

The sudden death of Harry Kicks, Senior in 1984 resulted in the transfer of ownership of Winmau to his five sons.  With the heyday of televised darts now past, trading conditions became extremely difficult. After several years of financial losses, the company was close to insolvency.  In 1993, the brothers approached their U.S. distributor, Accudart, Inc., for financial support, attempting to keep the company afloat. Ron Kurtz, the owner of Accudart, Inc., agreed and became the majority shareholder in the company. Within two years of appointing specialists in the business of turning companies around, the business was back to making profits and has continued to do so ever since.

In 1995, development work began on the most technically advanced bristle dartboard in the world.  By 1997, The Blade dartboard was launched as the ultimate no-bounce out dartboard using sophisticated staple free technology.  That same year, Winmau was voted Mid-Anglia Business of the Year, beating Ryanair.

Throughout its period of severe financial difficulties, the company remained committed to the BDO.  In 2003, the 30th Winmau World Masters Dart Tournament will take place.  This famous tournament is represented by more than twenty-five countries around the world and is often televised.  Winmau’s sponsorship affiliation with the World Masters make it one of the longest serving sponsors of a sporting event.

During the last twenty-five years, there has been a bitter rivalry between Nodor and Winmau.  Several unsuccessful attempts have been made for one to acquire the other. However, this healthy competition to be the ‘number one’ dartboard manufacturer has also driven each company to marvelous technical innovations and creative marketing activities that has ultimately benefited the consumers.

In 2002, after nearly three decades of competition, Nodor successfully acquired Winmau. Within less than one year, there has been a seamless transfer of production to Kenya.

Today, Nodor International is the oldest and largest group of companies servicing the darts industry.  It owns two flagship dartboard brands that are known throughout the world for quality, durability, service, and value for the money. Both brands have a fantastic heritage built on uncompromising attention to detail and use of the best raw materials available. In Kenya, over 200 tons of sisal leaves are cut daily to produce the dartboards.  The business continues to reinvested back into the sport in the form of product development and research, player sponsorships, international tournament sponsorships and hand-made regional dartboards, such as London’s 5’s and Yorkshire.  To date, the company has sold nearly 40 million dartboards to over 50 different countries worldwide, and plans to continue doing so long into the future.

 History of Darts ???

If rumor holds true, the sport of darts has a long and decorated history. Originally the sport began as a contest between warriors during lulls in battle. The soldiers heaved short throwing spears into upturned ends of wine barrels. As the competition evolved, targets were marked, leading to the use of tree slices as a target. The tree's natural rings were perfect for scoring. Winter forced the sport indoors where shorter darts and standard rules were adopted.

Darts likely evolved from archery and spear throwing, Henry VII of England and Charles VI were said to be among the first dart throwers. In 1530 Anne Boleyn gave Henry VIII a set of "dartes of Biscayan fashion, richly ornamented." Our pilgrim fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620 are also said to have been dart throwers, using an upturned wine barrel as a dart board.

Throughout the establishment of the British Empire, soldiers would visit drinking clubs with built-in dart boards. The development of modern darts was closely associated with English Pubs. Darts spread and locals picked up the sport. It was commonly believed that to hit the center of the board (the bulls eye) with a dart was pure luck. However, in 1908 an innkeeper demonstrated that it is indeed a game of skill. Darts is now accepted as a popular social and sporting activity. Tournaments are held in every country and millions worldwide enjoy the game.

The dart itself became standardized, as the sport became a general pastime. The barrel was typically a piece of wood about 4 inches long with a metal point stuck in one end and feathers on the other. In 1898 an American patented a folded paper flight. In 1906 an Englishman patented the all-metal barrel. Around this time, the numbering system on the dart board was devised and gained acceptance.

Placing three crates end to end from a brewery called Hockey and Sons, which supplied beer to the Southwest of England, marked the standardization of the throwing distance. The crates were three feet long, making the distance from the toe line to the board nine feet. The crates from Hockey and Sons were reduced to two feet, and four crates were lined up to mark the eight-foot distance from the board. This is supposedly the origin of the phrase "toeing the hockey".

American servicemen stationed in England during World War II caught the dart fever, often bringing the flavor of the English game home to the United States. From young to old now darts brings friends together as individuals and teams to enjoy the sport of darts.

The high tech game of darts many of us know today is much different than the medieval version. Revolutionary electronics has elevated the excitement of the game to a new level. Automatic scorekeeping and new and exciting games make darts easy and fun for the entire family. The popular game of darts worldwide extends the tradition of beginning and ending each game with a handshake.

MAKING DARTBOARDS

Ever wonder how they get those thousands of tiny bristles stuffed into a dartboard? Before the invention of the bristle dartboard, the boards were made of wound paper or wood. The wooden boards required daily soaking to prevent splitting and smelled bad. The original manufacturer of bristle dartboards used this characteristic of wooden boards to name his company - Nodor ("no-odor"). 

To make today's tournament dartboards, manufacturers start by cutting out the backboards which are made from high quality particleboard 5/8ths of an inch thick. Next, the bands of steel which go around the board and hold it together are prepared. Nodor, for example, coat their bands with a black leather-like material to cut down on the reflective ness of the bare metal. 

The main ingredient in dartboards of today is the sisal or hemp which the English dartboard makers import from Africa. The sisal fibers are cleaned and braided into long skeins which are formed into a paper-covered tube approximately 3 inches in diameter. The tube is then cut into 1 inch thick wafers. A total of 51 or 52 wafers are used in the construction of 1 dartboard. The steel bands and a lot of pressure are employed to squeeze the sisal wafers into a perfect circle. Then, glue is applied to the particleboard and the whole affair is put together. Holding pins are mechanically inserted through pre-punched holes in the band. 

At this point the board is fully formed but it's surfaces pretty rough. High speed sanders are used to smooth it out and prepare it for the next stage, the silk screening of the red, green and black Sections of the board. The "white" or blond sections are the natural color of the sisal and are not touched. After the dye or ink has dried, the wires are installed with those defining the doubles and triples rings first. The clips or hooks holding the number ring are hammered into the board and, finally, the number ring is installed.

DART TRIVIA

Some dart players in England think throwing darts can get boring, so they take some six inch nails and use them instead. Joe Hitchcock used to love to beat "the champs" in this fashion. One of his favorite tricks was to "nail" a button from between someone's outstretched fingers.  The late Jim Pike, a darts legend in England before most of us even threw one, was such a marksman that he could shoot a cigarette from someone's mouth with a dart - AND STICK IT IN ANY DOUBLE.  The best flights in the world are made from turkey feathers. So who's the "turkey" now?  The average speed of a dart hitting a board is around 64kph (40mph).  London, 1937. The late and great Jim Pike went around the board on doubles, retrieving his own darts, in the time of 3 minutes 30 seconds. He did this shooting from a distance of 9 feet.  Can you score more than 180 with 3 darts? - Turn 16 to the top of the board and it becomes 91. Three triples give you 819.  There are more pubs with dartboards in the center of New York than there are in the center of London.  Years ago dartboards were made from elm wood. The numbers and wedges had to be carefully painted on and the spider (wires) had as many as 100 staples holding it to the board. To keep it from cracking, the careful pub owner would soak in a bucket of water or spillage from the beer taps over night. This activity spawned the popular misconception that soaking a loose dartboard in water will prevent darts from falling out. While this is true it will also considerably shorten the life of the board. The boards we use are made of tightly packed fibres of hemp or sisal. When these are moistened, they swell and will invariably bulge, causing the fibres to fall out. The best way is to let natural moisture in the air tighten the board for you. This, however, can take some time. If you've got a really bad board, steam it gently or hang a moistened rag over it to let it "breathe" the moisture slowly.  At an exhibition match at the Gipsy Stadium, in England, in July 1977, Muhammed Ali faced former Welsh champ Alan Evans. With Evans scoring only on triples, Ali won hitting a bullseye on the way out and immediately proclaimed himself darts champion of the world.   On February 21st., 1989, at Buckingham Palace, London, Eric Bristow became the first dart player to receive the coveted Member of the British Empire award (M.B.E.). Mr. Bristow admitted he was nervous meeting the queen, saying, "It was more nerve-racking than any TV final." This gives him the right to have the letters M.B.E. present after his name.  We've all heard of people playing darts for money or a beer, but this tale's got a different twist. It's a known fact that singers Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck are old friends and like to play darts. When on tour they've been known to appear at various pubs all over the world looking for a game. During the 1970s, they purchased a 3,000-acre ranch and settled for the fishing rights by playing a game of darts. Just for the record, Jones won.  Scotland's No. 1, Jocky Wilson hit a 24-dart 1001 leg against American Bud Trumbower in March of 1987, at Eastgate U.S. Marine Base in England: 180-140-140-140-81-100-100-120. Jocky scored an incredible 600 points in his first 12 arrows and capped the leg with a fine 60-20-40 game shot to average 41.7 points per dart.  On November 11, 1975 at the Broomfield WMC in Devon, England, international star Cliff Inglis tossed a magnificent 19-dart 1001 game, smashing all previous records to date: 160-180-140-180-121-180-40. Cliff averaged an unbelievable 52.68 points per dart despite getting lucky with his first dart, hitting a D20 instead of the triple.   All-County Welshman Leighton Rees, on December 18, 1976, finished a game of 3001 in 141 darts, connecting on only the single and double bulls and closing with a double bull. Leighton converted 34 double bulls and 52 bulls while just 55 darts went astray during this epic leg.  Tony Elleson, at the Now Inn Crumlin in Gwent, England, scored a perfect double start/double finish 301 game in June of 1987. While not so unusual in his feat perhaps, but after his first throw he broke a shaft retrieving his darts and literally had to sit down for five minutes and dig out the remains before finishing his game. Certainly the stoppage of play did not affect his concentration: D20-60-60-60-57-D12.   On June 19,1987 at the Fishing Boat Inn in Northumberland, shooter Tab Hunter (no, not the movie star!) recorded a brilliant 23 dart 1001 leg: 100-180-140-125-140-100-140-76. He averaged a fine 43.5 points per dart, ending the final 76 in two.  Duncan Swift, playing out of the Felilxstowe Dock Sports and Social Club, Surrey, scored 493,470 points to capture the 24 hour solo record in May of 1987. While shooting and retrieving the darts himself, Duncan hit an incredible 123 180s, 643 140s and used a total of 18,369 darts for a fabulous 26.86 points per dart average.  In April of 1988, Stephen Wagg set the 12 hour solo record for scoring double and single bulls at the Thorncliff Cricket and Social Club in Sheffield, England. Stephen registered 961 double bulls and 3,335 single bulls for a score of 131,425. He tossed a grand total of 9,714 darts for a 13.52 per dart average.  An eight-hour record for scoring bulls and double bulls was set by Birmingham players George Perry and Tony Hodgkiss at The Seventh Trap Public House in December of 1987. The two, averaging 16.19 per dart, hit 1,406 double bulls and 4,247 single bulls for a total of 176,475 points, breaking the old record of 1,048 double bulls and 3,308 single bulls.  In June of 1978, All-World John Lowe captured a 1001 leg in 22 darts: 140-180-140-100-140-140-125-D18. John averaged 137 per throw or a grand 45.6 per dart en route to this memorable game.  Pat Irwin of the Mitre hotel, playing in a double start/double finish 501 match, hit a 170 in (Dbull-60-60) and a 170 out (60-60-Dbull) in the same leg, in April of 1987.  In a special pairs 3001 challenge match against Steve Brown and Gene Raymond, London county leaguers Reg Harding and Dave Lee slugged an 86 darter, just 11 darts short of the world record:
41-35-140-125-85-85-140-180-180-80-100-100-100-100-180-55-100-100-140-140-100-100-100-100-45-82-96-32.
The pair hit 3 maximums en route to a 34.8 per dart average over the course of the challenge.  Probably the most notable individual effort occurred on October 13, 1984 in the quarter-finals of the MFI World Match play Championships. The match featured British stars John Lowe and Keith Deller with Lowe hitting the first televised nine-dart perfect 501 game in the history of the sport. For the record he went: 180-180-141 and collected (eventually) a cheque for 102,000 pounds for his efforts. (Ironically, due to complex tax laws, Lowe could not pocket a penny from the jackpot until two years later, as the currency sat in a British bank waiting for final approval.)  Paul Lim of San Bernadino, Calif. threw a perfect 9-dart 501 leg at the 1990 Embassy World Championships. Because he did it before the TV cameras he received 52,000 British pounds ($88,000 US) for his remarkable achievement   Big Cliff Lazarenko fired his first 9-dart perfect 501 game at an exhibition at the Aberlynon Leisure Centre. Using 25-gram titanium tungsten darts, he threw two 180s and a T20, T19, D12 for the 141 out in the last match of the night.  In the most perfect of perfect 501 games, Roy Blowies, playing at the Widgeon's Pubin Calgary, Alberta, Canada in late 1989 achieved his 9-darter by doubling in on the bullseye first. He scored 161(dBull-T20-T17), 180, 160(T20-T20-D20).