A lesson in darts.......

Horse & Farrier - 24/10/06 (a)

Last night was our 5th league match. As mentioned previously the team we played are a good set of darters with a few of them playing at super league standard. Pre-match tensions were settled by the news that we were currently lying 5th in the league & only 4 points from the top. A nice start for a team that's only been together for less than 6 months.

pic. The Venue



I got there an unexpected hour early so I had a good practice & hitting the twenty's but my double starting/finishing was way off the usual mark. Some people say this is a good thing because when it matters you usually hit what you want & by not hitting you are ridding these from your system.

Anyway we started the match with Steve Shaw. He eventually got off with a 52, but sadly couldn't get anywhere near any tons & his opponent was on fire finishing in 21 darts. This is super league standard. Dave Murby & Dave walker both were defeated easily although Dave W did get off on a nice 84. Mick Daly played there best & well know player Fran Lynch & as expected was defeated. Fran throwing 3 toms on his way to a double 16. Rob Lancaster rounded up the first half, but was beaten.

At half time we were five nil down at darts & four two down at dominoes. Not the start we wanted.

Pete Kennington kicked off the 2nd half & produced a nice display. Peppering the twenty with a 60 off followed by a 116. His finishing lacked & was eventually beaten. Now 6-0 down we needed a consolation point. I took to the oche to try and achieve it. The oche at the Horse & Farrier is spacious & has a good level of lighting. I felt comfortable in the surroundings. I was to play a super league player. Again not phased I set about the task. Throwing first I didn't get off, neither did my opponent. 6th dart in & I was off on 16 (8x). My next few sets of darts were consistent with my current average my highest being a nice 100. My opponent was also throwing well keeping up with my pace. An eventually double top was needed & I checked out on the 2nd dart. The consolation point was gained & I was a happy man.



Sadly we never gained anymore points in either the Darts or Dominoes. Steve Tennant & Paul Haywood both lost their darts matches.

Darts: 9-1
Dominoes: 8-4

Our first defeat at darts & to be honest it was expected, but not on this scale! I'm sure we have dropped down the league after this defeat.

Personal Performance Indicator (PPI):

4 out of 4 now & the confidence is increasing match by match. A few comments from more experienced team players in the team we nice to hear post match. Apparently I look confident & my whole game has improved over the past few months. This is what I want to hear. Considering the lack of practice my game didn't drop. My current average was proven & let's hope this can be built on.

Anyway im off to admire the pros, but not too much!!

Big match nerves.........

Its Tuesday & another league match beckons. Tonight we play away at the 'Horse and Farrier'. Another team literally a stones throw away from home.

Weve played these before in the winter league & they are a good outfit. Twice beating us comfortably. They are quite a star studded team with several of their players playing for Lancaster in the Super League. This doesnt really put me off because I soon hope to be at their standard. Hopefully tonite we'll have a strong side out & stun a few people.

I am confident, but I have a niggly feeling that the severe lack of practice will show tonite. Again I am working late & practice will be quite minimal pre-match.

Fingers crossed. Match review tomorrow.

Double In, Double Out.......

Once again I am sorry for the lack of blogging. Not that theres many read this, but the odd one or two regulars will be pleased to know I am still here.

Ive been quite busy doing other things over the past few days, so darts & blogging have taken a back step. I havent done any real practice since last Wednesday so that hard hour and a half wasnt really worth it. Darts is a game that you need to keep on top of. I reckon anyone could become a decent player providing that the practice & hours are put in. This isnt something im doing at the moment. I did use DartPro software to work out my average. On a straight shootout I am around the 53.67 mark. Im sligtly lower when playing 501. I have also still yet to set out my 'Goals'. I aim to do this by the end of the week.

It doesnt help that tomorrow night sees us play possibly the best team in the league, The Horse & Farrier. I will mention more tomorrow in the pre-match build up.

Im also off to dublin this week for a short break. Fortunalty for me its also the week that the World Grand Prix is on!! And yes I have tickets for the quarter finals on Friday. Who knows maybe I will be in this sometime??

Back to the board.......

As I didnt attended the match (darts) last night the vice captain, Rob Lancaster was left in charge. From the result & players in attendance he did a good job. We had a few key players out & could only muster 8, but we still managed to get an overall draw, 11-11 & we are still unbeaten at darts. Stats to follow once recieved.

Next week sees us away to the Horse & Farrier. This is a BIG game.

Anyway onto my darts. I shall be practicing tonight & will once again be using the new software to log my results. I will post these tomorrow.

Yet another short entry as nothing much to report.

Commitents elsewhere.......

Unfortuneatly there is no pre-match build up for tonight's match as my commitments are elsewhere. Im sure there WILL come a time when darts does takeover from MUFC, but at the moment my darts career is at its early stages.

I did however have a practice last night. I have once again been hunting the net for practice games & stumbled accross some software that apparently can improve your game. The software is called DartPro. Link HERE. It seems pretty good & with a basic interface im sure anyone can use it. Check the website for its features, but I went straight in for the 501 calculator. This calculates your averages, high checkouts etc. I have decided to set some goals to aim at & I will keep a regular post of my hopefully increasing progress.

Thats its for today.......

'Dart' as you mean to go on........

Today I have played in another tournament. I didn’t really mention it in previous posts, don’t ask me why, but I never. Anyway the tournament was held in Lancaster & what nicely named 'The Nick Collyer - Good Last Dart Tournament'. Playing in the Lancaster league during the week I expected to see a few familiar faces. My expectations were correct.



Pre-practice & I was showing signs of possible good form. Throwing several tons, 140's & a 180. These a rare & I must only have 7 to my name since starting in the darting world. I didn’t realise that the tournament was open to everyone, including women &children. Now for my confidence I surely wanted to draw either. The draw took place & I was handed my 'confidence boost'. A woman!! I not saying I would win, but surely it increases your chances?!! I were to play on Board 2. Basically you stay on the board playing the winners of the other matches on your board, until quarter finals etc.

So........

Match 1

I turned up at the oche & was greeted by my opponent..............A 10 year old girl!! Now her dad was watching & he gave me the brief, that if I beat her he would kill me!! Tongue in cheek of course. Now ive never played a child before but my arse was seriously twitching. What if I were to get BEAT? Ridicule. Anyway I let her throw first, that was me being nice!! Now onto the job in hand, 1st 3 darts I threw a 140. Next few sets were around the 60 mark & I was comfortable as you expect. Anyway to cut a nothing match short, I won 3-0 & was through to the next game.

Match 2

A familiar face was waiting for me this time round. This was the girls dad who id beat in the first match. I was warned that he would take revenge for his daughter. Lets play darts!! Again I started brightly, but struggle mid match to pull off 60's/80's which usualyy win you most matches. My finishing was slighlty off par as I twice needed double 3 in two of the legs. Anyway the dad never did get revnege & I again won 3-0.

Match 3

I had a feeling who id be playing in what was the Board Final. Winning this took me into the quarters & secured me with a massive payout of £25!! My next opponent was John Kuta. He playes for Lancaster in the super league & looked a good player from the other games I watched. He won threw first & srated well. I couldnt really get started. He got to the double first but couldnt finish. I took the first leg after been on the backfoot. I should have won the 2nd match & been comfortably 2-0 up, but he capitalised on my poor finishing & we were 1-1. The game looked out of my reach after a poor string of 40's & i was 2-1 down. Throwing 1st in the 4th leg my game picked up & I threw a string of 80+'s followed by a ton. Checking out with a double 4. The deciding match was tense & we were neck & neck all they way to the double. I had several opportunities to win starting for a simple 60 finish to mad house. My opponent needed 20 & couldnt finish. I stepped up for Mad House & wired it 3 times. Gutted. He stepped up & hit 10, followed by a double 5 to take the match.

As always I was gracious in defeat, but slightly annoyed knowing I could have taken win.



Personal Performance Indicator (PPI):

Finally a tournament match win. As the saying goes 2 come at once! Well supopose you cant really count one of them as it was against a child, but its been documented so I am counting it!! The past 2 weeks alone I would consider my game to have improved at a rapid pace. The new stance is helping & although only purchased 2 days ago the stems & flights made a massive difference today. No league game this week as other commitments are being attended (MUFC) so its practice, practice & more of it.

Pictures show random tournaments players, not me!

New equipment.....

I have been in desperate need of some more flights & stems. Everytime I change during practice or match either they seem to get smashed after every session. I must have gone through around 8 stems in the past week. Im unsure whether this is a lot, probably not to some of the pros. Anyway I decided to purchase some more. Ive stuck with my regular short black stem with orange flights. Darts doesnt seem to be an expensive sport & my basket was bulging with £3.18's worth of goods. They should arrive today.

I have also been pondering whether to purchase some new darts. I only changed from a chunky Unicorn Kevin Painter 24g to a nice slimline dart back in June, but I somehow feel I need a little more grip. I have been thinking of these:



They are Razor Edge darts & same weight. I'll give it another couple of weeks & see if theres any improvement with current darts & stance etc.

Equipment can be purchased @ Darts Corner. Hit the link to visit the shop.

3 in a row.......

Vine & Hops - 10/10/06 (a)

The 3rd match of the season was played last night. Although most games are 'derbies' in the league this is 'The Derby' as the away venue is literally a 20 metre walk away. The pub has been done out into a wine type bar & it certainly isn't your regular darts venue.

The pre-turnout looked good once again & with the players on show I was sure we wouldn't have any problems in taking a win back down King Street.

Steve Shaw started us off. He rarely fails to impress. 33 off, 138 checking out on a straight forward 32 (16x). 'Aussie' Mick Daly took to 2nd place, but couldn't quite finish to put us into a two-nil lead. Andy Markham's form improved taking producing a 140 with a 10 checkout.

4th up was Pete Kennington. He started brightly a pulled a 140 from nowhere, but similar to Aussie Mick he couldn't quite gain the finish. Struggling for a 5th man, I decided to take the position. Being team captain I thought it was a wise move. I started well using the new stance, getting off with a double 8. I had an 83 followed by a 97 but these aren't worth noting if im to mingle with the big boys!!. My finishing was shy & I struggled to nail a simple 60. Again going the long way round finally hitting a double 2. Yes another win under my belt, but I seriously need more practice.

At the break we were 3-2 up at Darts & level at Dominoes 3-3.

Post break we went 4-3 down after the first two matches. Dave Walker & Steve Tennant sadly loosing their matches. Paul Haywood took 8th place & produced a fine display against probably their best player. A 42 off, 123 & a double top check taking the game to 4-4.

We had already won the game as they only had 8 players. Although I suggested that they play 2 to give the remainder of our team a game.

Dave Murby threw a 100 off with a 140 & I would have banked a big check out, but mad house was required & hit!! Rob Lancaster drew the match to a close. The 2nd biggest off of the night, 66, but he is still looking for that 1st win of the winter season.

Darts: 4-6
Dominoes: 5-7

Another overall win under our belts & still unbeaten at darts.

Personal Performance Indicator (PPI):

Another win. 3 out of 3 now. I do consider my form to be improving, but I still lack a little more practice. I am comfortable with the new stance, but it does seem to slightly make me throw more towards the 5. I will try to investigate why during the week. Another big tournament on Saturday. This is being held in Lancaster, so some familiar local faces will no doubt be in attendance. Let's hope for a first tournament match win & continue to build on top of that.

Pre-match build up......

No practice last night.

Its Tuesday once again & it's another trip up the M6 to Lancaster. We are playing Vine & Hops. It'll be a slight rush tonight as im working till 6, but I'll try and get at least forty five minutes practice before we start. I am once again feeling positive.

I have won one & lost one against these. The win coming at home with a massive 'Mad House' finish. From what I can remember I was unlucky in the away game needing a double seven. Last time round we drew 5-5 away.

Fingers crossed for another team win & more importantly a step further to the 'Double Top' goal!!

Good 'arts..........

To start off I decided to have a practice blitz this weekend. Friday night started with a few games of 170 then the usual, trying to hammer the 20. Succeed I did & with the new stance. My throwing seems to be a lot better using this technique. I have decided to stick with it.

My cousin (Rob Lancaster) came down on Saturday so we had a few matches. Firstly playing 501 double in, double out. I started off really well & was 3-0 up within minutes. Rob has a tendency to throw well for a game or two then go to pot. I seemed to take this virus off him. He pulled the game back to 3-3. My throwing had suddenly deteriated. We had a quick break then re-toe'd the oche playing straight 501. I eventually came off as the winner 5-4.

Sunday's practice was quite vague as I was busy pottering around the house. I did manage around 20 minutes, but nothing to write about.

The current build up is for Tuesday's match away @ Vine & Hops. We have played these before & they aren't a bad team. If we have the same team as last week we shouldn't have an issue.

Stance & Deliver......

OK blog lacking has been due to a bout of man flu. It suddenly developed on Tuesday & gradually got worse. Tuesday night I had the game on my mind so couldnt really focus on being ill. Instead I did this Wednesday & no practice was done.

Last night I decided to get back to it & have a good practice.

I started by trying to pepper the 20. Occasionally hitting ton pluses along with the odd 140. Id say I hit more 41's, 45's & 60's. Ive been looking for various practice games & stumbled accross some finishing practice. Basically you start with 170 & try to finish it. Scoring points for the number of darts used. I played this for around 30 minutes managing to get a 6 dart finish (20, 40 1) & (57, 12, 40).

Im unsure whether a big floor in my game is the way I stand. I currently stand straight on with my right foot directly in line with the middle of the board. Now there is no right or wrong way to stand or throw a dart, but I feel that I need to adjust. I decided to have my foot at a 45 degree angle to the toe line head directly in line with the middle of the board. With my first 3 darts I shot a 140. Now some may say beginners luck, but I did seem to feel more positive using that posture. I continued for around another 30 minutes using the new technique & to be honest it does seem more influential. During my next practices I will try both techniques & compare over a 30 minute period.

This weekend I shall be mostly re-arranging the study along with a couple of hours practice.

Stunning performance.......

Boot & Shoe - 03/10/06 (h)

Last night we played our 2nd match in the league. We'd heard rumours that these were a good side & that they had won their first game 9-1. This didn't put a few of us off.

Stuart Lacey kicked us off with a steady win proving once again why he is always first in line. Steve Shaw backed this with a similar result to last week. Twice hitting a ton followed by a 40 checkout. Andy Markham's disappointing result last week saw him check in an 83 followed by 100 then a 125. Three nil up and we were becoming increasingly confident of taking a win.

Dave Murby produced the highest check in to date, 100 followed by another ton & an easy double 10 to round things off. His opponent looked at ease throwing a massive 180, but fortunately for us he couldn't capitalise on a finish. Myself stepped up to throw 5th. Checking in 2nd time round with a 32 (16x). My darts were steady & I was comfortable throughout the match finally finishing a 60 check the long way round!! (1, 19, 20x).

At the break we were 5-0 up at darts complimented by 6-0 at dominoes.

The second half were we supposed to be challenged with their 'Big Guns'. Pete Kennington started us off, but couldn't quite finish to give us an early victory. Steve Tennant stepped up & did the honours for us. Checking in with 22 finishing with a 16. Paul Haywood continued his fine form producing some nice darts & once again pouncing on a 123. Rob Lancaster & Dave Walker finished rounded up the night, but unfortunately couldn't produce victories although Rob produced the 3rd highest check of the night with a 72 in.

Overall on the night we produced a stunning display of darts & achieved a fine victory at dominoes.

Darts: 7-3
Dominoes: 9-3

The home oche:



Personal Performance Indicator (PPI):

Once again I have another victory under my belt. No 100+ once again but nice steady darts sustained a relativity 'easy' victory. The win was also complimented with an after tournament victory. I beat Paul Haywood in the final 2-0 checking out a 60.

The new board has also helped me this week as it seems to be more visible. Money well spent I may say. I shall continue the practice & hope for another win next week.

New toys......

Suprisingly there was no practice again yesterday. Yes you may think 'How can I be commited to the sport if I dont practice'. Well at the moment I have just moved house, & things are up in the air. I have no reasonable place to put up the board & yesterday also saw me partake in my other love, which is watching Manchester United.

Today however, I have purchased a new dartboard. A Unicorn Eclipse Pro. This is what they use in the PDC. The board features diamond cut wires which apparently reduce 'bounce outs'. Lets hope so because id of had several 180's per session if id have bought earlier!! Linz doesnt know it yet, but it will be hung in the spare room for the 'winter'.


I also found out that Alan Tabern won the tournament that I played in on Saturday. His opponent apparently thrw a 9 darter aswell. Gutted that I missed that, but why would I have wanted to hang around......

Next game is tomorrow in the Lancaster league. We play The Boot & Shoe at home, another team who we havent played before.