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Darts Trivia

What are the origins of the name Winmau?
Winmau is named using the first three letters of original founder Harry Kicks wife Winifred Maud. Hence – Win Mau.

What are the origins of the name Nodor?
Nodor inventors of the modern dartboard had a chemist called Ted Leggatt and they manufactured a new type of dartboard which had ‘no odour’ using Sisal as they do today. Standard boards at the time were made of clay and had a strong smell. This was eventually shortened to become NODOR, and they are still going strong today still making the Worlds Best Dartboards.

Why is the throwing line called an oche?
No definitive answer unfortunately! One theory is that a brewery company called S H Hockey existed at the time and pubs used three of their empty crates to indicate 9ft. Another theory comes from the word ‘ hocken’ which means to spit – many pubs in Victorian times had spitting contests! Which were held behind a line and which saw competitors spit as far as they could?

However despite numerous theories there is no definitive answer, but Eddie Norman MBE was responsible for many of the myths that were started!!

Eddie used to run the House of Darts in Bristol, a highly successful darts wholesaler for over 30 years.

Why is the oche 7ft 9 and 1/4 inch away from the board?
A strange distance admittedly. The official original line was 9ft although different regions in the country had their own boards and their own throwing lines. The current distance would seem to be a compromise between the different distances used around the UK.

Why are there two World Champions?
Darts has two governing bodies the BDO and the PDC. The BDO were formed in 1976.

The PDC (originally WDC) formed in 1992 following a disagreement between the leading players of the time and the BDO hierarchy.

Since 1994 both organisations have held a World Championship, and maybe one day they will amalgamate to form what would be the most amazing Darts Tour ever.

How many ways of getting a nine dart finish are there?
Amazingly 3944 !

What is the prize for a televised 9 dart finish?
It varies from tournament to tournament. John Lowe won an incredible 102,000 pounds in 1984 in the MFI World Matchplay, whilst James Wade received nothing for his in the 2008 Grand Slam of darts!

How much does it cost to play professional darts?
Estimated costs for tournament entry fees, hotel, travel etc are £12,000 a year to play the PDC tour – a good sponsor is advised!
If you think your good enough e-mail why to: marketing@reddragondarts.com

What was the first televised darts TV tournament?
This was the Westward TV invitational, which was shown in the SW of England in 1962.
The first nationally televised tournament was the News of The World Championship in 1970.

What is a dartboard made from?
The main component is from the sisal plant – this grows naturally in only a few countries with the best quality found in Kenya, which is backed up by its premium market price – so if it’s made in China it probably hasn’t got the best quality fibre.

How high should a dartboard be from the floor?
5ft 8 in – this would be ‘eye-level’ for an average six foot person.

What are darts made from?
Initially early darts were made using a wooden stem and turkey feathers as flights, and then cheap Brass.
However, as time has gone on, modern darts are made from tungsten that allowed the darts to be a fraction of the size and the same weight.

John and Dave Bluck the founders of Red Dragon Darts, were one of the first ever mass producers of Tungsten darts that fuelled the huge revolution of darts in the 70’s.

What is the highest televised three dart average by a player?

Michael van Gerwen hit 123.4 in the 2016 Premier League on the 25th February against Michael Smith.

In a major ranking event, Phil Taylor’s 115.62 in the 2009 UK Open in a 10-0 Quarter final win over Mark Lawrence is still the highest recorded.

In either version of Dart World Championships, Phil Taylor has 111.21 in 2002 last 16 against Shayne Burgess.

When was the first live televised 9 dart finish?
Phil Taylor in 2002 at the World Matchplay is generally seen as such, as it appeared live on a recognised TV network (SKY) Although Shaun Greatbatch achieved the feat earlier in that year in the Dutch Open – although that tournament was only available to be seen in the UK via the internet and as such Taylor’s achievement has taken precedence. John Lowe and Paul Lim had also achieved televised 9 dart finishes prior to Taylor but were not screened live.

Why do darts players have nicknames?
Some darts players – notably Eric Bristow have always used a nickname.
However with the advent of the PDC in 1994 and its association with SKY TV an increased need for darts to have a little more ‘razzmatazz’ and be more marketable, the use of nicknames became more or less obligatory.

Is there a dress code for professional darts players?
All players must wear black trousers and shoes. Shirts may be any colour but not carry anything that may be deemed offensive.

Can anyone sponsor a dart player to wear their patch on TV?
No – it is at the discretion of the governing bodies as to what is deemed acceptable.
There are also conflict of interests re the main tournament sponsor and competing brands.
The tournament sponsor must be seen in the most prominent place on the player’s body.

What is the best stance to adopt when throwing a dart?
All players have their own particular way of throwing a dart. The best player of all – Phil Taylor takes a traditional ‘side on’ stance and likens throwing the dart to looking down the barrel of a gun.

What is the longest running darts tournament?
That would be the Winmau World Masters – now held in Bridlington and in its 37th year.

Whatever happened to Jocky Wilson?
Jocky never formally retired, but faded from the game after the 1995 World Matchplay and sadly passed away in 2012 from his well published health issues including diabetes.

The travelling, late nights and pub lifestyle had taken their toll. Whilst alive he refused all requests for interviews and lived a reclusive life in his home town of Kirkaldy.

In 2009 the PDC announced the formation of the ‘Jocky Wilson Cup’, which will be an annual game between England and Scotland in Jocky’s honour.

Jocky Wilson was a massive loss to the game of darts and all those involved today owe him a debt of gratitude for where the game is today.

Rest in Peace Jockey.

  • The PDC have only ever used 2 Masters of Ceremonies in their tournament history Phil Jones and John McDonald.
  • The first player to win the first ever PDC (then WDC) tournament event was Ironically Mike Gregory who won the Lada Classic which was screened only on Anglia Television.
  • The music that is played at the break during every PDC tournament is Chase the Sun by Planet Funk.
  • After Phil Taylor the player who has won the most PDC major tournaments is James Wade with 4 victories.
  • Phil Taylor threw his first perfect 9 dart finish at the Blackpool Winter Gardens.
  • Winmau’s Dennis Priestley was the first ever PDC World Champion where he won £16,000 in 1994.
  • The 2010 PDC World Champion will receive £200,000
  • The last time Jocky Wilson played in the PDC he lost a second round clash against Nigel Justice by 8 legs to 5 which signalled the end of his PDC career.
  • The first ever PDC Premier League game was held in 2005 at the King’s Hall Stoke.
  • The first PDC Premier League competitors were: Mark Dudridge, Colin Lloyd, Peter Manley, Wayne Mardle, John Part, Roland Scholten and Phil Taylor.