I was never much good at darts although I enjoyed the occasional throw at the board.
However, when a good friend Walter Wright was running the Royal Hotel in Workington a number of players were missing for some reason ahead of a Tuesday night match.
I still don’t know to this day why I was invited to join the team but it was a late call-up and I only had a few minutes to get myself a lift sorted to get down to the Royal Hotel.
In the mist of times who we were playing in this Marsh and Quay Darts League encounter has long since been forgotten. All I remember is it finished 7-2 to the opposition.
Now we won two of the six singles and lost all three doubles, and yes you would be correct, I didn’t contribute to our two!
What I still recall, however, was my first competitive throw in league darts. My first arrow hit the board and bounced back almost to the oche.
I certainly never got close enough to be on a finish in my singles encounter before my opponent had driven home his winning dart.
But I did get a chance of a winning throw, mainly thanks to my partner, in the doubles. For some reason I always felt more comfortable aiming to the right of the board and in the top quarter so 13 was about my speciality.
Would you believe it he left me double 13 to win the first doubles clash and bring the match back to 4-3. The opposition were still over 100 behind after their latest throw.
I remember having an extra slurp of my Guinness – or maybe on reflection that was the problem – and took aim. The first dart wasn’t close but didn’t go in any other bed. The second brushed the wrong side of the double 13 – but it might not have been as close as that!
Then the fatal third, floated cleanly straight into single 13.
Well that was it, the opposition fired in some kind of fancy finish and my partner never got a chance of one, double six; three double five or whatever route to victory he had planned.
That was my one and only appearance in a league darts match, but what I do recall was the fact the after-match sandwiches were excellent.
Just as a footnote I did once almost score a maximum. I was playing for fun in the old Wheatsheaf on the Marsh with the late Graham Mumberson.
Somehow I managed to put two darts in treble 20 and couldn’t believe it when the third one followed them into the same bed. However, before I could retrieve my darts and chalk up the score that third dart fell out.
I remember having a long debate with Graham as to how long a dart had to be in the board before it counted. I know it was a talking point between us for quite some time.
