A Guide To The History Of Darts

Theories as to where the game of darts originated, some of which I subscribe to, some I don't. But the main one I subscribe to is a historical fact that the English archers actually threw their arrows at sort of log ends of trees in order to practice, or indeed just to enjoy themselves in moments when they could relax between battles with the French. If you look at the dartboard today, it looks remarkably like a log end.

In fact, there is still a dartboard in Manchester called a "log end", which is made out of timber. The shakes and rings on this long end resemble very much the dartboard we play on today. So I can just picture the archers back there in the 100-year war throwing their arrows.

Today, we throw them as a very serious sport. There's no doubt that the game of darts from the early 19th century has progressed dramatically into the international sport that we see today. The game started in the pubs and clubs and I believe it will always be in the pubs and clubs.

If you take it out of there and put it in the ballroom, then it becomes a very serious sport. So over the last 15 - 20 years or so, darts has made amazing strides. It's come out of the bar room into the ballroom and now is worldwide.

Where ever we go to play this wonderful game, we get tremendous television audiences and live audiences to enjoy this incredible game which is moving so fast. To illustrate the development of this incredible sport, I recently went to Japan with my three World Champion colleagues from Unicorn and the reception we received was out of my dreams, anyway. Incredible, thousands of people turned up, all of them ardent darts fans, and the sport is growing so fast in the Far East, I think they might well be another World Champion coming from that part of the world at some stage.

And that's my thoughts on the history of the game and the development of it. .