I really hadn't intended dragging this league stuff out into three parts, but that's precisely what's happened! There are a few other facts – and little quirks, simply associated with league matches – that you may find interesting.

I know that some leagues in the U.S. do this, but it seems that very few rely on an open draw for the evening's games; many rely on the captains choosing who plays who, usually dependent on ability. In Britain, most draw for opponents, although sometimes they play “pairs (or fours) across the board”. All that means is that the pairings are based on position within the team - 1 plays 1, 2 plays 2 etc. This is most common in fours and pairs, and is rarely used for singles. It's called “across the board” as the teams are invariably written up on the chalkboard.

Some of you may wonder why we draw for opponents, but it's what we do for tournaments, isn't it? Why should leagues be any different?

As far as the draw for the singles, it is pretty much the highlight of the evening. Everyone waits with bated breath to see who draws the top players on each team, and the players actually WANT to draw the big names.

Another difference is that you can't rotate the players during a league match. If a player competes in the fours, but is dropped for the pairs, he cannot come back in for the singles. It's basically the same as a soccer player being substituted. This really isn't as big a problem as it may first appear, though. Most teams will have at least three or four substitutes, often players who will only get a handful of games – if that – during the course of the season. Some don't even want to play, preferring to be “on call”, but many will turn up every week. If they do play, it is usually in the fours or pairs. They simply want to be a part of the team, and are quite happy to stand there chalking or calling for most of the evening.

One of the quirks I mentioned refers back to the money games I mentioned last time. Some do play for their own money, but most are “box games”. What that means is that if you lose, it comes out of your own pocket, but if you win, it goes into the “box”. This is simply a team fund, which will be paid out at the end of the season, and most box games are (or were, when I was still over there) either 50p or £1 per player. Not much, I know, but over the course of the year, every little helps.

Also in this fund are weekly “subs”. Many teams get the players to pay 50p or £1 a week, and that includes those who aren't playing. It's similar to a small savings account, and and the end of the season, it's nice to get a share of the loot.

Another fun thing to do was to play other games “across the board? - there's that term again, but now used in a different context. Because of only having one board in the pub, it can be difficult for players who want to throw a few after the league match. As a result, we would play games such as “Halve-it” or “Thirty-one” (also played as twenty-nine). Without wasting time going into detail - yet, these are games that are played by individuals, but any number of individuals can compete.

Again, at either 50p or £1 a man (or person, actually, as spouses would also be happy to join in the fun), we would have 10 or 15 players playing one game, with winner take all. Hey, you only lose a quid if you don't win, but if you do, that's supper paid for! One of the advantages with these games, most notably halve-it, is that the best player doesn't always win. Although I said I wasn't going to bore you with the details, I should explain a little here...

There are two basic ways to start a game of halve-it; some variations will give you each a starting score, such as 40, but we usually start with HS (highest score). You each throw three darts, scoring as many as you can. Whatever you score, that is your starting score.

Next, you have three darts at a series of numbers. You can use whatever numbers you want, and can make it as easy or as difficult as you want, depending on the ability of the players. These can be simple numbers like three at the 20 bed, and whatever you hit, you count. You can have specific numbers like D7, or T13. You may also have oddball shots like :

66 (for example) with three darts – just make sure that your shot totals 66, with ALL three darts counting.

D (double) or T (triple) – hit any double or any triple, as the case may be.

Two doubles/two triples/two green/two red – If it's 2R (two red), just make sure you hit hit two red segments in your three darts.

Shanghai – single, double, and triple of the same number.

Hurdles – every other number, such as 20, 18, 13, or 19, 17, 15. The choice is up to you, but you just have to skip the pies. Doubles and triples count full value.

3C (three colors) – works best on a board with a green single bull. All you have to do is make sure that your darts are in three different colors (eg green, red, and black).

Loops – a non-scoring shot, but you must put a dart in an enclosed loop in one of the numbers on the number wire, such as the “0” in the number “20”. Hitting one of the loops in the number “8” is cool, but doesn't get you anything extra! Oh, and you only need to hit one, not all three.

Now, whatever you hit, you add to your score (except for the loops, which have no numerical value). If you happen to be unsuccessful (miss three darts at a number, fail to hit 3C, or a loop etc), you halve your total score. When you halve an odd score (say, 77 or 13), you cannot leave a whole number. Simply round it up (39 or 7), which also means that you will never be lower than 1!

The last two rounds will often be SB and DB. That means it is still tricky, even for a good player. More than once I've seen a top shooter halve on the SB when he hit three doubles!

The winner is the one with the highest score at the end. The reason that the best players don't always win is this : you can halve your score three or four times early on, and still beat a player who halved just once – at the end!

Hopefully I've explained that well enough, but if you have any questions, just drop me a message on Facebook, or a quick email. I've tried this a few times over here, and players seem to enjoy it.

Staying with money, I should tell you about “racers”. I don't think that they're that common these days, but going back a few years, they were very popular, certainly after the Monday night London Super League.

Simply put, each team would put up a player (sometimes a pair) for a challenge. Then, one of the teams (usually the away side, as they would have a smaller crowd) would raise money amongst the team. That would include players, wives/girlfriends, friends, and spectators. Between them, they would usually raise £200-300 (at that time, probably something in excess of $500), and sometimes more. It as then up to the other team to match the pot. Even though individually, it wasn't a huge risk, there was still a fair amount at stake.

Then, the game would commence in front of a large, and very attentive, audience. Well, they would be attentive, seeing that their money was riding on it! Occasionally 1001, more often than not it would be played over 3001, one leg. In the case of pairs, it could be 5001. After the game, the winning player's team would divide the winnings according to each individual’s ante.

Depending on the teams, there could be several of these racers in one night.

Finally – and this is what I do miss about British leagues – is that it is the home team's responsibility to provide FOOD! Sometimes the pub would provide it free of charge; sometimes they would charge a small fee (paid by the home team only); sometimes the players would bring it along.

Most would provide a few trays of sandwiches, maybe some sausage rolls, pickled onions etc. Others would put on a veritable feast, with a huge variety of hot and cold goodies. One of the best we had was at a pub in Claygate, in rural Surrey. It was in the middle of winter, cold, and with snow on the ground. After the match, they brought out this massive pot of soup! That went down really well, let me tell you. If only they would do that here...