Bank Holiday Fun Knock Out

Bank Holiday Fun Knock Out (25/8/08)

At the AGM Graham had suggested that we might play a Knock Out on Irish Boards where the boards were turned upside down. This obviously made the Twenties where the threes are normally and transferred the numbers from the left to the right and vice versa. It also had a strange effect on some of the numbers. I spotted that the 19’s became 61 and thought that treble 61 would make a good score, but Geof spotted a couple of others with an 81 and then potential 91. Just to make the point in practice he hit 7 X 91’s which would have been a few too many, even in a game of 501 with a score of 637 with three darts! Ticker said he was going to play on the one that stayed the same, which was of course the bull. However Graham spoiled the fun a little by saying that the numbers would be scored as normal if any body could read the two’s and fives, sixes and nines, etc upside down! Alan decided the Treble 19 in the place of the One’s looked good for scoring because he can usually hit ones all the time in a match without even trying! The first game was about to start and Geof was going to mark, but Pat, his wife, told him that with the twenties at the bottom he had to mark from the bottom of the scoreboard upwards as well!

Selby Brewer had a magnificent 156 break with the first darts of the evening and went out in 10 darts on his first leg. In the second leg he had a 96 start coming down to leave tops, or as he said, when he checked with the marker, “Bottoms Up.” He missed with laughing, but got it anyway after another couple of darts.

Paul Ben had a 120 finish against Boo which takes some doing with the twenties at the bottom, but lost anyway. Alan Hartley had a 142 break in his 3^rd leg against John Gartshore and out went out in 11 darts to win through to the next round.

It was amazing to see that even with the numbers in some very strange positions several players had no trouble hitting some good scores including George Hylton who hit a 140. It was a bit of a shame that it was a poor turnout really, but those that played enjoyed the night and some were even calling for the rules to be made a regular feature! The comment was made, “Imagine trying to play these rules after a few pints!” Many times during the games players struggled to find the numbers that they wanted, to leave the right score and some decided to try and leave the double that was now in the place of their favourite finish. For some players the complexities of this tactic proved too much so they just tried to leave a double, any double, because as Geof Taylor said, "They are all the same size."

Ticker was one of the favourites and had one relatively easy game as he played Pat, but even so produced some good darts with a 100, 41, 140, leaving 20 which he messed up, but got later.

In the next round Geof asked Boo which board he wanted to play on to which Boo replied, “The one downstairs where the twenty is still at the top!” This was the quarters and Boo showed his class with a 152 break, then 24, leaving 125, which he said was, Bull 25 Bull, but unfortunately he missed the last bull to get it in 11 anyway. Alan was against Roscoe and had another 11 darts in the 3^rd leg only to lose to Ticker in the next round which was the semis.

The final saw the two favourites of Boo and Ticker playing each other. In the first leg Boo missed an 11 darter, but won anyway as Ticker seemed to be having some trouble finding the scores. Ticker had a shot in the last leg, but went for the wrong double and hit it after being thrown by the upside down board and unfortunately for him Boo got his double next shot, to win the craziest knock out and evenings darts ever played at Libby’s.