Champions of BRC Summer Darts Open 2014, in association with The Telegraph, with Vikram Baid, captain, BRC (The Bengal Rowing Club) darts team (in orange) at the Rabindra Sarobar club on June 1. For Ashfaque Sayed (first from left), the Men’s Singles winner, the game is “70 per cent mental and 30 per cent skill”. “So, one needs to play a lot of matches,” said the pro-darts player who has represented India in Ladbrokes Professional World Darts Championship in 2008. “Players in the country are lacking exposure. They can play pretty well; they know the rules. The game needs to reach out to more,” he added. For Nitin Kumar (first from right, standing) and Amit Gilitwala (fourth from left, seated, second row), who aimed right to win multiple awards, it was World Cup time when we met them. The two were off to Germany for the ongoing World Cup of Darts. Vikram shared BRC’s darts plans. “Darts is seen as a very casual game, however we have plans to change that perception and take it to the next level. The club is going to set up a proper room dedicated to the game,” he said.

Men’s Singles: Ashfaque Sayed
Ladies Singles: Asha Mehta
Men’s Doubles: Nitin Kumar and Amit Gilitwala
Mixed Doubles: Ashfaque Sayed and Vinita Baid
Youth Boys: Amit Gilitwala
Youth Girls: Asha Mehta
Fixed Foursome: Nitin Kumar, Mohan Goel, Mayank Agarwal and Kriti Chugh
Handicap Singles: Subham Agarwal
Draw Threesome: Selvaraju Subramanium, Avani Kothari and Mukesh Jha
Most Promising Player (female): Priyanka Shukla
Most Promising Player (male): Ragupathi

 

BRC president Santosh Kumar Rungta with sports minister Madan Mitra. “Tournaments like these help players gauge themselves better because you have them competing with participants from different parts of the world,” said Rungta.

 

 

What does Vishwas Sonawadia like best about darts? “Hitting the bullseye!” smiled the 11-year-old from Surat, the youngest player at the three-day tourney.

 

 

 

 

Nancy Ambrose, president, Malaysia Darts Association and Selangor Darts Association, who conducted a few workshops, shared with t2 some tips for beginners:

1. The game requires a disciplined mental stance. However, for beginners it is necessary to correct their posture first. The player has to be upright and the shoulder should be at 45 degrees. The stance at the oche (‘the line which players must stand behind in the game of darts’) is different for different people, but one foot has to be firmly rooted on the ground.

2. When practising for the first time, remember to set up the dartboard keeping in mind the standard measurements — 5’8’’ above the ground and the distance between the wall and the oche line should be 2.9m.

3. It’s very important to play with a set of darts one is comfortable with. Go to the store and try out a variety of darts before zeroing in on one. It is advisable to start with an average dart weighing 22-24g. A beginner should practise throwing darts at a single number before trying to aim for the doubles and trebles.

4. Always wear covered shoes. The darts are sharp and may bounce back.

5. Set aside 30 minutes of every session to hit the bullseye.