Image courtesy of Emma Blakey
As a novice to most sports (excluding running and rowing), the idea of reporting on a darts match was quite daunting for me. However, the rules were simple enough to follow: Both players start at 501 points, aiming to get to 0.
The inner bullseye is worth 50 points, while the outer bullseye is worth 25 points. Then there’s the triple ring (inner ring), which is worth 3 times the points of the outer number it lands on, and the double ring (outer ring), which is worth twice the points of the outer number it lands on. Finally, all other spaces in the ring are worth the number the dart lands on.
Enthusiastically presented by William King and Izzy Norwood, the first match included our own Vice Chancellor Andy Schofield vs York’s Vice Chancellor Charlie Jeffery. York’s VC Charlie took an early lead, making a confident start. However, Andy then got a triple 20 score, suddenly overtaking Charlie, maintaining a cool, collected expression.
Mid-game, Charlie took back over, with both VCs taking the match very seriously. Andy began to fall behind with 96 points, meanwhile, Charlie was on 4. Right near the end, we saw Andy and Charlie battling at breakneck speed, ending up at 3-2. Charlie hit the final correct points selection, winning by a hair’s breadth.
The second and final match was between the two sports presidents, with York’s Maddi Cannell vs Lancaster’s own Paul McCarthy. Paul swiftly took the lead with 470 points. Soon after, we saw a tight 455-453 with Maddi lowering her total score until she was in the lead at 211-110. However, after Maddi threw a few darts off-board, both players were neck-to-neck at 20-17. Sadly, the match’s finale wasn’t aired due to a technical error.
Notable moments included Paul McCarthy being teased for his name (you can guess why!) and the tense closeness of both matches right near the end.
