World Matchplay: Why darts scoring starts on 501 and not 500

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

As a thrilling World Matchplay continues at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, casual darts followers may be asking questions about the sport's quirky scoring system
With one of the biggest tournaments of the year in full swing, more casual darts fans may be wondering about the sport's unique scoring system. Luke Littler and company are currently lighting up the Winter Gardens in Blackpool at the World Matchplay.
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It is widely regarded as the second biggest major in the sport after the World Championship. The champion, who will be crowned on Sunday, will bank £200,000.
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But while ardent fans will be glued to the sporting theatre, others will be scratching their heads about why legs start on 501 and not 500. There's actually a very logical reason.
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This rule makes the sport more challenging and, therefore, more competitive. If the game started with an even number, players could simply aim for the 20 on the board to win without needing to hit an odd number.
But starting with 501 forces players to go around the board and reduce their score in different ways. In more recent times, with maverick Littler leading the way, players have adopted quirkier finishing routes, bringing the bullseye into play more and utilising less-used trebles and doubles.
Meanwhile, Littler is still standing in Blackpool but only after surviving an almighty scare against Jermaine Wattimena in the last 16.
Littler looked set to suffer a shock exit after the Dutchman raced into a 7-2 lead, but the teenage superstar battled back to win a classic encounter.
The world champion responded with a brilliant six-leg burst to seize the initiative at 8-7, but Wattimena kept his hopes alive, surviving two match darts to force a tie-break (matches must be won by two clear legs unless the players cannot be separated after six additional legs).
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However, Littler's blistering barrage of scoring eventually took its toll, as the world No.2 sewed up a 13-11 victory.
Meanwhile, Josh Rock edged out three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in another 13-11 thriller. Van Gerwen dominated the opening exchanges, racing into a 4-1 lead before defying a mid-game rally from Rock to restore his three-leg advantage at 9-6.
However, the Dutchman paid the price for spurning opportunities to lead 10-6 before Rock won four straight legs and hit the front. Van Gerwen responded with a skin-saving 138 checkout to make it 10-10, but the Northern Irishman held his nerve in the closing stages and celebrated widely after nailing the winning double.
The quarter-finals begin on Thursday night, with Gian van Veen playing James Wade and Stephen Bunting taking on Jonny Clayton. Friday's quarter-finals see Littler face Andrew Gilding and Rock versus Gerwyn Price, who was involved in a feisty exchange with Daryl Gurney in the first round before routing Chris Dobey 11-3 in the second round.