cricket

gramar

Lads I'm living in Spain and I've been invited to play on a local pub team. Soft-tip board and it's a cricket league.
I've played cricket (or cat as mouse as I remember calling it) plenty of times for fun and I use it at home for practice
as it helps me focus on triples.

Does anyone have any experience of playing it in a competition or similar that might have some advice about
strategy etc or is it a case of taking it as it comes?

I have a standard bristle board and use 28g darts so the change to an electronic board and lighter soft tip darts
will be a bit of an adjustment although I've played on them before. I don't think the level is that high as at the moment
they're playing a 301 tournament. It's straight off and you can finish on anything! I said they must be finishing in 10-12
darts and he said 'yeah if you're bloody brilliant'. Practising at home at 501 my average is about 25 darts so I reckon
I won't make a fool of myself at least.

JacksonHeightsOwn

What is cricket?

I heard about this the other day but have no idea what it is

Healio

Check out the SEWA forums:

http://sewa-darts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=5


Always interesting topics on Cricket strategy.

gramar

Healio wrote: »

Check out the SEWA forums:

http://sewa-darts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=5


Always interesting topics on Cricket strategy.

Thanks Healio - i'll be having a look at that.

This is another good site that I found http://www.torontodarts.com/resources/strategy-pointing-cricket-darts.html

@chrisbonnie

Cricket is played with bull/25 20 19 18 17 16 15.
When you hit 3 of any of these numbers you're scoring on it.
So if you go first and hit 5 20's that's 3 to start scoring and you've scored 40 points. If your opponent wants to stop you scoring on any number he has to hit it 3 times and then it's closed.
You do this until all numbers are closed i.e. each player has hit each number 3 times and whoever has the most points wins.

You don't have to follow any order and the strategy is more or less whether to follow your oppenent and close the numbers they are scoring on or do your own thing and let them worry about closing the numbers you're scoring on. The different approaches are fairly well explained in the link above and there's been books written about which approach to take to the game.

gramar

As mentioned at the top of the thread I have joined a local team here in Spain to play in a cricket league. It hasn't started yet but I've been practising
a bit the last few days. The problem is to practice I need to go to a pub and that means paying to play darts. It's works out at a euro a game
of 501 or cricket so as you can imagine it gets costly. I've found that if on my own that it's best to select a 2-player game for 2 euro because
that gives you 3 credits as opposed to 1 euro for 1 credit. You could easily stick 20euro or more in the machine in an hour if throwing well.
Buying a board for 40 or 50 quid would be a much better option as I'd spend that money in 3 or 4 visits to the bar to practise!

The pub I've been in has a about 7 or 8 boards and they take it fairly seriously. Some are online and last night there was a match between them and another bar. I don't even know if it was in the same city or some other part of the country. They have a little screen where you can see the other team throwing and the scores are in real time. The local time won and threw some decent darts but as the the other team is somewhere else it lacks a bit of atmosphere and is pretty much like playing against the computer so I can't imagine the pressure being the same.

All scoring is done on the bull and 25 (both are worth 50) and they were finishing 501 double out with a 3-dart av. of 90. That's pretty much professional standard in BDO or PDC but on these boards it's much easier to score. Having watched them I had one more game of 501 just out of curiosity going for the bull to score and finished in 17 darts. Only later I realised that that's an almost 90 3-dar average like the boys had been shooting yet I felt that I hadn't even thrown that well! On the bristle board at home I'm averaging 24/25 darts which is about 60 so you can see the difference. It would be interesting to see what these boys would hit
on a bristle board. I get the feeling it would bit a lot harder to switch from electronic to bristle than visa versa. Most people can pot a few Pool balls but Snooker is a whole different kettle of fish. Anyone who plays a bit of Snooker won't find Pool that difficult and that's kind of the difference between electronic and standard darts.

As for cricket I'm averaging about 3 marks per throw and 4+ if I'm going really well. It isn't bad but the question is whether I'll be able to do it when the league starts. I'm meeting up with the lads on Thursday as they have a few 301 league games to go and it'll be interesting to see whether I'll be up to the challenge or
in over my head. In case anyone's interested I'll keep you posted.

gramar

After what I saw last night there's is no fear of me being out of my depth in this team!
The lad's aren't great to put it mildly and watching the match unfold I was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea as they all played like beginners. That they only lost by one game (7-6) was a testament to how equally poor the other team was. In an 8-team league last night's winners came first with the boys coming third. Not a patch on what I saw a few nights previously when some very good darts were being thrown although we're comparing premier league and conference.

The throwing was poor with the overall average of the 8 players who threw coming in at about 15 per dart. Worse though was shot selection. I'll give you an example that demonstrates well the kind of Homer Simpson thinking that was going on. In the format they were playing you can finish on anything except single 1. One guy had 64 left. Asking what he should shoot at one of the team-members said '2 double sixteens' at which point I nearly fell off my stool. When I discreetly mentioned after, that it possibly wasn't the best approach no-one seemed to get my logic. A guy who struggles to hit a single once is three darts hasn't a f*%king hope of hitting 2 double sixteens.
Other examples of guy trying to finish 21 with triple seven when he had 2 darts in hand just had me shaking my head.


As I mentioned they lost 7-6 having been up 6-4 and just a leg away from finishing second and qualifying for some weekend away in Valencia somewhere and they were a bit pissed off at the end. Credit though to their optism though as they immediately began setting their sights on the cricket league.

I've have no doubt that I'll be an addition to the team but I can see myself getting a bit frustrated by some woeful throwing and car crash shot selection. Still it'll do me good to play some 'competitive' darts if you can call it that and maybe I'll be able to inspire them to greater things.

gramar

Last night the cricket league kicked off and we played our first match. It's doubles so both players on each team have to hit
3 of each before scoring. Best of 7 but you play all 7 matches even if it's already decided as legs won count towards the league
placing. There are 4 or 5 players on each team so you rotate and each time you have a different partner and opponents.

We ran out east enough winners 5-2 having been assured of victory at 4-1. I did my bit winning the games I was involved in with a
respectable average that was the highest on our team. The other team seemed content to let us score which we happily did even
though they had loads of chances to close a number with one dart that we were scoring on.
Only one of our lads had a poor game and last night he wouldn't have hit a number had he walked up to the board and pulled a gun on it.

I can't see us having too many problems in league if last night was anything to go by as I think we can improve on how we played.

I do need to throw heavier darts though as I'm used to 28g at home and throwing 16g house darts is not easy to get used to.

Healio

gramar wrote: »

Last night the cricket league kicked off and we played our first match. It's doubles so both players on each team have to hit
3 of each before scoring. Best of 7 but you play all 7 matches even if it's already decided as legs won count towards the league
placing. There are 4 or 5 players on each team so you rotate and each time you have a different partner and opponents.

We ran out east enough winners 5-2 having been assured of victory at 4-1. I did my bit winning the games I was involved in with a
respectable average that was the highest on our team. The other team seemed content to let us score which we happily did even
though they had loads of chances to close a number with one dart that we were scoring on.
Only one of our lads had a poor game and last night he wouldn't have hit a number had he walked up to the board and pulled a gun on it.

I can't see us having too many problems in league if last night was anything to go by as I think we can improve on how we played.

I do need to throw heavier darts though as I'm used to 28g at home and throwing 16g house darts is not easy to get used to.

Nice to hear an update, and that you settled in well (highest hit rate on the team). Are you throwing from 7ft 9 1/4 in or the 8ft? It can have a big affect on the weight you need to throw soft tip.

gramar

The distance (237cm) and height of the bull (173cm) is the same as standard darts so there's no problem adapting to the distance or height.

On Friday I got myself a set of soft tip darts 18g. I got ones with the most similar shape to the metal tip I usually throw and on Saturday played a few practise games and they seemed ok. They're definitely better than the house darts which weigh 12g (I think I said 16g before). Most people throw 16 or 18 and 20 is about as high as they go.

With the nylon shafts and standard flights I usually use it makes the transition that but easier. I've also stuck on my Irish flights to see will that give me a bit of luck.

Talking to the guy on the shop he told me that while you'll never see a standard sisel board in a pub a lot of guys practise on them to improve accuracy because of the smaller double, triple and bull segments. No doubt it works as my average is notably higher on the soft tip boards.

gramar

Friday night was our second league match and it proved an even easier affair than the first. At this rate we shouldn't have too much difficulty being in the shake up near the end. Not that it's a great acheivement as we're in group 17 of about 25 with 1 being very very good and 25 I can only imagine being frankly tear-inducing.

The four of us who threw all did ok without ever really getting out of second gear as we simply didn't have to. Over the two matches I've played 7 or 8 legs - all of which I've won without being put under any pressure. Now while I'm not expecting to feel like I've a dart at a double for the world championship I would like it to be a little more competitive. In most games we're coasting home closing after 9 or 10 rounds with
a handsome lead. My best leg came on Friday when between myself and my partner we were trying to see who could get the highest average. It was the only competition we could get!

Now I know if I moved up 7 or 8 divisions things wouldn't be so easy and if I played against anyone in the top two or three I'd be taught a lesson or two so I'll bide my time and make sure I play as well as I can in our own category.

I've also got a soft-tip board for the garage - fifty quid and comes in a little cabinet and doesn't seem bad for the price. There's a voice that calls out the numbers you hit and things like 'next player' that thankfully can be turned off but the real noise is the 'clack' the darts make when they hit the board which sounds more like someone
hammering nails. You don't notice it in a pub but even the dog wanders off after a few throws. It's a far cry from the soft thud of the bristle board.

The other day in a darts/pool shop looking at soft tip boards the guy had eclipse and blades boards for sale - 80eurs!! Bit steep I said - 'ah well you see I have to import them' he says! He must be bringing them in on horse back at that price.

Jaimee

Which league are you exactly playing?

gramar

It's a pub league - there are a about 25 different divisons with 8 or 9 teams in each.
To be perfectly honest I don't even know what the league is called.

After almost a month without playing due to cancelled matches I have a match tonight and
tomorrow so I'll ask and let you know.

gramar

After nearly a month we finally had a match last night. Unfortunately the month off wasn't kind to us as we were defeated relatively easily as we threw some horrible f**king darts. My average was above average so to speak but the 3 lads were desperate altogether. Being doubles you need two to tango and if your partner isn't hitting 3 of a number so one us can score you can't compete. In the last game I didn't throw in the last 5 rounds as I had hit all of the remaining numbers but my partner wasn't able to do the same leaving me without a shot as the other team mopped up easy points on the numbers he couldn't close.
As they say when you fall off the horse the best thing to do is to get straight back on and we're on again tonight so we'll see if amends can be made.

gramar

Well we got back up on the horse but fell at the last fence of tonights game. We ended up losing 4-3 in a cagey deciding leg in what was an evenly contested match with some decent darts thrown. Again it was some poor throwing that cost us the game rather then outstanding darts from our rivals. If some of us been able to hit a slightly better average we could have won by 2 or 3 sets but if me granny had wheels she'd be a bicylcle - the fact is we didn't and we lost.
After 5 matches and having won the first 3 with ease we've now had two tougher battles but haven't been good enough. Or perhaps we're playing to our ability and our rivals were even worse than us.
On a more positive note I'm topping the individual scoring charts for our division after the five games with a modest 2.45 average per game.
However of the 6 of us on the team only one other is above 2 and he has 2.09. It mightn't sound like much but if the game runs to 15 rounds then that's almost a 6 dart advantage.
I'm bulling to play again soon to right the wrongs of the last two matches so hopefully we'll be back to the oche this week.

Jaimee

I asked you because I'm also playing in Madrid, every Monday, the same game, cricket. Our league is organized by FEDE...

gramar

We're up tonight so I've put a reminder in my phone to make sure I ask.
It totally slipped my mind the last two nights.

How are you getting on in the league there?

gramar

gramar wrote: »

We're up tonight so I've put a reminder in my phone to make sure I ask.
It totally slipped my mind the last two nights.

How are you getting on in the league there?

The local league here is organisied and run by a crowd called Punto8. They are part of the FEDE - Federación Española De Dardos Electrónicos.
That's all I know to be honest.

Last night we had a home league match against the same team that we narrowly lost to the last time out. Again it was a narrow victory and with a slim advantage it went down to whoever could hit the bulls first.
I didn't play that well most of the evening but when I had to hit the bulls I did to close it out. Two weeks earlier I had played well but lost and was well pissed off and last night I played poorly but won so was pleased or at least relieved. It just goes to show that playing well and losing is of little consolation.

gramar

The scorelines does lie sometimes and despite winning 7-0 the match was a lot closer than that. The other team got their wires crossed and turned up at our place when it was a home match for them so while we got to warm up they pretty much rushed in the door and started to throw
which was a disadvantage as we were 3-0 up and one leg away from victory by the time they got going. The last 4 legs pretty much went down to the wire and we came from behind in the last two just about scoring enough to seal the win. The fact that they were slow out of the blocks and as a team we had one of our better games would suggest that on another day the result would have been a lot tighter.
We're now 3rd in the league and could go joint top if we won our two games in hand.

gramar

After a 7-0 win on Thursday we were brought back down to earth last Friday going down 4-3. I got there late as I'd left the mobile at home and only found out we had a match at half eight when it was already a quarter to nine. When I got there we were 2-0 down and things weren't looking promising but I won two legs in a row and we were right back in it. Lost the next and then needed to win to keep in alive but between myself and my partner we contrived to throw the game away with some horrible darts. At least if one is throwing half decently the other can hang on to their shirt-tails but
with both of us seemingly trying to outdo each other in seeing who could throw worse we lost without even putting them under any pressure. It was one of the worst legs I had thrown and I was annoyed that it had come just when we needed to win.
Some of the best darts I've thrown in the league have come when there was a bit of
pressure on but on this occasion nothing was landing.

Amends were made last night though when we received the league leaders who surprisingly lost to the team at the bottom of the table who we had beaten 7-0 the week before. We went into a 3-0 lead with one of their players criticising our tactic of shooting for points in one of the games. 'Each to their own' was our reply and that of his team mates. If they are going to leave numbers open for us to score
on then we'll happily hit it 4 or 5 times.They hit back in the next but I wanted to get the deciding leg as quickly as possible and avoid a potential cliff-hanger. We played a strong leg and I finished with 3 bulls to give us an unassailable lead. Feet were taken off the gas and they won the last 2 to leave it 4-3 overall. There was good banter throughout and apart from a few jibes for scoring and not closing it was a sporting game. We're probably still about 3rd in the table only a few points off lead and if we won the rest of our games we'd be in with a shout.

gramar

After a win last Thursday and with 4 matches left we're in with a real shout of winning the league. We won the game against one of our main rivals on their patch with a leg to spare. After losing the first we took the next three on the trot. They pulled it back to 3-2 with an outstanding leg where both of their players hit a 3.5+ average and although we had a 2.9 and 2.3 which is usually enough to win most legs in our division it wasn't on this occasion. However just like we played a terrible leg in our home match when it was 3-2 to them, it was their turn to fall apart and we took it going through the
motions.

I enjoy the stategy involved, trying to second guess what they might do or deciding between scoring and closing. The main thing of course is to hit the numbers and while everyone likes to check the stats after, while you're playing it's a simple matter of hitting more than them and trying to make every dart count.

gramar

We received a walkover last Thursday and had our other game cancelled against the same team as they have dropped out/been kicked out of the league. That left us with 2 matches which if we won would see us crowned champions.

The first of these was last night at home where we ran out 5-2 winners. We were up against the team we had beaten 7-0 last time out but this time even though we played better as a team, it was a hard fought victory. They had their star player back last night and she (it's an all girl team) is probably the best player in our league and on what was probably an average night for her she still hit a 2.8 average. After a weekend away watching motorbikes I was absolutely knackered and it was a struggle just to stand up to the oche let alone focus on the numbers. I threw 4 solid if not spectacular legs the highlight being the 3 bulls I hit to win the deciding leg and once it was over I was legging it back to the car and me bed.

The final game is tomorrow night at home against a team we beat easily the last time and one who I don't think should pose us too many problems. If we can manage that, the awards night is on Thursday so we'll have something to show for our troubles if we don't get complacent or let nerves get the better of us.

NeoRox

Best of luck in your final game. I've enjoyed the thread so far. Good game cricket. Never played it on a soft tip board though.

gramar

Thanks Neorox. I prefer the sisal boards myself - I have one of each at home but I play 95% on the sisal board.


Last night was our final league match and we knew that a win would make us league winners. Not only that the captain was looking at the league table before and told us that anything better than a 7-0 defeat would be enough.

Knowing that takes the pressure off but it also took a bit of sting out of it for us knowing that winning one leg would be enough. I stepped up in the first pair and made sure that leg didn't take a long time in coming as we took the first with a comfortable win. They equalised in the second and threw very well hitting triples like it was going out of style but it was flash in the pan stuff as they it was one of those legs when everything goes in and normal service was resumed from then on and we took the 3rd and 4th leg to leave us one away from the win and leaving the league in no doubt. I had a good leg and after putting 40 points on the board I went about opening numbers which I did finishing with a double bull. (In doubles if you have a points lead and one player has hit 3 of each number then it's good night irene for your opponents)We took the next two to
make it 6-1 as the fizz went out of the game.

My overall average was 2.5 last night. That basically means that for every 6 darts I throw at a number I hit it 5 times although you could hit a triple and double in the first two shots and not hit anything with the other four. That's been pretty much my average all season and I think my overall
is about 2.4. I have the highest on the team and I think I have had the best average in every game we've played. A few weeks back I was second in the overall league average so I'll be there or there abouts. It's not really anything to shout about as it's a very mediocre level but for my first whack at it I did ok. I just got a new unicorn eclipse to replace my kanckered blade 4 so I'll be putting in plenty of practice over the summer to try and get that average up towards 3 next year.


If you've been following the posts I hope you enjoyed them.

Antoine56

The West Indies are not the team they used to be.......

elevendarter

Hi gramar
it occurs to me that you have knackered the blade4 in just three months. I play it for more than ten months without problems. I use darts from steel pointed 16g soft darts to Phil's 26 g Phase 5. Maybe I don't play the same area around the T20 again and again so I have more time to destroy it:-) How come you knackered it so early?

I've just registered here on boards.ie to write it to you. I came across this thread a few weeks ago and come back from time to time to read what's new in your league in Spain. I wrote quite a long writing here and then I clicked somewhere and all my text disappeared. So I write it again in short way..

BTW, I play soft tip darts league here in Czech republic and we play a bit of cricket too. Just one game out of 18. Probably the same system you play. Well, it would be a bit different I guess, I might describe later.

Game on :-)

gramar

Hello Elevendarter,

I got the Blade 4 at the end of March last year and it lasted just about a year as in March it began to deteriorate a lot. I throw mostly 28g darts that no doubt cause more wear and tear than a lighter dart. I keep the tips slightly rounded and give them a rub fairly often to keep any spurs off them. Most wear is around the t20, t19 and bull beds and it was getting to the point where a lot of darts wouldn't hold even in some of the single beds. I turned it fairly regularly but once it had gone full circle there was nowhere else to go. Very few bounce outs though and 30eur for a year is not bad and I'd have no problem getting another, I just fancied a change to see how the Eclipse Pro would fare. I've had the Eclipse only a week so it's too soon to compare but it seems a quality board. The only defect I can see is a 'crater' around the t19 bed but it doesn't affect the darts sticking.

elevendarter wrote: »

Hi gramar
it occurs to me that you have knackered the blade4 in just three months. I play it for more than ten months without problems. I use darts from steel pointed 16g soft darts to Phil's 26 g Phase 5. Maybe I don't play the same area around the T20 again and again so I have more time to destroy it:-) How come you knackered it so early?

I've just registered here on boards.ie to write it to you. I came across this thread a few weeks ago and come back from time to time to read what's new in your league in Spain. I wrote quite a long writing here and then I clicked somewhere and all my text disappeared. So I write it again in short way..

BTW, I play soft tip darts league here in Czech republic and we play a bit of cricket too. Just one game out of 18. Probably the same system you play. Well, it would be a bit different I guess, I might describe later.

Game on :-)

elevendarter

I can see now, that I misunderstood it. I thought you had bought the one for 80 eurs as you mentioned it on 14-03-2012.
Sorry for my english, I´m czech.

BTW, Blade4 is my third sisal dartboard. The first one was such a no name model with rounded wires, however it lasted for at about 7 years.
Then I had Harrows Apex Wire (Eric Bristow) and that one I used for another 6 years or so and now I have the Winmau Blade4. While I was buying it I could compare it with the Eclipse Pro, but I choose the Blade as it had nicer (minor) wires. What is more, the seller was my friend and he recommended it to me. Price was identical.
I also used to use normal soft tips or japanese carbon "Hard Lips" while playing on the two previous boards, but I use only steel tips on the Blade4 as I just made my mind. And I now even play more steel darts then soft tip darts.

Well, I am a bit off topic, sorry .-)

Looking forward to another cricket story.

gramar

I can't see much of a difference between the wires. To be honest they look very similar and if you swopped the manufacturers logo on them I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I'm thinking of getting some 18g steel tip - that way they're the same weight as the soft tip ones so might help me to improve with those.
Throwing 28g steel tip and 18g soft tip makes me think I might be confusing my arm with the big difference in weight.

As for cricket the season is over and the trophy collected. We also get money towards our expenses to participate in the Spanish Championship during the bank holiday weekend in October.
It's way off in Castellon though which is about 6 hours drive away and
I don't know if it's worth the time and effort.

elevendarter

gramar wrote: »

.

I'm thinking of getting some 18g steel tip - that way they're the same weight as the soft tip ones so might help me to improve with those.

Don't rely on the inscription on the box as the soft tip darts usually don't have the same system in the weighing of darts. It is not rule but it is almost always, that when you buy for example 18g soft tip darts, the weight of a barrel is just about 16g. But when you buy 18g steel tip darts, the weight of a barrel is 18g. It's good to have a digital scale...

There is a limit of 20g in the electronic darts, even though I have read recently an interview with Irina Armstrong in InsideDarts and she had mentioned, that the limit was only 18g. I don't know how she ment it. Definitelly there is a 20g limit in czech rep. She was talking about European Championship in Turkey ...If I am not wrong..

I just wanted to point out, that you may not have 18g softies as you suppose but in fact it might be a bit lighter. So there could be a difference between 18g softs and 18g steels. Simply an opposite to WYSIWYG...

I use Phil Taylor Purist 20g as a soft tip darts (discontinued model) and the weight of a barrel is about 17,6g.
As a steels I use a 26,2g (engraved) Tungsten Phil's Phase 5, which is in fact more than 28g when you put a stem and flight on it. I have also 24g Taylor's Purists and 21gTaylor's Heros. The last one I bought because of a same reason as you want to buy the 18g steels.

BTW, Phase 5s are the best darts I ever had. The only problem I have with them is, I still didn't decided definitelly what flights are best for me. DMX or Slim.

gramar

I was told here that 20g is the heaviest people use but I'm not sure if that's a rule or it's just preference. That's interesting to know about the barrels of the soft tip weighing less but if the truth be told I wouldn't notice the difference between a gram or two.

I decided not to waste any time and yesterday I bought the same darts in steel tip . they're Winmau Firefox nothing special but more than enough for someone of my level.
(I read great things about the Taylor darts but I wouldn't be able to do them justice)
The lowest weight available in that model was 22g so there won't be as much of a difference between 18g and 22g as 18g and 28g and the shape and feel will be the same once I use the same shafts and flights. By the way I bought them from DartsCorner.co.uk yesterday evening and they were posted this morning so
that's fairly good service.

There's so many darts out there that you'd need a lifetime to find out what suits especially combining them with different flights and shafts but hopefully they'll help me to improve on both boards. My intention is to put in a fair bit of practice over the summer and improve my throwing as much as possible - scoring higher and more consistently. I play '28' on the sisal board which is 3 darts at each from B to 15 number with the idea being to get to 28 hits - an average of 4 per number. At the moment I'm hitting between 18 and 22 consistently and my aim is to get that up to 28-30. Although playing so much cricket and throwing for triples has ruined by double shooting which has gone to ****e. I can get down to a double in 15-20 darts but then I'm into triple figures trying to finish.

elevendarter

These 22g Foxfire looks sort of similar to the Phase 5. I think they might be good. Nevertheless they probably would be equivalent to 24g in soft tips terminology.
I used to prefer straight shape, but now with Phase5 I consider this bullet or bomb shape being slightly better. I improved in grouping in smaller areas with them.
DartsCorner is a great shop as well as Double Top Darts Shop is. I have good experiences with both of them.

I dont get what the "28" is. What is B? Bull? Then from bull and 20 to 15 is only 21 darts. And average of 4? To be honest, I didn´t understand much the system of points you mentioned earlier in your posts. Could you explain it to me?