Western Connecticut Dart League

By Laws

And

Rules of Play

Est 1998

Revised 11/2013

Preface

Welcome to “League Darts”. To those who have just entered the sport and to those who have been actively playing “League Darts”, it is with some importance that we review the reasons why we chose to play darts. For each of us there is an element that attracts our interest.

To some, just getting out with good friends, enjoying the comradery of sport is enough, while others are seeking to sharpen their shooting skills; honing strategies with games played in “league competition” in order to better prepare themselves for whatever level of darts they want to pursue.

Regardless of any particular reason, it should always be remembered that darts, league or otherwise, is a gentleman’s/lady’s sport that is intended to promote good competition, goodwill, and hopefully lasting friendships among all who chose to chose to compete.

By remembering to respect each other as people first, unique for what each one of us brings to the game and sport, we can begin to know what it takes to become winners.

Begin each game with a handshake or word of encouragement for your opponent, play fair and follow the unwritten rules of good sportsmanship.

In doing this we are all “winners” regardless of the score.

Article 1: Objectives

  1. To promote competitive darts and good sportsmanship for social and recreational purposes.
  2. To help coordinate and support activities, tournaments and functions of affiliated Associations, Leagues, Dart Clubs and other similar groups.
  3. To Sanction League play according to the rules of play in effect.
  4. To improve and establish conditions of play in local establishments and throughout the Western CT Area.

Article 2: Board of Officers

The WCDL Board of officers shall consist of:

  1. President
  2. Vice President
  3. Secretaries/Stat keepers
  4. Treasurer

The Board shall be elected for a period of two years and shall take office no later than thirty days following elections.

All Board Members must be League members in good standing

The President may fill board vacancies provided the Board approves the appointment. Such additions must be made no later than thirty days following the creation of the vacancy.

In the event a Board Member is absent from three consecutive Board Meetings, without “Good Reasons” accepted by the majority of the board, he/she shall be disqualified as a Board Member and shall be replaced immediately per these Articles, and shall not be eligible to run for office at the next election.

Article 3: duties of the Board of Officers

  1. President: The president shall preside over all the meetings of the league. The president decides all questions on order, appointments, committees, and breaks any ties in the board votes.
  2. Vice President: The vice president is responsible for all duties that the president assigns and in the event the president is unable to fulfill his duties, the vice president must be able to address all functions for the president.
  3. Secretaries/Stat Keepers: The secretaries are responsible for maintaining and keeping a current list of all members. They shall record and compile all weekly stats and provide league captains with up to date stats and information via the league website, westconndarts.leaguerepublic.com
  4. Treasurer: The treasurer shall receive all money paid to the league andshall promptly deposit said money into the league account. He or she shall keep complete and accurate records of money received and expenditures made by the league.

Article 4: Meetings

  1. Board Meetings: Board meetings will be held on an as needed basis, scheduled by the president.
  2. Captains’ meetings: Captains’ meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of the month at the Golden Leaf restaurant in Brookfield at 8pm.
  3. Not all captains’ meetings are mandatory.
  4. For mandatory captains’ meetings, each team must be represented. Any team not represented at a mandatory meeting will incur a 4 point penalty against their team, unless a notice of absence has been given to the board.

Article 5: Elections

  1. Elections shall be held every two years at the banquet following the winter season.
  2. Only league members in good standing are eligible to run.
  3. Term of office will be two years.
  4. President and vice president elections are on odd numbered years.
  5. Secretaries and treasurer elections are on even numbered years.

Article 6: General

  1. These bylaws may be amended by the majority of the board at a meeting called especially for that purpose. A 2/3 vote is required.
  2. Rules and regulations to supplement these bylaws shall be devised for the purpose of clarity and uniformity. Any additions, deletions or changes may be made with a vote at a mandatory captains’ meeting with a majority vote.
  3. Gambling is neither sanctioned nor authorized at any league sponsored event..
  4. The order of business and or procedures for any meeting not covered by the bylaws shall be subject of Hocking rules of meetings.

Article 7: Policy

  1. Any policy change must be made by 2/3 majority of the board.
  2. It is the responsibility of all captains to read any announcement from the board and to relay the information to the team they represent.

Rules and Regulations

The Dart Board:

  1. The dartboard shall be mounted on the wall with the center of the bull’s eye 5’8” from the floor.
  2. The Hockey (toe) line shall be 7’9 and ¼” from the face of the board and should be 36” ion length and centered on the dartboard.
  3. The dartboard shall be a standard bristle type dartboard.
  4. the dartboard shall be properly lit to minimize shadows on the playing surface. Track or spot lighting is recommended.
  5. The sponsor will provide 2 dartboards for the first team playing out of the establishment. If the establishment plans to host more than 2 teams, they must provide 2 additional boards for each odd numbered team added (i.e. 4 boards for 3 teams, 6 boards, for 5 teams, etc)
  6. It will be the responsibility of the home team captain to make sure the boards meet these requirements.
  7. It will be the responsibility of the board to inspect initial setups.
  8. In the event that a team is unhappy with the conditions and cannot work it out with the other captain, it must be called into a board member that there is a discrepancy with the conditions of the playing area. This is to be followed with a letter of protest in place of a score sheet.

Roster Guidelines:

  1. A roster for each team will be maintained by the captain of each team and filed with the secretary of that division.
  2. A roster shall consist of at least 4 players and no more than 8 players.
  3. A player may be added or deleted until a deadline set at each season.
  4. The secretary must be notified of roster changes.
  5. Any team found using an illegal player will result in that team losing any points earned by said illegal player.

Team Fees:

  1. Team fees are $200 and are due at a date specified at the startup captains’ meeting.
  2. Fees are to be paid by check, cash or money order to Western Connecticut Dart League.

Forfeits:

  1. Teams that forfeit a match will receive 0 points for the match
  2. Teams receiving the forfeit will receive the greater of an average of their previous points earned or:
  3. 20 points for A division (32 point match)
  4. 15 points for B division (24 point match)
  5. 10 points for C division (16 point match)
  6. Any team that forfeits 3 matches during a single season will not be allowed to play the remainder of the season and will be removed from the league until a league board review is held.

The Score Sheet:

The score sheet is to have the following information filled out completely. Failure to do so will result in delay of standing updates and point deductions.

  1. Team Name, Date of scheduled play and captains’ signatures are to be completed on all score sheets.
  2. A last name for each player is REQUIRED ONCE. If there is no last name for a player, all points and all stars will be deducted for that player for that night.
  3. PRINT legibly in either black or blue ink only.
  4. Home team captain is to mail in the white copy, postmarked no later than Wednesday of that week.
  5. Deductions will be given for late score-sheets as follows:
  1. 6 points for A division
  2. 4 points for B division
  3. 2 points for C division
  1. Points will be deducted weekly until score-sheet is received.

Cancellations/Reschedules

  1. To reschedule a match, the captains must contact each other and the league secretary 24 hours in advance.
  2. Make-up matches are to be played as soon as possible and before the season end.
  3. When filling out a score sheet for a make-up match, the original match date should be on the score sheet, not the date the match was played.
  4. Game cancellations due to adverse weather conditions will be decided by the board and be announced on Face Book-WCDL group and placed on the website. An attempt will be made to call and/or e-mail the Captains.

The Match

Each match will be scheduled for 8pm Monday night. There is a 15 minute grace period for teams to arrive. If there are not enough players (see roster guidelines) from a team by 8:15 then that team will forfeit the match.

The match will consist of the following four sections:

  • 4 individual 301 double in/double out legs
  • In A and B divisions, each leg will consist of 2 games each worth 1 point. If a person wins both games, that person will also earn an all-star point
  • In C division, each leg will consist of a single game worth one point. The winner of the game will also be awarded an all-star point
  • 4 individual cricket legs
  • In A and B divisions, each leg will consist of 2 games each worth 1 point. If a person wins both games, that person will also earn an all-star point
  • In C division, each leg will consist of a single game worth one point. The winner of the game will also be awarded an all-star point
  • 2 doubles cricket legs
  • In A division, each leg will consist of 2 games each worth 2 points
  • In B and C division each leg will consist of 1 game worth 2 points
  • 2 doubles 501 legs
  • In A division each leg will consist of 2 double in/double out games each worth 2 points
  • In B division each leg will consist of 1 double in/double out game worth 2 points
  • In C division each leg will consist of 1 straight in/double out game worth 2 points

The singles games should be played using both dartboards. The doubles games should be played one at a time. If both captains agree, the doubles can be played two at a time using both boards.

The Captain of the home team will fill out the score sheet first, and then cover the lineup and give it to the captain of the visiting team to be filled out. Fill out each section (301, Cricket, Doubles Cricket, doubles 501 each being a section), just prior to starting play for each section. Once the score sheet is filled out with the player’s full names, it may not be changed without the consent of both captains.

While playing a game, no person is allowed in front of the toe line except the scorekeeper. All players, team members, coaches, and spectators will remain at least 2 feet behind the shooter and at least 6 feet from the centerline of the board. If a spot is left blank on the score sheet because a team does not have 4 players present, the team must forfeit that game or shoot shorthanded games (doubles) even if another team member arrives, unless the opposing captain aggress to allow that player’s name to be filled in. A team member does not need to be present to fill in his/her name on the score sheet. For singles, if the player does not arrive prior to the start of the next section (cricket for 301, doubles cricket for singles cricket) then the game will be forfeit. For doubles, the game will be played shorthanded if the player does not arrive prior to the start of that game. All games will be played in order that they appear on the score sheet, unless agreed upon by both captains.

No player my play more than once in each section. If a team is short players, they MUST forfeit a singles game and either play short (1 player in doubles) of forfeit those games. If a team plays short (1 against 2) in one of the doubles games then the team with 2 players will be shooting 6 darts for every 3 of the one man team.

At the beginning of each leg, the home team will select a dartboard on which to play the game(s). Each player is entitled to a 15-dart warm-up prior to the game on the board on which the game will be played. A throw for cork will determine which team goes first. The visiting team has choice of which team will shoot for cork first. In the doubles games, either player may throw for cork.

In the doubles games, the players must throw in the order that their names appear on the score sheet. If a player throws out of turn, the correct player will re-throw the round, the team throwing out of turn will not be penalized. While playing a league game, a player may not throw any practice darts at another board. No team members are to be practicing while a game is in progress, unless the players currently playing give permission.

A player’s foot should not go past the hockey (toe) line. If a player’s foot is observed over the toe line, it should be brought to the attention of the player’s captain. A warning will be given for the first offense, but if it occurs on the next succeeding turn, all throws with the foot over the toe line will not count for score.

Scoring the Games

Each game requires a chalkier (scorekeeper). The chalkier may be anyone that is aware of the rules of the game, not necessarily having to be a member of either team. It is the responsibility, however, of each team to provide a chalkier for half of the legs of the match.

When scoring, the chalkier should stand next to the scoreboard. This may or may not be next to the dartboard. If it is next to the dartboard, the chalkier should remain still while a player is throwing. If it is not next to the dartboard, the chalkier should not walk past the hockey line until the throw is complete, unlessthe person throwing at the time requests it. It is also recommended that while scoring, the scorekeeper should refrain from smoking or drinking.

The chalkier will determine who is closer to the cork. The throw for cork must be sticking in the scoring portion of the dartboard. If both darts are in the cork or both darts are in the double cork, the chalkier determines that neither dart is closer and the players will reshoot for cork in the opposite order. This is repeated until the chalkier determines that one player is closer to the cork.

A player may not touch his/her darts in the board until the chalkier has tallied them. The chalkier should never touch a player’s darts in the board. When the chalkier has determined the score, he/she should announce the score to the player. If the player disagrees with the chalkier on the score the darts should remain untouched in the board until they both agree. If the player removes a dart, the score will stand at the chalkier tally. A darts score is determined by where the point enters the board.

If a mistake is made in the addition or subtraction of a score, players on each team have until the beginning of the next turn of the team with the score mistake in question. In other words, if a team has a score of 85 remaining but is scored 83 on the board, you have until the team with the score of 83 gets up to shoot again to bring it to the chalkier’s attention. If the player throws his first dart before something is said, the score stands as written.

A chalkier should indicate to a player when he/she is in (on the 01 game) or when the player has thrown the game-winning dart. The chalkier should face the dartboard, not the players. The chalkier must remain neutral during the game and is not to suggest finishes in any game in play. The chalkier may tell the player what he/she has remaining or what the player has scored ONLY if the player throwing requests it.

All-Star Points

All-star points are to be marked on the score sheet by the team captains only. The secretary of the league will track them for the season. The following will be counted as an all-star point:

  • A win in a singles leg (Winning the game in C division, wining both games in A and B division)
  • A throw of 100 points or more in any 01 game
  • A throw of 100 points of more on the double in or double out of any 01 game should be marked as such (in or out)
  • Six or more hits in a cricket game
  • Three or more corks in a cricket game
  • 90 points or more for C division 01 in/out

The throw must count (if a player busts in an 01 game with more than 100 points, it is not an all-star). If a player throws 3 corks in a cricket game, but only needs two to win the game, then it is not an all-star point.