Dodging the slings and arrows at Lakeside

The renaissance of darts continues. No sooner has Phil 'The Power' Taylor packed away his flights and John Part lifted the PDC world title than the British Darts Organisation version is up and running.

Weeks of action with more arrows flying than Sherwood Forest during a tear-up over Maid Marian, and the rest of us confused and wondering why they can't play nicely together.

The battle is raging. Who plays the best darts? Even a look at the statistics may not provide a true answer.

Whispered in the corridors of power here at Frimley Green, it is alleged that the 'other lot' have a deeper treble 20, so making it easier to score the maximum 180.

Can this be so? 'Look, they will probably produce a dartboard that claims to prove otherwise, but the way they measure the distance between the wires is different,' says Bobby George, legend of the oche and maker of dartboards.

The difference, it is claimed, is the width of the point of a dart. 'We play by the strict measurements of the World Darts Federation, they play by their own rules.

'Listen, I am not knocking them. I believe that you shouldn't throw slings and arrows at your opponents.'

There are plenty being thrown nonetheless, and most of them heading at the BDO.

Last week, fuelled by the success of moving to Alexandra Palace, PDC players including 2007 champion Raymond van Barneveld queued up to take aim. And their criticism hasn't gone down too well.

Martin Fitzmaurice has been master of ceremonies at the original world championship for 21 years. He said: 'There is no place in the world like this.

'All sports have their historical home — football has Wembley, cricket has Lord's, darts has the Lakeside. You can't beat this place for tension and atmosphere.

'It is a supreme sporting arena, a venue where you find out who can cope with pressure.

'The tickets are sold out year in, year out, and queues stretch down the road.

'The BDO has put a lot of work into cleaning up the game, with no drinking and smoking. Yes, there is £100,000 for the winner of the PDC event, but there is £85,000 on offer for the winner here.

'Does that sound to you like we are a sham? Take a look at the averages.'

Here goes. When working out the average score per dart, the PDC apparently only count scoring darts. Missed doubles are not included in their maths.

At Lakeside, every dart counts and yet still, after the first round, three players — Mark Webster, Darryl Fitton and Brian Woods — surpassed the best PDC tournament average of 31.49 by Taylor.

When players from both codes went head to head at the recent IDL Trophy in Holland, the BDO's Gary Anderson 'wiped the floor' with Taylor, beating him 7-3 in the final.

Then there are viewing figures. Sky report 'a massive success', but official figures reveal a peak of five million viewers watched the BDO final on the BBC last year.

Even up against Coronation Street on ITV, it still commanded almost 20 per cent of the audience share.

You would think the BBC would realise they are on to a good thing and screen other BDO events.

Martin Adams, the England captain and reigning world champion, has resisted the temptation to jump on the gravy train.

'The guys who have gone to the PDC, that's fine. It's like working for Marks and Spencer and then taking a job at British Home Stores. Me? I am loyal to the people who have helped me to get where I am.'

Adams is focused on following up last year's success, beating Martin Phillips of Wales 4-0 last night to reach the quarter-finals. He said: 'It would be fantastic to win again, this time without losing a set.'

Webster, 24, is the favourite but is also not up for grabs. 'I love playing international darts for Wales, for my country. I wouldn't want to lose that and I would have to give that up. It's not all about money, it's about being happy.'

Clearly, they can stand their corner in a row and one of their strongest defenders is Olly Croft, OBE, the secretary general of the World Darts Federation and recognised as 'Mr Darts'.

'The BDO has around 1,000 officials in Britain. There are 66 counties, and each has a Super League.

'We have 66 countries as members of the World Darts Federation and we have been working with the Government for the last two years to get darts into schools.

'Our sport has many attributes. It requires great skill, dedication, commitment and concentration and we are determined to spread the word.

'Darts is not only for the elite, despite what you might see happening with the PDC.

'Theirs is driven by money and they are about one man — Barry Hearn. They have a polished event, but the standard is higher here. Ours is harder to win.

'Ours is home for the family of darts. Some players leave, some rubbish our organisation when they go, but these championships have been going for 31 years.

'When we stopped the drinking and smoking on stage, the scores went up by 10 per cent.

'We will always be here, so anyone who has gone to the PDC will always be welcome back, but they may have to raise their game.'

Even with a fierce debate raging, not everyone is taking themselves too seriously.

Ray Stubbs and George, his sidekick for the last 10 years, opened their coverage on Monday dressed in Halloween masks and howling into the camera as they introduced Ted 'The Count' Hankey. After all, it is only a game.