Aberdeen Darts Association
Encyclopedia
The Aberdeen Darts Association is an amateur darts
league operating in and around Aberdeen
, Scotland
.
. Presently it is thought that only Clackmannanshire exceeds Aberdeen in continuous operation, having formed in 1938.
Associated with the Grampian Darts Association, Aberdeen Darts is the largest of the leagues, fielding three superleague teams: Aberdeen A, B and C. Grampian Superleague itself has 10 teams competing, consisting of players from several local leagues, including Fraserburgh
, Mid-deeside, and Ellon
.
Currently consisting of six leagues (super premier, premier, first division, second division, third division and fourth division), approximately 1000 darts players take to the oche
each Monday night (Thursdays for Cup competitions). Each division consists of 16 teams apart from the super premier (eight teams), playing 8 singles and 4 pairs (best of 3 legs Division 1, Premier and Super Premier) 501, under British Darts Organisation
rules.
Division 5 was contested between 1987 and 2000, but was ended due to restructuring of the leagues and declining numbers of players within Aberdeen. The last winner of Division 5 was the Copper Beech (1999–2000 season), a pub which itself is no longer trading.
The Aberdeen Singles competition was first contested in 1950, and has an almost unique format in that each round is played off over the course of the season and not through playoffs in a venue. Former winners include former Scotland international Captain Bob Taylor
, Current Scottish internationalist John Henderson
.
Various trophies are contested throughout the season:
The Aberdeen Darts Association constitution states that it aims "to foster the game of darts and to raise the standard of play in Aberdeen."
Currently playing in Aberdeen are current international darts players including John Henderson
, Brian Woods
, and Drew Tremain.
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
league operating in and around Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Formed in 1939 as the Aberdeen Darts League, the Aberdeen Darts Association is one of the longest running darts leagues in the world. Many of the established darts leagues running at the time ceased for the duration of the second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Presently it is thought that only Clackmannanshire exceeds Aberdeen in continuous operation, having formed in 1938.
Associated with the Grampian Darts Association, Aberdeen Darts is the largest of the leagues, fielding three superleague teams: Aberdeen A, B and C. Grampian Superleague itself has 10 teams competing, consisting of players from several local leagues, including Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
, Mid-deeside, and Ellon
Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the Eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine...
.
Currently consisting of six leagues (super premier, premier, first division, second division, third division and fourth division), approximately 1000 darts players take to the oche
Oche
The oche , also the throw line or toe line, in the game of darts is the line behind which the throwing player must stand. It is generally from the face of the dartboard, measured horizontally. This is the recognized world standard as set by the World Darts Federation and is used in most areas...
each Monday night (Thursdays for Cup competitions). Each division consists of 16 teams apart from the super premier (eight teams), playing 8 singles and 4 pairs (best of 3 legs Division 1, Premier and Super Premier) 501, under British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
rules.
Division 5 was contested between 1987 and 2000, but was ended due to restructuring of the leagues and declining numbers of players within Aberdeen. The last winner of Division 5 was the Copper Beech (1999–2000 season), a pub which itself is no longer trading.
The Aberdeen Singles competition was first contested in 1950, and has an almost unique format in that each round is played off over the course of the season and not through playoffs in a venue. Former winners include former Scotland international Captain Bob Taylor
Bob Taylor (darts player)
Bob Taylor is a Scottish darts player who played in the British Darts Organisation.Taylor made eleven appearances in the BDO World Darts Championship, losing in the first round in seven of his first eight showings with his one win coming in 1994 against American Tony Payne before losing in the...
, Current Scottish internationalist John Henderson
John Henderson (darts player)
John Henderson is a Scottish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Henderson briefly played in the Professional Darts Corporation, playing one tournament in Scotland and then the 2003 UK Open where he lost in the first round having won his Preliminary match...
.
Various trophies are contested throughout the season:
| Competition | Match format |
|---|---|
| ADA Singles | Best of 5 legs 501, semi finals best of 7 501, finals best of 9 501 |
| ADA Pairs | Best of 5 legs 501, semi finals best of 7 501, final best of 9 501 |
| Royals Shield | Shall be competed for by the champion of each club. Best of 5 legs 501 |
| Leonard Pairs | Shall be competed for by the champions of each club. Best of 5 legs 501 |
| Bill Masson | Will be competed for by the secretaries of clubs in the Superpremier, Premier & Division one. Best of 5 legs 501 |
| Joe Horne | Will be contested for by the secretaries of clubs in divisions 2,3 and 4. Best of 5 legs 501 |
| Donald Taylor | Teams consist of 3 players per side and played on a round robin basis as follows: 1v1 2v2 3v3, 1v2 2v3 3v1, 1v3 2v1 3v2. one leg 501 |
| Belmont | Teams to consist of 5 players, One leg 501. first to 3 |
| East Neuk | Teams consist five players, 6 games to be played as follows: 4 singles, 2 pairs of 501. In the event of a draw a foursome will play a deciding leg of 1001 |
| George Baxter | 7 singles 4 pairs will contest games of 501 |
| Evening Express | Teams of 7 a side will play singles of 501 |
| Embassy | Teams in the Super premier and Premier will compete for the Embassy trophy |
| Fountain | Teams in Division 1 & 2 will compete for the Fountain trophy |
| Ambassador | Teams in Divisions 3 & 4 will compete for the Ambassador trophy |
The Aberdeen Darts Association constitution states that it aims "to foster the game of darts and to raise the standard of play in Aberdeen."
Currently playing in Aberdeen are current international darts players including John Henderson
John Henderson (darts player)
John Henderson is a Scottish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Henderson briefly played in the Professional Darts Corporation, playing one tournament in Scotland and then the 2003 UK Open where he lost in the first round having won his Preliminary match...
, Brian Woods
Brian Woods
Brian Woods is a BAFTA award-winning British documentary film-maker, who founded and currently runs True Vision, an independent production company, which concentrates mainly on human rights-related subjects...
, and Drew Tremain.