Great Haywood Clubs Raised Oche.

Raised oche’s for dart throws are not very common in pub leagues but are seen more at higher levels of darts. One or two pubs in our league employ them but when the dart board was moved at the end of last season in the Club a raised oche was the outcome. Usually the oche consists of a wooden bar fastened down at the required distance but in the Club it went a lot further. The whole area between the throwers feet and the facing wall with the board on is raised about 6 inches. Actually the board and floor area round it is on a stage whereas the thrower stands with their toes against the edge of the stage where the oche is. With the marker standing high on the stage and towering over the board it creates the optical illusion that the board is low but when you actually come to eye up the board it is spot on and extremely well lit. It is, as has been said, a good home throw.
When the board was first moved to its current position we heard all sorts of jokes such as;-
1) “Let’s see you step over the line now!”
2) “All the short arses will be able to get their darts out of the twenties now!”
3) “You would pay good money at a gym to get exercise like that! (Stepping up to retrieve the darts.)
4) “Who said playing darts did not involve any exercise!”
The step up proved too much for one elderly lady player at a recent match and her darts had to be retrieved for her by a runner!
Having said all these things the throw is in an excellent place to be seen by the whole room whereas the previous position was in the way of people moving about the room. The board is probably the best lit in the league with an uninterrupted throw. Most throws in the league have some problems with them which is why we play home and away, but the only problem with the Club’s is an optical illusion and after all said and done it is only a pub league. What we must also remember is that the club provide the room free of charge to the league and if we went elsewhere we would have to pay. The clubs bar prices are the cheapest in the area, there is ample parking, the room is amply big enough to accommodate all our functions except presentation night and the venue is centrally located to the league. Personally I am very grateful to the Club for the use of their premises and I think that if we are all honest with ourselves there are no alternatives that come anywhere near close to the facilities it offers. Web-site link.