Section I: Applicability

• These rules and regulations shall apply to all individuals who participate in, or administer to, league play sanctioned by the Ventura County Dart Association.
• The following terms/meanings shall apply when used in the body of these rules and regulations:
  • ADO: American Darts Organization
  • VCDA: Ventura County Dart Association
  • BOARD: Indicates standard 18" English dart board
  • BOD: Board of Directors
  • MATCH: The total number of games for which two teams are competing
  • GAME: The total number of legs for which two players/teams are competing
  • LEG: One contest between two players/teams
  • SCORER: Scorekeeper, marker or chalker
  • CORK: Bullseye or Bull
  • ENTRY REQUEST: Team Roster
  • MASCULINE: Masculine gender nouns or pronouns shall include the feminine
  • SINGULAR: Singular terms shall, where necessary, include the plural
  • SCORE SHEET/MATCH RESULTS SHEET: Both denote the multi-part league score sheet

Section II: League

The VCDA shall conduct league play throughout the year, utilizing 2 seasons (Fall and Winter). Season start and finish dates are subject to the discretion of the BOD.

Structure

• League will consist of one or more divisions of teams. Teams will not exceed the maximum 3 Dart Average (3DA) approved by the BOD.
• A review of team composition by the Board of Directors may result in a team placement at variance with the team's request.

Player 3 Dart Average (3DA)

• New players:
  • New players in the league shall be given a starting 3DA of 35 (men) and 32 (women)
  • 3DAs will be updated at the start of a new season
• Existing players will maintain 3DA from previous season
• Former/Inactive Player:
  • Players who have sat out the entire previous season may return to play, subject to the approval of the BOD, with the same 3DA as when they left within the last 2 years
• Appeal:
  • All appeals of placement or 3DA shall be made to the BOD as soon as possible, but no later than the first match of the season

Substitutes

• A substitute may play any number of matches for any team in one season
• Substitutes cannot exceed the 3DA team max
• Substitutes can only be used to prevent a team from needing to play a blind to bring the number of players up to but not more than four
• Substitutes must provide full name and contact information on the score sheet for the night they play, or all the matches they play that night will be forfeit
• No team may use a substitute during the last three weeks of regular season league play if they have not played two times during the season for that team, including any make-up games played during or after the last three weeks of regular season play
• A substitute may not finish a match for a regular player forced to leave before completion of that match

Roster Changes

Roster Limits

• The total of active players may not exceed 5 without BOD approval
• 1 inactive player may be placed on the roster once approved by the BOD
• All players 3DA will be added up and the combined total will not exceed:
  • 180 for 4 person team
  • 225 for 5 person team
• All teams must have at least one active woman
• In the rare instance where a team is authorized by BOD to carry more than 5 personnel:
  • The team is limited to 5 players per match
  • The allotted team 3DA cannot be exceeded

Starting the Match

• Starting time for all league matches is 7:00 P.M. unless otherwise specified by the Captains
• An additional 15 minutes "grace period" is allotted to preclude postponement/forfeiture of the match
• Start:
  • The match shall be considered started when both Team Captains have completed listing the contestants for the first game of the match
  • The match must be started by the end of the grace period
• A minimum of four (4) players including at least one woman must be present for the match to be played, unless the short team elects to shoot using a "blind" player or players

Blinds

A "Blind" may be played at the election of a Team Captain who has less than four (4) players present in lieu of a postponement or forfeit. "Blind" is entered on the score sheet wherever the missing player's name would have been written and is treated in the following manner:

• Each singles game marked with "Blind" is treated as a forfeit
• For a Doubles game:
  • The game is played with one player against two players
  • The one-player team skips a turn (This represents the team member named "Blind" scoring zero)
• For the team games:
  • The total number of players, including "Blinds", are marked for shooting order to total four players, or to account for missing players
  • Each player named "Blind" scores zero (0) for each turn
  • The number of players on the opposing team is of no consequence

Section VI: Game Rules

Pre-Game Warm-Up

• Once the board has been declared open and the names of the players have been announced, each player of the game shall limit their warm-up no more than 5 minutes
• This does not apply to adjoining boards prior to the start of the match
• After a game is started and score keeping begins, practice darts shall not be thrown on the game board or any other board
• A player throwing practice darts during an active game shall forfeit their next turn
• Darts thrown after a bust would be considered practice darts

Starting the Game

The game shall be considered started commencing with the first throw for Cork. The throw for Cork shall determine which team will throw first in the next leg of a game. The rules for Corking are as follows:

• Each team shall have one player (who is listed in the game) throw one dart for the Cork
• The player to throw first for the Cork shall be determined by Home/Loser/Away, with the home team having the choice of throwing first for the Cork in the first leg
• In the event of a "Team Play" game, coin toss on Dart Connect will be utilized with Away team calling "Heads" or "Tails"
• The dart must remain in the board (except when removed per Section VI. 2. C.)
• Additional throws shall be made when throwing the Cork until the dart remains in the board
• Re-throws shall be called if:
  • The scorer/players cannot decide which dart is closest to the Cork
  • If the darts are both anywhere in the inner bull or both anywhere in the outer bull

Section VII: Team Standings

• For each night's match, the winner of the majority of the sets shall be declared the winner of the match and shall receive one (1) match win, i.e. the score shall be 1-0
• A record of the total match wins/losses shall be maintained
• If at the end of the season two or more teams have equal numbers of match wins:
  • The number of set wins will be the next criteria evaluated
  • If there is still a tie the number of leg wins will determine the winner
  • When looking at leg wins, a sweep will be counted as 3 leg wins
  • If there is still a tie a playoff occurs between or among those teams

Section VIII: Trophy Qualifications

In all cases, team trophies shall be awarded to the first and second place team.

• Depending upon the number of registered teams, every effort shall be made to award third place awards
  • This decision shall be made by the BOD after a review of financial obligations and league solvency
• Individual awards shall be made for the following:
  • Season High Out
  • Men's High Out (if Season High Out is a woman)
  • Women's High Out (if Season High Out is a man)
  • Most 180's
    • All 180s achieved will be addressed through mugs and/or add-ons to mugs
  • Round of Nine (Three triples in one throw CRICKET only)
  • Deadeye (three double bulls)
  • Season Low Dart Game – 501
  • Men's Low Dart Game (if Season Low Dart Game is a woman)
  • Women's Low Dart Game (If Season Low Dart Game is a man)
  • Highest 3DA, top 3 men, top 3 women

Section IX: Gambling

Gambling is neither sanctioned by the VCDA nor authorized at VCDA-sponsored events.

Section X: Team Drinks

• Sponsors or establishments are neither obligated, nor allowed under California law, to buy the visiting team a drink during a match
• No team/player shall solicit a team drink nor make comment on its absence
• Any sponsor or other league member witnessing behavior in violation of this Section should IMMEDIATELY report the occurrence to a member of the BOD

Contact Information

ANY QUESTIONS OR DISPUTES WITH THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS SHOULD BE FORWARDED IN WRITING, TO THE VCDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT:

Board of Directors revision December 2024
Approved and adopted by the Board of Directors