Volume  003

 DARTS  THAILAND

April 2007
 

Songkran Tournament

 
(April 13 - 15)  Bamboo Grove in the beautiful seaside town of Hua Hin will once again hosting the tournament. Organized by our friend Osmo ten years ago the annual tournament offers a welcome refuge for those wanting to escape the water dousing mayhem now a popular part of the traditional Thai New Year - Songkran. Hua Hin celibrates the holiday with water throwing but not at the extremes or length of times as other placers throughout the Kingdom.

Tournament schedule - usual Friday Weekly Darts event on the 13th (advert on right).  Singles 501 2/3, semis and final 3/5 on Saturday 14th and pool on Sunday the 15th. Anybody planning to come, get your hotel / guesthouse rooms early as it might be difficult to find one on the day of arrival. Also plan your trip so that you don't have to sit in traffic for hours.

Air-conditioned buses leave the Ekamai Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok every 30 minutes between 0500 and 2200 for Hua Hin. The journey takes about 3 hours. The bus terminal in Hua Hin is at the Siri Petchkasem Hotel on Srasong Rd, near Dechanuchit Rd, and buses leave for Bangkok every 30-40 minutes daily between 0300 and 2100.
 

Darter of the Month

  

                   

The lovely Miss Mam tossing a few darts at Bully's Pub.

Bully's is located on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 4 and the Marriot Hotel.

                   

 

BANGKOK   DART   LEAGUES

  
 

 
   TUESDAY LEAGUE          Flaming Moe's Teams On Top  

Flaming Moe’s & The Moe Slyzak Experience lead their respective divisions in Tuesday’s John Smith’s Dart League. With only three more weeks of play remaining in the season, will FM’s be able to maintain the lead? Team Slyzak with a decisive lead have already won their division. The season finishes on 24 April (no matches on 17 April - Songkran Holiday). Teams interested in joining the league next season are encouraged to observe one of the remaining matches and talk to the team captain. Email inquires can be made from the following link.

Lower Sukhumvit Darts League
               
 THURSDAY LEAGUE          Week 11 - Thailand Darts League
Coyoty 3000 A team leads the Division One pack with eight wins followed by Domino 1982 & Domino Titans with six wins each. The fight for first place in Division Two is now down to three teams with nine wins each. Flaming Moe's leads in points followed by Coyoty 3000 B & Lazy Pelicans.

Thailand Darts Association  -  for Thailand Darts League
               
 MONDAY LEAGUE          New Season Begins 23 April
The “2nd Monday Darts League 2007” will begin 23 April. Match format is Four 501 Singles Games – Two 601 Doubles Games – One 701 Triples Game – One 1001 Team Game, four players per team. (Win – 2 points. Draw – 1 point. Lose – 0 points.)

Trophies will be presented to the team champions –individual player trophies and one team trophy. And one team trophy will go to the runner up team. Trophy Presentation Party & Darts Lucky Draw will be held at one of the home venues yet to be decided. Photos from the last presentation party can be found on the Photo Galleries page.

Registration remains open until 12 April. The entry fee is 1,000 Baht per team. Register at Domino Pub & Restaurant – Sukhumvit Soi 11. Point of Contact - Dew - email - dewdomino@hotmail.com
 

Dart Suppliers in Thailand – Where are they?

  

Been asked why this site does not list places to buy dart supplies. It’s not a point that has been overlooked but a search in progress. Truth is that places to buy dart supplies in Thailand are limited if not nearly nonexistent.
Domino Pub & Restaurant is the only known place in Bangkok. They are located on Sukhumvit Soi 11. There is a map on the dart bars page if you’re not familiar with Bangkok. Domino carries boards, dart sets, shafts and flights. The selection is a bit limited as they run this as a sideline and are not a full time darts wholesale outlet.

Pattaya Sports Supply originally on Soi 1 has moved to Thappaya Road. They had the largest selection of darts supplies I had seen in Thailand at their old location. I haven’t been to their new location. Just found out about it.

Our friend Hans and his wife Ong recently started a darts supply business in Pattaya receiving regular shipments from UK and Europe. Any question about what they have in stock can be made by phoning them. Ong: 089-804-4669 (or) Hans: 086-022-0100

I sincerely hope that there are more dart suppliers in Thailand. If you have one or know of one please email the information and it will be posted.
 

This Month's Darts  Bar

  
 

OFFSHORE  SPORTS  BAR

  
   

Ban Chang - Thailand

    

  Offshore Bar & Restaurant  recently opened a Sports Bar and beer garden. Best described as a complex - exiting the rear of Offshore you enter a plush beer garden enclosed with a privacy wall. Overlooking the garden from the opposite side is Offshore's Sports Bar.  

                   

In addition to darts & and a friendly, attractive staff  is a large bar, pool table, six TVs two of them large screen LCD, comfy sofa & chairs and a conference room.

Both Offshore and The Sports Bar offer clean affordable rooms. A full menu is available Offshore opens early for breakfast and Sports Bar at 2 PM. The pizza menu is a house specialty. Daily lunch buffet.

Ban Chang is about 30 Kilometers southeast of Pattayta.

MOONSHINE   PUB'S   501   DARTS   KNOCKOUT
 

Moonshine Pub - Queen's Park Plaza - Sukhumvit Soi 22 - Bangkok
.

  
23 March 2007 - Eighteen (17 men and 1 beautiful lady, what does that say about gender mix in Bangkok Darts?) of Bangkok’s darting elite gathered at the Moonshine Pub for the Moonshine’s first darts knockout tournament. The hostess Wassana provided plenty of food to keep up the darters strength during the tournament. Since there was no seeding in this tournament all names went into a hat to determine the draw. With the help of the smiling Moonshine staff, the draw was made and the 1st round matches were started.

First Round - Matt and Roger were first off and in a good match Matt had a Ton sixteen and an 84 close, T20 D12. Up next was Johnny and Ray. Ray started off like a house on fire with a Ton twenty-three with his first 3 arrows. However, he got stuck on a D3 and let Johnny steal the match with a D20 close. It was a very good match by both players. In the third match we set the favorite Ben up against a friend of the Moonshine Assassins, Matt. In a close match Ben just nipped it with a D1 close. Surprisingly there were no tons in this match. The fourth match was between Jayke and Roger the Dodger from the Shining. Jayke took control of this match from the beginning and with the help of a useful ton, finished on D2. Next up was David and Pisuth. Pisuth took control of this match from the beginning but ran into trouble closing it out, letting David steal it with a D16 close. In the next match between Tris and Simon both players played some good arrows with both scoring a ton but Tris beat Simon on a D8 close. The next match featured Nop and Bob and it was a close match all the way with Nop finishing on a D20. The next match featured the beauty of the tournament, seeing Saa take on KaptainX. In a match that showed that chivalry is not dead in the Bangkok darting world, Saa advanced with a D3 finish. The last first round match saw Boy take on Harry. In a good match, Boy finished on 72, 12, 20, D20.

That concluded the entire first round matches and the draw for the second round was debated. It was decided that since this was a friendly tournament that the second round would have a full 16 of the darting elite in contention. So the 9 winners were placed in one hat and the 9 that didn’t win were placed in another where 7 lucky losers would be pulled out to make up the round of 16. The staff and the management of the Moonshine would like to send our condolences to the 2 unlucky losers who didn’t make it into the 2nd round. The only rule was that you couldn’t play the same person in the second round. It was also decide to divide the round of 16 between Flaming Moe’s and the Moonshine, 4 matches each.

Second Round - The Moonshine - The first match in the round of 16 was contested between Jayke and Matt of the Moonshine Assassins. Jayke was way ahead in this match but couldn’t hit a D1 and he must have thrown at least a zillion darts at it. Matt finished the match on a D7. The second match was an all Shining match between David and Roger. David threw crap darts and Roger finished the match on 50, 2 16 D16, not the conventional way of closing 50 but that’s Roger for you. The third match was probably the best 2nd round match at the Moonshine. It was between Matt and Harry of Pelican fame. Matt threw 2 tons but couldn’t finished and so let Harry advance with a 30 close, 10, D10. Again not the conventional close but Harry is a Brit like Roger before him. The final match was between Tris and Nop. In a tense match Tris nipped it with a D2 finish.

Flaming Moe’s - Due to your star reporter being busy at the Moonshine a cub reporter was sent to report on the Flaming Moe’s matches and he performed like a cub reporter only bringing back the bare essentials of each match with no color commentary at all. So, sorry to say that we had to fire the reporter so things like this won’t happen in the future. Anyone out there looking for a job?

The first match was between Boy and KaptainX, Boy had a ton Ton and closed on a D20. The beautiful Saa then took on Simon which was truly a beauty verses the beast match. Simon proved too much for the beautiful Saa throwing a ton and finishing with a D10. Saa please play in future events because we need some beauty in this sport. The next match between Johnny and Pisuth finished with Johnny checking out on a D14. In the next match, we saw Ben take on Bob. Ben was in control of this match all the way, throwing a ton and finishing on D10. This concluded the 2nd round matches and all the darting elite converged back on the Moonshine for the quarter final matches.

Quarter Finals - In the first quarter final match Boy took on Tris. In a tightly contested encounter, Boy had the victory with a D1 finish. The second match was between 2 lucky losers, Harry and Simon the beast who defeated Saa. In another good match, Harry nipped it with a D4 check. Harry became the first lucky loser to advance into the Semi Finals. The third match saw Johnny take on lucky loser Roger from the Shining. We don’t know what Roger was drinking but it paid off with a surprising victory. Roger threw a ton and checked out with a D10. Roger became the 2nd lucky loser to advance to the Semi Finals. The last quarter final was between Ben and Matt of the Assassins. Ben was in complete control of this match with a ton and the high finish of the night. A 90 finish that was again a bit unconventional, 7, T17, D16. This finished the Quarter Finals with Boy, Harry, Roger and Ben advancing into the Semi Finals.

Semi Finals - The first semi final saw Boy take on Harry for the 1st final spot. Harry put up a valiant effort but Boy, with the help of a timely ton, finished the match on 40, 20, D10. Boy advanced to the finals to face the winner of the second match. The second semi final saw Ben take on Roger. Still don’t know what Roger was drinking but he put up a valiant fight to the finish. Matching Ben in tons but losing out to a D1 finish in the end. This set up our final two matches of the evening. A third place playoff between Harry and Roger was a single leg of 501. It was decided after some debate the final would be played as a best of 3 legs.

Third Place Playoff - Both lucky losers Roger and Harry squared off to see who would finish in 3rd place. It was a closely contested match that saw Harry win with a D16 check. Guess Roger ran out of juice in the end. They both played good darts and deserved to finish where they did. Congratulations to both of you!

The Final - In an exciting finish to the night, Boy and Ben faced off to see who would lead the Bangkok darting elite for the evening. In the first leg Boy threw a ton but Ben matched him and also put in a Ton Twenty Five and then closed on a D5 for the first leg win. In the second leg, neither player threw a ton but there were some very good arrows in the leg. Boy nipped it in the end on a 57 check, 17 D20. The third and final leg saw the best darts of the night with both players in fine form. Boy threw a Ton and a Ton Thirty Five but Ben matched him with a Ton Thirty Five and a Ton Ten. In the end it was Ben who finished first with a 49 check, 9 D20. It was a great match that everyone enjoyed; congratulations are in order to both players for a wonderful final. This was Ben second win as he had won the initial event last month at Flaming Moe’s.

The Presentation - Before we tell you about the prizes to the top four, the organizers have to give a special thanks to Matt from the D’Pelican for scoring a lot of the matches. It gave our star reporter a welcome break so he could report on all the action on the night. Also special thanks to Johnny for the logistical help that was really needed. Wassana then presented the prizes to the top 4 players of the tournament.

Fourth place finisher Roger received two 6 packs of Sexy Leo Beer which he then passed around to the bar staff. Wonder what he had in mind! Third place prize was a 4 pack of large San Miguel Light and Harry happily accepted his prize but he didn’t spread it around! The second place prize was another 4 pack of San Miguel Light that Boy took home. Boy had a great tournament and was a pleasure to watch. Maybe he should drink more the next tournament and he might finish 1st. The first prize was a case (24 cans) of Tiger Beer that went to Ben in a deserved victory. The only problem was that Ben didn’t pass his beer around either. Oh well what can you say?
 
Overall it was a great night; the Moonshine hopes all the darters had as much fun as we did.

See you next time.

Good Darts! - - David		  

 GROUP  SHOTS

 
 

 EDITORIAL  SECTION

SAVE OUR DARTS

Throughout man's history evidence exists of games played between otherwise warring men to test and separate one from the other. Strict codes of conduct and chivalry were displayed and honoured….and so became the rules of play. What would the sacred game of football (soccer) be if not for rules? Sadly though, the very sensation on topic cannot be produced in friendly play.

This is why we play league darts – to compete under what should be a fair and unbiased set of rules designed to level the playing field. So why don’t we play under these long established “Rules of Play” Why as members of both leagues in Bangkok do we the dart players accept any given conditions around the ‘Oche’- never really experiencing a level playing field. Is it because it’s “Just a game” and no-one really gives a $#!* possibly, but I for one do not subscribe.

During the seasons I’ve played in these leagues I have never met anyone who turned up to get beat. I believe the answer is communication/education. The communication part is the responsibility of all league players who should want to play under the level rules to insist on the governing rules of play be installed in their home venue.

The education part is a little simpler; The “Rules of Play” referred to are:
Board height = 5’8” to the center (Bull)
Throw length = 7’9 1/4”.from Oche to board (front).
Adequate lighting so as not to cast a shadow on the board.

Before we can demand National or International recognition we must as leagues achieve uniformity in our venues. Rally your team members and badger your landlord. Support this and let’s get organized.          - - Ben - -

SMOKING  IN  THAI  BARS
How much longer?
Thailand has some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws. Restrictions included bans on cigarette advertising, displays at points of sale and mandatory images that show the grotesque effects of tobacco on health. Smoking on TV is banned and foreign programs aired - including the Simpson's cartoon series - blur out areas on the screen with a cigarette.  In November 2002, Thailand passed a smoke free law that banned smoking inside all air-conditioned buildings. Offenders to face a 2,000 Baht fine owners who allowed smoking a 20,000 Baht fine. There hasn't been a single report of this law ever being enforced.

Newly passed laws that are never enforced and temporary crack-downs on this or that are regular reading in our newspapers. But it does look like the anti smoking campaign is here to stay. January 7th the Bangkok Post reported that authorities want a smoking ban in bars & pubs. A study is underway and new laws could be implemented as soon as August. More talk or the next step?

Is the writing on the wall? Good idea or a bad one? For players that smoke how much will this affect you? Nonsmokers - how do you feel about it?
 
We would really like to know what you think. Your opinions on the above editorials are most welcome - post them on our Darts Forum. Have darts related editorial you want to post? Email it and it will be in next month's Newsletter.		  
                   
OUR THIRD MONTH

Darts Thailand - now in our third month and growing. A special thanks to those contributing information and photos. Marc from Koh Samui put the resort island on the map with their first darts bar. Bill from Phuket was up to Bangkok for a visit and returned to Phuket with some Darts Thailand flyers and promised to get a substantial list to be added to the dart bars page.

We still need information from Chaing Mai. If you know of a dart bar anywhere in Thailand please email the information and it will be added to the Dart Bars Listing page.   ---  Johnny

 soi22johnny@yahoo.com

 Newsletter Archives

February 2007
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