Darts has become a firm favourite over the past couple of years, as the likes of Luke Littler, Stephen Bunting and Newbury’s Luke Humphries capture the nation’s imagination. After all, you can’t beat a bit of Bully. 

The PDC Premier League is about to launch: the first night takes place on Thursday, February 5 in Newcastle. It then continues weekly until May, with venues including Antwerp, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff and Dublin. The final will be in London, with all nights shown live on Sky Sports. 

Among those taking part are Luke Littler - the defending champion, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price.

If watching the darts means you fancy becoming a thrower, first become a knower, thanks to our guide to darts in Reading. 

If You Want To Play At Home

Darts, like any sport, needs practice. After all, you can't just rock up to an oche and expect to throw 180s or that perfect nine-dart finish. To do that, you need some space to play and some kit to play with. 

The easiest way is to pop into the likes of Decathlon and Argos and stock up on some gear… or look out for cheap boards on special offer in Lidl and Aldi. These aren’t always the greatest boards, and may not last repeated attempts at hitting the bullseye: the cheap price doesn’t always mean good value.

There are specialist darts shops and there is one in Wokingham. Double Top Darts can help kit out a beginner and offers a mail order service with click and collect – sadly, it doesn't have a showroom open to the public, but they do offer advice and a friendly service. 

What would you need? A dartboard is the main thing, and it needs to be at the correct height: the bull should be 5ft 8in (1.73m) off the floor, and the thrower should be 7ft 9.25in (2.37m) from the board. 

It can be mounted on a wall or the back of a door, or you can buy specialist stands if you need to pack it away at the end of a session. A surround will help capture those stray darts. If you really want to take it seriously, extras such as lights and camera-based scoring systems are available. 

As for the darts? It will take some trial and error to find the type and weight that works best for you. Be aware that there are two main kinds: soft and steel tips. The ones you need will depend on the board you get… to emulate Luke The Nuke and other darting stars, you’ll need steel tip darts. 

Prices will vary accordingly, and for beginners looking to find their way it may pay dividends to get a selection of cheaper or clearance darts and flights to experiment with. In essence, you can spend a little or spend a lot. 

There are plenty of training videos on the likes of YouTube that can help with stance, throwing, exercises to try and games to play. 

And then, it’s a case of throw, throw, throw and build up your confidence.

Taking Darts Out Of The Home

Many pubs have dartboards, and will let you play on them. Some will be well used and look like they’ve seen better days. Others - well, you can tell they are loved by their landlords. 

Many will let you play with your own arrows, while some will have a set behind the bar. The quality will vary, after all, they are used by any Tom, Dick or Harry. 

Some nights there will be matches on, as many pubs take part in the Reading Darts League. Many will welcome new players, which is why that practice will make perfect. After all, if you need to finish on a double you need to be able to hit them. 

Another place to play will be in sports and social clubs. Burghfield Community Sports Association is one of the best and regularly hosts special evenings where some of the legends of the game will drop in for an exhibition match. Events are posted on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Burghfield-Darts-Events-100070688776558/

Also worth checking out is The Crucible – not in Sheffield, but in Richfield Avenue. It has several rooms with boards in, some of which have augmented reality features to allow for social darts, and help people with their games. The venue is serious about darts: it hosts the World Seniors Darts Tour qualifying events. Those who have the talent can go on to compete with the likes of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor and Martin ‘Woolfie’ Adams. 

Darts With Friends

Social darts is becoming a big thing, and Reading now boasts several places where you can book an oche for a fun night out. 

In addition to the board, a few pints and a fun atmosphere, there will be camera systems and screens above the board to allow people to play a range of fun games. No previous experience is necessary, just the ability to throw the darts in the right direction. 

Spinners in Broad St. Mall has a range of social games to play including virtual clay pigeon shooting, ten pin bowling and Electric Darts. It costs from £25 per oche for 55 minutes and uses an interactive darts system that tracks scores and offers multiple games. They promise it is easy to learn and hard to put down. 

The former music shop on Caversham Bridge Road is now Bowl Central Reading. In addition to its arcade machines, ten pin bowling and a bar, it has its own social darts scene, offering the chance to select games to play and cameras again keep track of scores. It promises ‘real darts, real dartboard, real fun’. 

In addition to throwing axes, you can throw arrows at Boom Battle Bar in Station Road, where the old Revolution bar used to be. Its Augmented Reality Darts aims to take some of the pressure off by offering state-of-the-art technology. Its oches can take up to eight people and there are five available. Each hour-long hire costs between £40 and £45, and the bar welcomes under 11s before 9pm, when it becomes over 18s only. 

Like other social darts venues, it offers different games for people to play. 

And coming soon is Flight Club, as part of the new Station Hill development  between Friar Street and the railway station. The company says its bars fuse a Victorian fairground feel with a local pub, while its menu includes food, cocktails and pints. And then there are the games: Flight Club calls it Social Darts, and promises automatic scoring, instant video replays and highlights sent to your inbox the next day. 

The opening date has yet to be announced, but if you can't wait the company has bars in Oxford, and Victoria and Bloomsbury in London.