How to play cricket

Cricket is the other half of a league night, and the game with the most tactics in it. In 01 you only look at your own number. In cricket you are watching what the other side has open, what they have closed, and how many points you are ahead or behind, on every turn.

The targets

Only seven parts of the board are in play: the 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull. Everything else is a miss.

You need three marks on a target to close it. A single is one mark, a double is two and a triple is three, so one dart in the triple closes a number on its own. On the bull, the outer ring is one mark and the inner bull is two.

On a chalkboard the marks are drawn as a slash for one, an X for two, and a circle around the X for three.

Scoring points

Once you have closed a number and the other side has not, that number is yours. Every further mark on it scores its value: 20 for a single 20, 40 for the double, 60 for the triple. The bull scores 25 for the outer ring and 50 for the inner.

When both sides have closed a number it is dead. Darts in it do nothing for anyone.

One dart can do both jobs. If you have two marks on the 20 and hit the triple, the first mark closes it and the other two score 40.

How you win

You win when you have closed all seven targets and you have at least as many points as the other side. Both halves matter. If you close everything first and you are behind on points, the game goes on, and you have to score on whatever they have left open until you catch up.

Some games are played with no points at all, as a straight race to close the board. You may see those listed as “No Points” on a score sheet.

Who throws first

As in 01, each side throws one dart at the bull and the closer dart starts. Going first is worth a lot in cricket, because the first player to close the 20 gets to score on it.

The order of play

Most players work down from the top: 20, then 19, 18 and so on, with the bull last. The reason is simple. Higher numbers score more, so the 20 is worth more to own than the 15.

That is a habit, not a rule. You may go at the targets in any order, and good players change the order to suit the game.

Closing or pointing

The decision you make on every turn is whether to close something or score on something.

• Ahead on points: close. Take away the numbers they could use to catch you, and get to the bull.
• Behind on points: score first. If you close out while you are behind you have gained nothing. Pile points on a number you own until you are in front, then go back to closing.
• They own a number you haven’t closed: that number is costing you points each time they hit it. Closing it is usually the most urgent thing on the board.

A useful habit is to count the points lead in darts. A 40-point lead is one triple 20 from being level. A 100-point lead is real breathing room.

The bull

Every game ends at the bull, and it is the smallest target, so close games are decided there. It is the one place a lead can vanish quickly: three marks to close, and the inner bull is worth 50 a dart once it is open. If you are well ahead on numbers and level on points, it is often right to start on the bull a turn early.

Doubles and triples cricket

Teammates share one board and throw in turn. It helps to agree on a plan before you start, at least on who is going where. The simplest way to lose is for both partners to chase points while the other side quietly closes out.

How it’s measured

Your cricket shows up on this site as marks per round: the marks that counted, divided by the darts you threw, times three. For the other game played on league night, see how to play 01.