Gastro rise threatens darts

In the week that saw the Prince of Wales expressing an interest in darts, a new survey says that the rise of the gastro-

pub is killing the game.

But darts legend Phil "The Power" Taylor is fronting a new campaign to help save the sport.

Just 10% of Britons have played darts in the past year - compared to 41% just five years ago - according to a new survey of 1,000 regular pub-goers. Research showed that four out of 10 men in

their 20s have never thrown a dart. Online bookmaker Blue Square, which commissioned the study, is urging licensees to reintroduce the classic pub sport.

Currently 53% of UK pubs have a dartboard and Blue Square wants another 10,000 dartboards installed in pubs by 2012.

The Blue Square survey asked people to name the

factors that attract customers to use pubs. The most popular answer was adventurous food (33%) followed by extensive beer and wine lists (27%). Just 1% went for darts.

Among younger pub-goers, 34% said that they would prefer an evening at the cinema, while only 18% preferred playing darts in the pub. Among the over-50s, 77% said they play far less darts now than they used to. However, the study shows the potential for darts in pubs: 66% of Britons say they would play if their local had a board.

Taylor said: "Unless we get behind the Save Our Darts campaign and encourage landlords to install dart boards, the game could be consigned to history books just 30 years from now."

For more campaign details, visit www.saveourdarts.com.

l Royal toast to pubs - p5