The Indoor League

The first series of The Indoor League began transmission, by ITV, on 5 April 1973 at 1 pm and ran for the following six weeks. The TV Times magazine dated 31 March 1973 contains a one-and-a-half-page editorial on it, featuring noted darts player Tom Barrett. Most of the competitions were filmed the year before transmission. From series 2 onwards, The Indoor League made its various competitions open to international competitors, and they played for the Indoor League World Championships.

Presenter Fred Trueman often wore a cardigan and smoked a pipe throughout his links. He always ended the show with the Yorkshire dialect phrase, "ah'll see thee". The programme's theme tune was Waiting For You by André Brasseur.[1]

The show featured many indoor games, the majority of which were pub games, each of which had a prize of £100 for the competition winners. The sports included darts, pool, bar billiards, bar skittles, table football (a.k.a. foosball), arm wrestling and shove ha'penny amongst others. Among the commentators were Dave Lanning and Keith Macklin. The programme was broadcast from The Leeds Irish Centre, which was later recognised as the 'birthplace of television darts'[2]

The Indoor League was created by Sid Waddell,[3] who also produced the series from 1972 to 1976. Darts coverage on television was in its infancy, with the News of the World Darts Championship having just begun to be broadcast on ITV in 1972. Waddell would later go on to become one of the voices of darts on television when the World Championship was created in 1978.

In the first series, all darts matches were played on a Northern England "doubles dartboard" that does not have any treble scoring segments. The competition was restricted to players from within the Yorkshire Television region but, due to the programme's success, from the second series onwards the men's and women's darts competitions were open to all players from around the globe, and they played for the Indoor League World Darts Championships. In the final series there was also an international mixed darts tournament. The winner of the first competition received £100, with the runner-up getting £50. From the 1974 Season onwards, the winner of the men's darts tournament qualified for the BDO World Masters the following year.

The first two series were released on DVD by Network Publishing but are now out of print. All available episodes were repeated by now defunct UK digital channel FrontRunner TV.

According to the ITV listing magazine TV Times, programmes were shown by the different ITV regions on different days of the week and at different times across their schedules. Some ITV regions showed an episode of the programme one or more weeks later than other ITV regions. The details above are taken from TV Times.

1st round Best of 3 legs

Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs

Semi-finals Best of 3 legs

Final Best of 3 legs

Ballam Bolton on Dearne

2

Sykes Huddersfield

Ballam Bolton on Dearne

Colin Minton Easingwold

2

England Barnsley

Colin Minton Easingwold

2

Colin Minton Easingwold

2

Gerry Haywood Dewsbury

1

Twigg Sheffield

Gerry Haywood Dewsbury

2

Gerry Haywood Dewsbury

2

Graham Elvidge Scarborough

Dodds Conisbrough

Graham Elvidge Scarborough

2

Colin Minton Easingwold

2

Charles Ellis Bradford

0

John Walker Hull

2

Hornby Upton, Lincs

John Walker Hull

2

Keith Naylor Scunthorpe

1

Bob Crosland Knottingley

1

Keith Naylor Scunthorpe

2

John Walker Hull

0

Charles Ellis Bradford

2

McDonald Wombwell

Les Mills Hull

2

Les Mills Hull

1

Charles Ellis Bradford

2

Reid Hull

Charles Ellis Bradford

2

All matches were played on a Northern England dartboard that does not have any treble scoring segments. The 1972 darts tournament was limited to players within the Yorkshire TV region. The winner received £100 and the runner up £50. There was no women's darts tournament in 1972. Only the final, two semi-finals and two of the quarter-finals were transmitted during the 1972 series of six episodes.

	1st round Best of 3 legs					Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs					Semi-finals Best of 3 legs					Final Best of 3 legs
	1	Tommy O'Regan	2
		Cliff Inglis
						Tommy O'Regan		2
						Frank Crolla		0
	Frank Crolla		2
	Ivor Hodgkinson		1
											Tommy O'Regan (76.85)		2
											Des Stabb (56.00)		0
	Des Stabb		2
	Willie Etherington		1
						Des Stabb		2
						Ron Church		1
	Ron Church		2
	Charlie Ellis		1
																Tommy O'Regan (79.11) [6]		2
																Alan Evans (69.15)		0
	Tony Ridler		2
	Harry Heenan
						Tony Ridler		2
						Colin Minton		1
	Colin Minton		2
	George Foster		0
											Tony Ridler (86.49)		1
											Alan Evans (91.88) [7]		2
	Bob Whyte		2
	Al Lippman		1
						Bob Whyte		0
						Alan Evans		2
	Gerry Haywood
	Alan Evans		2

Alan Evans, in his semi-final match against Tony Ridler became the first ever male player to score a 180 on Television. In the same game, Ridler also scored a 180 in the second leg.

The current News of the World Darts Championship winner Ivor Hodgkinson entered the tournament but was beaten in the first round by Frank Crolla.

The tournament featured several internationally capped darts players. Winner O'Regan played for both England and Ireland before becoming captain of Ireland. Willie Etherington, Ron Church and Des Stabb represented England, Bob Whyte represented Scotland,Alan Evans and Tony Ridler played for Wales, George Foster represented Australia and Al Lippman represented United States of America.

	1st round Best of 3 legs					Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs					Semi-finals Best of 3 legs					Final Best of 3 legs
	Des Stabb		0
	Leighton Rees		2
						Leighton Rees		2
						Tom Brown		0
	Tom Brown		2
	Alan Glazier		1
											Leighton Rees		2
											Ivor Hodgkinson		0
	Stefan Lord		2
	Pat Mullings		0
						Stefan Lord		0
						Ivor Hodgkinson		2
	John Craine		1
	Ivor Hodgkinson		2
																Leighton Rees		2
																Alan Evans		1
	Joe Matthews		0
	Willie Etherington		2
						Willie Etherington		1
						Alan Evans		2
	Frank Brown		1
	Alan Evans		2
											Alan Evans		2
											Tommy O'Regan		1
	Peter Chapman		2
	Steve Rollings		0
						Peter Chapman		0
						Tommy O'Regan		2
	Tommy O'Regan		2
	Doug Priestner		1

Doug Priestner, hit a 180 with his first three darts in the competition.

1st round Best of 3 legs

Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs

Semi-finals Best of 5 legs

Final Best of 5 legs

Conrad Daniels

2

Tony Ridler

Conrad Daniels

2

Peter Hobson

Peter Hobson

2

Doug Priestner

Conrad Daniels

3

Phil Obbard

Leighton Rees

2

Dave 'Charlie' White

Leighton Rees

Phil Obbard

2

Phil Obbard

2

George Foster

Conrad Daniels

3

Cliff Inglis

Cliff Inglis

2

Willie Etherington

Cliff Inglis

2

Harry Heenan

Harry Heenan

2

Andre DeClerqe

Cliff Inglis

3

Alan Glazier

Alan Evans

Alan Glazier

2

Alan Glazier

2

Peter Chapman

Tommy O'Regan

Peter Chapman

2

For the second year running Doug Priestner, hit a 180 with his first three darts in the competition. Cliff Inglis, hit back-to-back 180s in one of his matches.

	1st round Best of 3 legs					Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs					Semi-finals Best of 5 legs					Final Best of 5 legs
	Charlie Ellix		2
	Willie Scott		0
						Charlie Ellix		2
						John Lowe		1
	John Lowe		2
	Peter Chapman		1
											Charlie Ellix		3
											Eric Bristow		2
	Stefan Lord		2
	Ken Brown		1
						Stefan Lord		1
						Eric Bristow		2
	Eric Bristow		2
	Alan Glazier		1
																Charlie Ellix		0
																Leighton Rees		3
	Leighton Rees		2
	Phil Obbard		0
						Leighton Rees		2
						Cliff Lazarenko		0
	Cliff Lazarenko		2
	Brian Vaux		0
											Leighton Rees		3
											Conrad Daniels		2
	Conrad Daniels		2
	John Stanton		0
						Conrad Daniels		2
						Cyril Hayes
	Bill Lennard		1
	Cyril Hayes		2

In the 1976 Indoor League men's darts World Championship players were redrawn after each round. And the draw above reflects this.

	1st round Best of 3 legs					Quarter-finals Best of 3 legs					Semi-finals Best of 5 legs					Final Best of 5 legs
	Alan Glazier		2
	Eric Bristow		0
						Alan Glazier		1
						David "Rocky" Jones		2
	Alan Evans		1
	David "Rocky" Jones		2
											David "Rocky" Jones		3
											John Lowe		2
	Cliff Lazarenko		2
	Rab Smith		0
						Cliff Lazarenko		1
						John Lowe		2
	John Lowe		2
	Doug McCarthy		0
																David "Rocky" Jones		2
																Tony Brown		3
	Charlie Ellix		0
	Bill Lennard		2
						Bill Lennard		1
						Cyril Hayes		2
	Cyril Hayes		2
	Stefan Lord		0
											Cyril Hayes		2
											Tony Brown		3
	Phil Obbard		0
	Kevin White		2
						Kevin White		1
						Tony Brown		2
	Mick Norris		1
	Tony Brown		2

Reigning champion Leighton Rees was unavailable at the time of filming the competition due to him touring Australasia doing dart exhibitions. In the 1977 Indoor League men's darts World Championship players were redrawn after each round. And the draw above reflects this.

	Semi-finals Best of 5 legs					Final Best of 5 legs
	1	Kevin White & Lynn Stewart	3
	4	Bob Crosland & Margaret Lally	2
						Kevin White & Lynn Stewart
						Ken Brown & Sandra Gibb		3
	3	Ken Brown & Sandra Gibb	3
	2	Peter Chapman & Brenda Simpson	2

During the second semi-final, Peter Chapman become the first player to a televised 180 in a mixed pairs game, and Sandra Gibb scored the first ever televised 180 scored by a female player.

The semi-finals and final in this mixed pairs competition were the best of five legs of 701.

• The Indoor League at IMDb
• Indoor League at UK Gameshows web site
• Major Darts tournament winners