People are only just realising two things referees can tell darts players during a match

A dartboard

Darts referees have been speaking about a particular rule (Image: NICK GAMMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen are preparing to battle for the World Darts Championship crown. The annual event at Alexandra Palace is the highlight of the darting calendar and draws in new fans every year.

Teenage star , 17, cruised to the final on Thursday with his 6-1 rout over fan favourite Stephen Bunting. Earlier that evening had continued his quest for a fourth world title with a win over Chris Dobey.

The pair have spit six wins each in their previous meetings to create a must-watch final. While casual observers may need certain rules explained during the , an exchange between referees on social media has shone a light on a particular quirk that some die-hard fans may not be aware of.

When one fan pondered whether darts referees were allowed to tell a player what score they had remaining, darts official Owen Binks responded on X: “The rule is, and has been for as long as I can remember, we can tell a player what has been scored and what is remaining at any point.”

The question was sparked after a player asked PDC caller Kirk Bevins something on the oche. Expanding on Binks’ original answer, Bevins said: “And I’ll add that sometimes a player will throw two darts and then ask ‘Can I leave a finish?’. This question is not allowed to be answered (as, of course, you know).”

It means that players still have to rely on their own maths skills to navigate the board and find the right targets for a checkout. It also part of the reason and not  more rounded figure, to ensure that players must also use odd numbers to win a match rather than solely relying on even segments.

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Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts

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Luke Littler is heading to the latter stages of the WDC, and you can emulate the 17-year-old with a set of his Target G1 Swiss Point darts for £99.95. You can also upgrade to the gold Prodigy darts for £129.95.

There is also a more affordable Loadout 90% Tungsten darts for £45.90. If you need something to throw them at, Amazon has reduced the Luke Littler Cabinet & Dartboard Set to £59.99.

Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen

Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen will play in the World Darts Championship final (Image: Getty)

With an average of 102 and leading the tournaments in 180s thrown, Littler often leaves himself with simple doubles to end a leg after building up a lead – but he has hit a 170 maximum checkout during this year’s tournament. Van Gerwen’s highest checkout so far is 158 but he shades Littler in checkout success rate, 43.9 to 41 per cent.

Speaking after his semi-final victory, Littler told Sky Sports: “If we [Littler and Van Gerwen] both turn up like we did tonight, it [the final] is going to be really good. As soon as Luke Humphries went out, that’s what everyone was looking at.

“I just had to focus on my quarter-final and semi-final, and now I’ve done that I can focus on Michael tomorrow. We all know he’s hunting for that world title but I’m hunting for my first.”

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