World Darts Championship stars can be deducted leg if they fall foul of rule
Legendary darts referee Russ Bray has explained why players could be docked a leg at the World Championship
Darts stars at the World Championship could be deducted a leg if they fall foul of a little-known rule. The 2025/26 showpiece at Alexandra Palace is well underway with the best arrowsmiths on the planet chasing the record £1million top prize.
However, the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries must abide by certain rules on stage or face punishment. One revolves around how players collect their darts and leave the oche following a visit.
Players must leave the oche to the right to avoid blocking the view of cameras, which are traditionally stationed on the left. A player wouldn’t be punished after the first transgression but repeated flouting of the rules can lead to a leg being docked.
Legendary darts referee Russ Bray – renowned for his rasping 180 announcements – explained: “Sometimes you’ll have it where a player walks off to the left and then cuts back across the oche to walk off to the right – the correct way – but they’re delaying their opponent by doing that. It very rarely happens, but it does happen.
“If I’m refereeing a game and a player kept walking off to the left, I’d obviously give them a warning at first, but if I warned them enough times, then they’d lose the leg.
“If you wanted to take it to its most extreme level, if you’re not going to listen to me, you’ll lose a leg. And if you do it again, you’ll lose another leg.
“That’s how you penalise someone in that scenario. That’s taking the scenario to its extreme, but it can happen, in theory.”
Explaining why players are expected to adhere to the rule, Bray said: “Every player has to walk off to the right, and every player knows that.
“If you walk off to the left, you’re walking past all of the cameras, so you’ll be blocking the view of the board. That’s why everyone has to walk off to the right, because of the cameras.
“There might not be rules in pub leagues for that kind of thing, but for the professionals, with respect to the broadcasters, players have to walk off to the right.
“There are two cameras to the left of the stage, one camera above the board, and one camera, coming out of the wall, cutting across the stage, so you can see the players from all angles. Everything is on the left-hand side.”
Bray stepped away from frontline refereeing after the 2023/24 World Championship. He now serves as a PDC ambassador while continuing to officiate matches in the World Series and on the Asian Tour.
Watch the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports
The PDC World Darts Championship gets underway on December 11 and fans can watch every match exclusively live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.
