Is OT fair?

Having been involved in four OT's this year, I'm wondering if it's a fair set-up. Currently, the way it works is that the VISITING team STARTS the cricket, and the HOME team starts the 501. There is a diddle for game 3 and the winner chooses the game, AND gets to start. I think that's a HUGE advantage for the VISITING team. Going first in cricket is a MAJOR advantage, especially in the highest division. Going first in 501 really has no advantage at all, as what your opponent throws has no effect on your game. On the other hand, starting off with 3 Trip 20's in Cricket gives you a FIVE bull lead before the other team even throws a single dart. It also makes it IMPOSSIBLE for your opponent to go ahead or even TIE you with his/their first turn. A good cricket player/team can control the entire game ESPECIALLY when they get to go first. Because of this, whoever gets to start the cricket starts off with a big advantage. With cricket being the first game of OT, and the visitors getting to start, it gives the visiting team the advantage imo. I've got 2 issues with this. #1 I especially don't think the VISITING team should get the OT advantage automatically, and #2, I don't think that EITHER team should be just handed the advantage. Personally, I have no problem with the overtime ORDER being cricket, 501, choice, but I think the fairer way to do it would be a diddle for middle and the winner of the diddle being allowed to START the Cricket game. Whoever LOSES that game should be allowed to START the 501 game. If tied after that, a second diddle would be held and the winner of that would call and start the third game (just as it is now). If there is going to be NO diddle and one team is going to be allowed to start arbitrarily, then I think the HOME team should be given the advantage and 501 become the first game of OT for the visiting team to start, with the home team getting to start the cricket.

Three things I've eliminated in the league:

• Excessive diddles - unless it's the deciding leg they're just unnecessary given staggered starts
  
• Mugs away - makes no sense, if you had your throw broken then you should have to break back
  
• Coin tosses - crap, plain and simple, in darts

However I've crafted the home disadvantage into the overtime since the home team failed to capitalize on their home team advantage. Yep, I did it on purpose.

Also, my point of view on automatic Cricket starts is that if someone throws you a nine mark in the top division, another nine mark could easily follow and the second team is then only one dart back (or exactly six points). Someone sooner or later will miss, which is exactly the point. Otherwise the team who starts every Cricket leg would win...but they don't.

Nice discussion, regardless. Wish someone should bring these things up during a captains meeting.

I'm sorry but that sounds ridiculous. It should be a diddle every game in O.T. What exactly are excessive diddles?

Excessive diddles are what happens in Jerry Sandusky's shower.

Jakesy wrote:I'm sorry but that sounds ridiculous. It should be a diddle every game in O.T. What exactly are excessive diddles?

No, it shouldn't. It's ridiculous to have to diddle every game...which is excessive, an unnecessary waste of time, and simply a bull shooting contest.

mark wrote:

Jakesy wrote:I'm sorry but that sounds ridiculous. It should be a diddle every game in O.T. What exactly are excessive diddles?

No, it shouldn't. It's ridiculous to have to diddle every game...which is excessive, an unnecessary waste of time, and simply a bull shooting contest.

I completely agree that throwing for cork EVERY game is excessive and ridiculous, however in the case of OVERTIME, I think a diddle for the cricket game in particular is a much fairer way of doing things instead of just automatically giving the advantage to the VISITING team. I think the MMDL system of diddle for every game of the night goes a little overboard. ONE diddle to see who starts OT seems more than reasonable though, when it can have a huge influence who gets the advantage in the cricket game. In going through my stats for this season, we have played 84 total cricket games (that includes team crickets, singles crickets, 3rd legs, and OT's). We are 30-9 (.769 winning %) when we START the cricket match, and 22-23 (.489 winning %) when we go second. That's a pretty big difference. Can't say what the stats are for other teams, but in the case of ours, we get a HUGE advantage by going first. When we START a cricket game we win 80% of the time, but when we go second, we win less than HALF.

EyesOfTheWorld wrote:

mark wrote:

Jakesy wrote:I'm sorry but that sounds ridiculous. It should be a diddle every game in O.T. What exactly are excessive diddles?

No, it shouldn't. It's ridiculous to have to diddle every game...which is excessive, an unnecessary waste of time, and simply a bull shooting contest.

I completely agree that throwing for cork EVERY game is excessive and ridiculous, however in the case of OVERTIME, I think a diddle for the cricket game in particular is a much fairer way of doing things instead of just automatically giving the advantage to the VISITING team. I think the MMDL system of diddle for every game of the night goes a little overboard. ONE diddle to see who starts OT seems more than reasonable though, when it can have a huge influence who gets the advantage in the cricket game. In going through my stats for this season, we have played 84 total cricket games (that includes team crickets, singles crickets, 3rd legs, and OT's). We are 30-9 (.769 winning %) when we START the cricket match, and 22-23 (.489 winning %) when we go second. That's a pretty big difference. Can't say what the stats are for other teams, but in the case of ours, we get a HUGE advantage by going first. When we START a cricket game we win 80% of the time, but when we go second, we win less than HALF.

My mistake. When i typed there should be a diddle for every game I meant in O.T.only.

I don't feel like a diddle is a waste of time. It puts your fate in your own hands which I would rather have than being format dictated. It feels like a huge advantage for who ever starts first in cricket. I think it can put a team on tilt starting deep in the hole before they even throw a dart especially if the starting team drops a couple in the trip 20. Let's be realistic how long does a diddle take??? 2 seconds unless u go back and forth a few times.