How electronic darts helped me become a French champion
Former sales manager Lian Blackshaw, 43, moved from Derby, UK, to a village near Cherbourg in 2005
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It all started when I was in a bar with my dad and we started playing electronic darts.
I really got into it, so we began playing there regularly.
Later, we were invited to form a team with a French couple called Florian and Noémie. We played in the local league, which serves as a qualifier. If you finish in the top three, you qualify for the championships in La Rochelle, organised by France Darts.
I never thought I would become an electronic darts player, but I could not speak French when I arrived and really wanted to integrate.
A bar is the obvious place to learn because, after a few drinks, everyone is multilingual!
By playing darts twice a week, we improved our game and our French. I made a lot of really great friends. I love France’s small rural bars.
Darts players come from all over the country for a week in La Rochelle every year. It is a fabulous atmosphere. You make so many friends. There are leagues for men’s, women’s and mixed teams, plus singles, doubles and team games. There is also a junior league that my son plays in. It was great to find an activity that brought different generations together.
Finally, in 2017, our team, Franglais, won the masters mixed championship, and I also reached the semi-finals of the pro féminine. It was a great thrill.
At the championships, you play on a stage so everyone can watch. It is a lot of pressure.
After that, we were sent to the European championships in Benidorm, Spain. It was a whole week and a completely different level of competition. We were pretty much out straight away. We just were not good enough.
The Spanish players were really great, and there was another French darts team that was very good too. I do not remember any British teams, but Britons tend to use steel-tipped darts.
The great thing about electronic darts is that you can play with people from all over the world.
Playing darts also means I now speak fluent French. It was the best way to learn. People never judged me – they just laughed when I made a mistake. People really help when they see you are doing your best to learn.
After Spain, I felt I had achieved my ambitions and did not need to play any more, so the team found a new member. However, I still play at home.
Lian’s tips for getting started
Visit local bars with electronic dartboards. They will probably have a team. If you keep playing, people will talk to you and play darts with you. My dad does not speak much French, but he still plays with all his friends at the bar. He knows numbers in French and how to order beer, and his French friends love him.
It is an affordable hobby. A couple of games generally costs around €2.
Consider buying your own darts. For electronic boards, they have plastic rather than steel tips. You can buy connected electronic dartboards for home use from about €300. Unconnected electronic practice boards are much cheaper.
Budget for competitions. Entry costs around €30 for the league and about €70 for the championships. You have to get matching team T-shirts for the championships and think up a team name.
Look online for local groups. Facebook groups such as Dartslive France are a useful place to find information.
