The game of darts is well-known. In playing the game, it is important that the dart board, which is the target for the thrown darts, be mounted at a particular height and that the toe line, that is, the line beyond which the darter throws the darts, is approximately 8 feet from the front plane of the dart board. In fact, the toe line distance varies slightly, depending upon the type of dart used. In a steel-tip dart game, the traditional toe line distance is 2.37 meters, or 7 feet, 9.25 inches. In a soft-tip game, the accepted toe line distance is 8 feet.
Although it is expected that the darter will hit the board with each and every dart thrown, practical experience teaches that such is not the case, particularly when the game is played in association with drinking and merriment. It is, therefore, well-known in the games of darts to not mount the dart board directly on a wall, but instead to place the dart board atop a larger backstop board that provides protection against darts striking the wall.
To enlarge the area of protection and to store the darts when not in use, it is also known in the art to provide a cabinet-like structure, with a pair of doors in hinged relationship to the side edges of the backstop board. When closed, the doors conceal the dartboard and provide an ornamental surface. When opened, they effectively double the protective area provided.
Such a cabinet-like structure adds considerably to the weight that needs to be mounted to a wall, requiring a more substantial means for attaching, and, possibly, a larger hole in the wall.
In many situations, permanent attachment of such a structure to a wall is not feasible. It is also desirable in many of these same situations to provide a complete (and accurately laid out) dart playing area that is portable. For example, one such situation is encountered at a darts tournament, where a number of playing areas are required to facilitate the number of players.
It is therefore an unmet advantage of the prior art to provide a portable dart playing field that positions the dart board at a correct height, provides a backstop board for errant darts and provides a toe line at a correct distance from the dart board.