Fans are only just realising why it's called an 'oche' in darts

Fans are only just realising why the line darts players stand behind when throwing is called the oche.

Premier League darts returns on Thursday evening, with the roadshow hitting the AO Arena in Manchester.

Teenage sensation Luke Littler will be looking to continue his immaculate form, having picked up his first nightly win in Northern Ireland last week.

The 17-year-old will renew his rivalry with Michael Van Gerwen, whom he beat 6-3 on the way to victory in Belfast seven days ago.

A semi-final against either Nathan Aspinall or Rob Cross would be at stake for the Warrington star.

Ahead of the evening’s darts, however, fans are only just realising the etymology behind one of the game’s most frequently used terms - the oche.

The oche is the line that players stand behind to throw the darts. It ensures there is a uniform distance between the player and the board and that no one gains an unfair advantage.

The term oche derives from France and means an “incision made to keep a record”.

In the 16 century, however, its meaning migrated to "making a mark". In turn, the players have to stand behind a pre-arranged mark called the oche.

Littler picked up his first nightly win in Northern Ireland last week (Getty)

Littler appears to be in confident form ahead of the Premier League’s tenth night.

Ahead of his game against Van Gerwen, he said: “Winning in Belfast gave me a lot of confidence, and it certainly showed that practice does pay off.

“Obviously I’m not far from Manchester myself, and I’m a Manchester United fan, so it would mean the world to win in front of this crowd on Thursday.

“I know it will be tough. Michael brings the best out of me and I certainly bring the best out of him.

“We know he’s not on top form, but he’s always got those other gears to turn it on, so I'm just focused on winning my first game and trying to get some more points on the board."