WATERLOO - The duo was in double trouble.

Hitting the inner bull's-eye circle would be a two-for-one score. A couple of darts just outside that worked, too.

Daryl Sanders and Rick Maddux led in points, and they'd closed out all but the center target. It was the first round of doubles cricket Friday at the Iowa Operators of Music and Amusements' state tournament at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. The event winds down today.

Sanders said he usually has no problem sticking a dart to the bull's-eye, and this wasn't the time to be having an off round.

"Usually I can walk up and get at least two bull's-eyes," said Sanders. "I had three rounds where I only got one bull's-eye. That's terrible."

They'd lose by a single bull's-eye, leaving their opponent to advance to the winner's bracket. But Sanders and Maddux would have a chance to redeem themselves with double elimination.

"We keep playing until we get beat again," Sanders said. He and Maddux, both of Cedar Falls, are sponsored by Toad's Bar & Grill.

Saturday they paired with a couple from The Landmark bar to enter team 501 and cricket.

More than 1,000 competitors from across the state have poured into Waterloo for the four-day event. The annual tournament is the largest in the state and has been hosted here for more than 20 years.

Attendance was down about 8 to 9 percent from 2008, said IOMA's Dave Knupp. But the event offers an economic boost for the city. All 67 rooms at the downtown Quality Inn & Suites were booked Friday and Saturday. Ramada Inn, across the street from the Sullivan center, also had filled its 228 rooms both days.

"It wasn't terrible," Knupp said. "Just the economy and stuff probably."

The diehard fanatics who keep coming back wouldn't miss the biggest darts party of the year.

"Just the adrenaline, the rush, playing against different people, the atmosphere," said Chris "Butchy" Kemmerer of Dewar.

The friendly camaraderie is unmatched, with knuckle bumping and the occasional "good darts" compliment between opponents. Nonetheless, competitors have their minds set to one goal: winning.

A shoulder pat, kiss and slap on the rear from the sidelines ought to do it for Kemmerer, said his girlfriend, Lindsay Nardini, of Waterloo.

"That's for good luck, hopefully," said Nardini, raising her hand above her head.

Kemmerer and his teammate, Mike Frost of La Porte City, are members of Kathy's Korner Dart League in Dewar. The two won their first round of doubles cricket Friday.

Spectators are admitted free, and even those who aren't darts players should stop by, Kemmerer said.

Contact Tina Hinz at (319) 291-1484

or tina.hinz@wcfcourier.com.