EYES ON THE PRIZE-Team captain Randy Wheeler watches the dartboard to see his team's final score. The "No Guts, No Glory" darts team is based out of Moorpark Billiards.

In nearly any other setting, the group of friends who gathered this Monday night at Moorpark Billiards would be viewed simply as middle-aged men who have a little too much fun—and spend a little too much time at the bar.

But in the world of competitive dart throwing, a sport that’s been around since the Middle Ages, the seven local men who make up the "No Guts, No Glory" team are revered, respected and feared— enough so that when they travel around Ventura County to compete at events each year, they’re able to make even the most committed drinker put down their glass and watch them toss.

But as team captain Randy Wheeler explains, it wasn’t always all glory for the "No Guts, No Glory" squad.

"A lot of us would come in here to play darts socially, and we’d have fun, but we were very competitive," said Wheeler, a business consultant and a team member for the past five years. "We’d bet money against each other all the time . . . and through that process of practicing to try and one up each other, we’ve gone from just a bunch of hacks to the best team in the league."

LET 'ER FLY-Team member Greg Gates makes his toss.

The history of "No Guts, No Glory" goes back almost 20 years, when current team member and co-founder Dave Brinkhurst, a native of the United Kingdom, decided to start a dart-throwing club in the San Fernando Valley. One evening, after years of success in The Valley, Brinkhurst stumbled upon Moorpark Billiards and a group of gentlemen who had the passion for playing darts but not the proper instruction.

"I came in here one day and saw that they had a lot of players that liked the game but no organization," said Brinkhurst, who threw his first dart in a pub in England in 1969. "But I liked the guys so I kept coming back. And after a lot of getting talked into it, I decided to form a team."

Under Brinkhurst’s tutelage, the group quickly transformed itself into a force to be reckoned with.

"They were probably a mediocre B-league team when we first started playing . . . now they are one of the most respect teams in the area," said Brinkhurst, a real estate agent and the only member of the team who’s not a Moorpark resident. "Now, when we come into a pub, we are actually feared."

Originally based out of Victoria’s Pub in Ventura, the team moved to Moorpark Billiards a couple of years ago and has since brought the small watering hole many accolades, including the league championship trophy—which now rests proudly atop the bar’s big-screen TV.

Last season, competing in the Ventura County Dart Association against five other clubs from the area, "No Guts, No Glory" won 19 out of 20 matches, winning the club’s second league title in three years.

"They just don’t like to lose," said team member Greg Prejean. "And they all think they’re the best. Sometimes I think we compete against each other as much as we do the other teams."

If you’re from Moorpark and you enjoy darts, chances are you’ve heard the Prejean name. That’s because for the past 17 years (eight in Moorpark) Prejean has been holding an annual doubles darts tournament in his three-car garage. Originally held in 1986 with about 12 guys, the event has grown to more than 50 participants, with the winners earning high praise.

It was at this event that most members of "No Guts, No Glory" got their first taste of competitive darts. This includes Greg Gates, who says his new passion for throwing darts provides him with the same kind of excitement others get from league softball.

"To me, it’s a stress reliever. All those years raising my family— my kids are 23 and 21 now—now I’m starting to ‘play’ life again, and this is a big part of that," Gates said. "I’ve always been competitive, and this fulfills that need. This is our softball, only you don’t wake up in the morning with a strained ligament or a torn rotator cuff."

Gates said the thrill of hitting a double bull’s-eye is equal to that of a base-clearing home run. And to do so, a good darts player must be able to block out all the typical distractions that abound at a crowded bar—the music, the women and the beer.

"It’s a mind thing. Just think, you’re trying to make this dart leave your hand and hit a spot the size of a pinhead," Gates said. "You have to get to a point where you leave your everyday life, leave all those problems behind, and the only thing that matters is that dart leaving your hand and hitting that spot."

For some members of the squad, getting down their throwing technique requires a little liquid assistance from the bar, easily accessible at a place like Moorpark Billiards.

"Some guys call it ‘aiming fluid.’ They need a little aiming fluid before they’re relaxed enough to throw the dart right," Wheeler said. "Darts is a real interesting game physiologically—because you need to be real tense (in your forearm) but really relaxed in (your wrist). Some guys don’t reach that level until they’ve had a few drinks."

But, explained Wheeler, the winning darts team is usually the one that knows its limits.

"I think one of the reasons our team does so well is that we don’t tip (drink) too much," he said. "We’ll switch over to water with an hour to go and everybody else goes over the edge."

Strategy or no strategy, the members of "No Guts, No Glory" recognize that even more valuable than being able to win another league title is the chance they get each week to spend quality time with friends. Whether it’s arguing over politics, discussing current events or, more likely, just giving each other a hard time, the team’s greatest advantage may be its camaraderie.

"I think winning is probably pretty important to this team, but the reason this team is so good is that they make sure having fun is a priority," said Nathan Knight, the team’s newest and youngest member. "We understand that it’s a game and games are supposed to be fun."