Brian Gamlin is commonly credited with inventing the modern numbering sequence on the standard darts board.
The familiar arrangement places high and low numbers alternately around the board, rewarding accuracy while penalising shots that stray into neighbouring segments. Gamlin is traditionally said to have devised the sequence in the late nineteenth century, although historians have found no conclusive contemporary documentation proving the attribution.
That uncertainty is why reference works often say the numbering is “credited” or “attributed” to Gamlin rather than stating that the invention is fully documented. The sequence became the standard used in modern steel-tip darts.
The board’s numbering is separate from its physical dimensions. Regulation height, throwing distance and segment sizes are governed by playing rules, while the number order is the design feature associated with Gamlin.