How I Got Into Darts: Chapter 11: Playing Eric Bristow!

How I Got Into Darts: Playing Eric Bristow!

On Friday the 8th of August 2014  I went to an exhibition with the great Eric Bristow in Hayling Island.

On this occasion I didn’t get a chance to have a picture done or even chat with the guy however  did get to speak  to MC Paul Booth and they’d been in Blackpool the night before and had made the 300+ mile, 5 hour trip that day down to the South Coast

Now this is one of the reasons I love darts, the accessibility. Very few sports fans will get to play with an icon like David Beckham in football, Tyson in boxing or Sampras in tennis and yet darts offers this opportunity.

II was going to have the opportunity to play one of the greatest darts players of all time (arguably number 2 after Phil Taylor). 

The list of achievements is incredible:

Bristow played 10 people and won 9 (lost the first as was warming up), before the intermission.

There was a quick Q and A session (less than 10 minutes)   from Eric before he re-started which I didn’t think was long enough (but was a necessity as it was now gone 10pm), where Booth asked him a few questions.This involved him commenting on various dart players and experiences.

I was up at about 11pm, and worse still was completely sober having driven.

It couldn’t get off to a worse start for me before I got to call.  I couldn’t find my third dart (it had rolled off the table) and then my flights fell out walking up.

Eventually I was ready and hear I was playing an icon and legend of darts.

I got off to a good start and outscored Eric and hit 86, 100, 95 in succession to land me on double 13 to finish.

I missed 9 darts at the double to finish as he took out D1

Nerves cost me!  Each dart was right on the wire, but it just wasn’t to be. Bristow muttered “should have won that” as I walked past.  Bristow only lost once that night out of 16 and to win would have been amazing!

I’m not delusional though, this wasn’t the Eric Bristow of the 1980’s. That Bristow would have wiped the floor with me and checked out in under 13 darts however it was such an honor to share an oche with the legend and to have had darts to win the match!