Review "Brave, boozy banter for bedroom Bristows of all ages" -- Maxim Magazine, Feb 2008"Irwin chronicles his "journey to the heart of dartness" - and darkness, in the form of oceans of Guinness - with humour and perception. He may have been found wanting on the oche but he's hit the bull's-eye here." -- The Independent on Sunday, Sunday 13 January 2008 Synopsis Phil "The Power" Taylor, Eric "The Crafty Cockney" Bristow, and Andy "The Viking" Fordham - to this great hall of fame, add another name: Justin Irwin - or, to give him his darts moniker: "The Bachelor of Darts". Justin Irwin used to have another moniker - that of the Director of England at the children's charity, ChildLine. However, in January 2005, he suddenly resigned, giving up his well-paid job in order to...play darts. His aim was simple: to qualify for the World Darts Championship in just one year. As a child, Justin had wanted to become a sports star. But as the sportsmen got younger, Justin realised in his mid-thirties he was old enough to be Wayne Rooney's father. Professional footballer was out the window. However, he remembered that in 1987 he once hit treble 20 - darts nirvana! Why couldn't he do that again, just on a more regular basis? And so began his journey. From playing with friends, he graduated to pub teams, moving on to Open Tournaments in Essex and Hampshire. From backroom bars to the glamour of the Novotel in Southampton, he learnt the difference between 'Double-in' and 'Double-Trouble'.Justin immersed himself completely in the darts community, getting to know the players, their wives and entourages, the strange rules and language, as well as earning himself the sobriquet of "The Bachelor of Darts" (so christened because he had that most unusual of attributes for a darts player - his Degree...). Until finally, in December 2005, he found himself playing to qualify for the Darts World Championship. See all Product description
L**R
Quality was good
Bought as a gift
A**M
180!!!
Undoubtedly one of the best sports biography books that I have read! Could not put it down. What a story, what a journey, what a guy..! Must read.
M**R
Five Stars
Great book.... fun and thought provocking
R**S
Three Stars
Not a bad read if you're into darts
D**R
Interesting Book
If you're a pub player, you will associate with what the author went through. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Well-written and easy to read.
P**N
Great Read
Really enjoyed this book. Its well written by Justin & includes lots of interesting darting BDO/PDC history snippets too. A must for all darting fans!
D**R
Great read!
Not a big reader of book but & drag them out for months but read this in less than 2 weeks, so it must be really good!!
F**I
Good, not great
A great story, told reasonably well. It falls slightly flat when Irwin tries to get clever - he's not a brilliant writer, the pointless musical puns particularly starting to grate - but the images and events are just too interesting for it to become a problem.For darts fans, Bellies and Bullseyes knocks this into a cocked hat, but for non-aficionados this is still a worthwhile read.
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