BARRY HEARN has been one of the most colourful figures in British sport for half a century.
Here, in the first part of SunSport’s exclusive serialisation of his autobiography, he tells how he got the a*** with officials over a young Ronnie O’Sullivan and how he royally revamped darts:
IT was easy for snobs to sneer at darts and the challenge has always been to present it as a legitimate sport while having a great time.
In that regard, you need unquestioned excellence just as much as characters for the soap opera.
That was why Eric Bristow and Phil Taylor were so important to the game’s credibility.
I said that I smelled money when I first saw big-time darts at the Circus Tavern back in 1998.
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You could say I smelled it and I made it, and along the way we changed some lives and had some fun.
The World Championship, held at Alexandra Palace over Christmas and New Year, has become one of the great sporting shows on Earth.
Where else would a young plumber or banker rub shoulders with Stephen Fry, Alastair Cook or Zara Phillips? Prince Harry came along one year with three mates from the Army.
They proceeded to consume dozens of pints of lager and merged in with the crowd rather well.
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Harry was like any ordinary bloke on a night out with his mates.
My son Eddie and I joined them on a table of six and it was clear they were on a bender.
I reckon 60 pints of lager went down and I didn’t have much of it.
At one stage a chant went up: ‘Harry, Harry, give us a wave!’
I looked at him and said: “If you stand up and wave back, your street credibility will be cemented for a lifetime.”
Harry smiled. “I do not think I am allowed to,” he said.
At the end, Harry said they were off to a nightclub and would we like to come? “Not us,” I said. “You guys are too dangerous.”
My Life: Knockouts, Snookers, Bullseyes, Tight Lines and Sweet Deals, by Barry Hearn, is out on April 28 and available to pre- order now (Hodder & Stoughton, £20).
