Eric Bristow: The Autobiography
Eric Bristow MBE (1957-2018) might just have been the greatest darts player of all time.
An unmistakable figure on the oche during his 1980s heyday, 'the Cheeky Cockney' became renowned not just for the number of world titles he won but for his arrogance on stage and off it.
In this candid account, Bristow reveals how darts saved him from his early life as a cat burglar, shoplifter and thug - and introduced him to a new world of beer, babes and success beyond his wildest dreams. In his rapid rise to the top, he gives fascinating insights into the characters that pioneered darts in those early days and how, when his own career began to slide at the end of the decade, he trained his protégé Phil 'The Power' Taylor, turning him into the most successful player darts has ever known.
Bristow holds nothing back as he reveals his battle with dartitis, a psychological condition which left him unable to let go of the dart and almost destroyed his career; his relationship with girlfriend and former women's world darts champion Maureen Flowers; and his occasional all-too-public falls from grace.
Bristow's life story is a thrill-a-minute ride through the raucous world of darts and how it helped to shape and drive his life.
ERIC BRISTOW MBE was the most successful darts player of the 1980s and single-handedly turned the game into a worldwide spectator sport. He won five World Championships between 1980 and 1986, five World Masters, and has won almost every tournament in the game at least once. Between 1980 and 1987 he reigned as number one in the world and in 1989 was given an MBE for his services to the sport. He currently works as a pundit and commentator for Sky Sports and tours Britain with other famous darts names such as John Lowe as part of the Legends Tour.
PAUL CARTER began his career in journalism in 1990 at the Oldham Advertiser. He has worked as a sports reporter for the Sunday Times, feature writer for the Sun and also at Sky News. In 1996 Paul joined Sport Newspapers and was made editor of the Sunday Sport in 2001. He quit in September 2007 to pursue a career as a writer. Paul has had one other book published in 2006, Behind Palace Doors, the story of the Queen Mother as told through the eyes of her equerry Major Colin Burgess.