Having come agonisingly close to becoming a world champion, Brian ‘Pecker’Woods is back at home at Gulley Flatts this week, getting used to life as a celebrity.
"It has been amazing, and I can’t really get used to it," he said. "I was in Morrison’s on the day I got home and a wee lass was trying to take a picture of me on her mobile phone, I could hear her mam telling her that she shouldn’t without permission because I was entitled to privacy! I just turned round and asked the kid if she wanted to have her photo taken with me, and she was chuffed to bits."
Pecker won the hearts of the nation as he battled against some of the best darts players on the planet to reach the BDO World Championship semi-finals, and viewers in Egremont who had never seriously watched darts before tuned in to the BBC. They were thrilled by the intensity of his concentration and precision of his aim at the vital doubles, which proved too sharp for his name opponents. They could never have guessed that he was locked in the hardest battle of all with a flu virus that had bugged him all week.
"I started with it on the Saturday night that the competition began, although I didn’t play myself until the Monday, and by then I was rotten fettle. I could hardly see the board at times, although I’m not making excuses."
Not that he showed any sign of illness. He won his first match 3-0 against Paul Hanvidge, with the most interesting thing being the rusty blonde hair he was sporting. Daughter Cassie – who was to become something of a star of the BBC’s coverage of the event – was blamed.
Brian said: "I always have a few blonde highlights put in, and I let Cassie do it for me. It originally turned out ginger, and then when we did it again with a different blonde it all went wrong again, I’m blaming Cassie."
Cassie countered: "I told him in the chemists that he was buying the wrong kind of dye and that it wouldn’t work, but he wouldn’t listen to me and went ahead with it, so it’s not my fault really."
Having dispatched Hanvidge, Pecker dumped Co Stompe and Scott Waites out in rounds two and three, before losing to Aussie Simon Whitcock in the semi final.
"I’m disappointed, because I had lots of chances at doubles in the match which I didn’t take. I had been hitting double top all week but for some reason every time I left myself 40 I fell short. At one stage he was 5-1 up in sets but I was ahead in the number of legs. It was just one of those days."
But far from putting Pecker off, his failed tilt at the title has only whet his appetite for more.
"I need a sponsor now so that I can go to all the big competitions. By getting to the semi final not only have I automatically qualified for next year’s World Championship, but I have proved to potential sponsors that I can live with the best in the world."
This weekend Pecker is likely to be back down to earth, playing as captain of the La’al Catholic Club team in the Egremont League, but he’s hoping not to have to buy much beer. "Everyone keeps saying they want to buy me a pint", he joked appreciatively. He wants to thank all his supporters in Egremont, Cleator Moor and Whitehaven, his Cumbrian team mates for their encouraging texts, and especially Peter Manley for a telephone call after his match with Paul Hanvidge. Those vibes got through.

Photos, courtesy Darts Association, show Pecker proving too strong for Co Van Stompe, top, and in play against Simon Whitcock in the semi finals.

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