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Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Sid Waddell (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press; illustrated edition edition (30 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0091917557
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091917555
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.8 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 283,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #2 in  Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games > Darts

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More About the Author

Sid Waddell
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Product Description

Nancy Banks-Smith, Guardian

Sid Waddell's commentaries are the black puddings of sports reporting - savoury, hot and bursting with blood and guts.

Product Description

This book covers everything from the early days of hustling in pubs and the 1960s money race pub competitions that spawned the likes of John Lowe and Eric Bristow, to the glory days of ITV's brilliantly daft Indoor League; from the bling of Bobby George and the belly of Jocky Wilson to Sid's part in the schism between the BDO and newly formed PDC. It mixes Sid's own 'I was there' story with the entire story of darts - a kind of comic Darts Babylon that features every event and every character to walk the oche from Eric 'The Crafty Cockney' Bristow to Phil 'The Power' Taylor. The whole thing has a distinct whiff of cigarettes, alcohol, hot tungsten and moist polyester. Sid knows all the stars as intimate friends and has been instrumental in the game's progress himself and his writing is as colorful as his commentary. Sid is something of a legend and since he started in the 70s has had more column inches than Richie Benaud and John Motson combined. Bellies and Bullseyes is simply the best book you could have about the sport.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts
84% buy the item featured on this page:
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The Art of Darts
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The Art of Darts by John Lowe Hardcover 3.0 out of 5 stars (7)
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Old Stoneface: My Autobiography
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Old Stoneface: My Autobiography by John Lowe Paperback 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Sid, Not Enough Arrows, 5 Oct 2008
By Richard Allen - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts (Paperback)
I enjoyed darts coverage in the late seventies and eighties, when the "sport" was full of characters and the atmosphere was so well conveyed on the TV. The book promises an insight into these early days of excess, and it does deliver to some extent, telling the sad tale of Jocky Wilson with poignancy. Where the book fails for me is that it's much more an autobiography of Sid Waddell than the story of darts. Sid gets a little too caught up in the myth of his own brilliance, peppering the book with quotes from newpapers, especially broadsheets, which praise his unique style. The book's other failing for me is its focus on the later PDC years. Admittedly I don't have Sky, so haven't followed this coverage and am only aware of a few of its characters. Sid is keen to score a few points and praises both Sky and the PDC at the expense of the BBC and the BDO. That's predictable, bearing in mind his current employer, but the story he tells of these more recent years does seem to be bereft of characters and tales after darts cleaned up its act. So, an interesting read, but I'd only recomend it to fans of Sid Waddell's commentary style as opposed to the sport of darts.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweating Like A Swap Donkey, 22 Oct 2007
By C. Young (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts (Hardcover)
As a casual darts fan I bought this out of curiosity rather than dedication to the cause but I am so glad I did. Waddell briefly tells us about himself and as soon as that is over it's onto the story of Darts from the seventies to where it finds itself today. From the stories of the 1970's TV show the Indoor League to the ultra professionalism of the modern day players this is an engaging read. Sid doesn't go into too much detail so the average fan would get bored but he highlights the main events in every chapter. From Jocky Wilson, through to the split between the BDO and PDC and Phil Taylor this is a well written, great account of darting history.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Sid Waddell. Not quite a bullseye., 7 Feb 2009
By M. J. Turner (St. Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts (Paperback)
This is a fascinating insight from Sid into the history of darts as a television sport. He tells of some great memories from the early years of Indoor League and of how some of the games great characters burst onto the scene such as Alan Evans, Leighton Rees and Eric Bristow.

His tales of some classic wind ups whenever Evans and Bristow played each other are quite hilarious at times. He goes into great detail about the careers of the games legends - Eric Bristow, Jocky Wilson and Phil Taylor - and gives the reader useful information from their early days into what made them become household names.

Sid also reflects on the bitterness that evolved in the dispute between the BDO and the PDC that threatened to destroy the sport completely. This is where, I feel, that the author somewhat lets himself down. He is too ready to belittle everything that the BDO now do and cannot accept, it seems, that the BDO World Championship is still going strong. He ranted and raved when Phil Taylor became the first player to achieve a 9-darter on live television only to be told the following day by a Dutch TV producer that Shaun Greatbatch had actually achieved the feat shortly before. Sid's response was that it was only some BDO bloke hitting a 9-darter in a tatty tuppeny ha'penny do in a village hall. Hate to tell you Sid but a 9-darter is a great feat no matter who achieves it or where, whether it's done by a Taylor, a Greatbatch or a Barney it still counts the same.

Had he been a little more self restrained as to the thoughts he has about the BDO and the players who now play within their ranks then this book would have been given a 5 in my view however because he plays too much on this aspect of the sport he does somewhat let the reader down as when he has gone into great detail about the games legends it has made for fascinating reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Sid Waddell: The Autobiography
There is a book by the widely derided Tim Lovejoy, called "Lovejoy on Football", that is infamous for being generally regarded as the worst 'football' book ever written. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Collinge

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
what a book! if you like darts this is a must:) sid waddell is a ledgend. quick postage also and very secure, book not damaged whatsoever. well done amazon
Published on 24 Dec 2007 by Mrs. Lynda Reynolds

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