‘If only whole world were like this’ – Bournemouth fans hailed for gesture to homeless man at World Darts Championship
A GROUP of Bournemouth fans have been hailed on social media after giving a homeless man a ticket to the World Darts Championship.
A bunch of Cherries supporters had a spare ticket to quarter-final night at Ally Pally on Wednesday due to one of their friends being unable to make it.
They could have sold it or opted not to offer it to anyone, but instead they made an admirable offer to a homeless person.
The group, who dressed in sombreros, gave the ticket to the man – who the BBC have reported is a Scotsman called John – and brought him in with them to include him as part of their night.
The Metro have also reported they paid for his whole evening and put him up in a Travelodge hotel to ensure he did not have to sleep on the street.
One of the men, Craig Wells, said: “It’s not about the money.
“We could have got £75 back but he really enjoyed it… and he’ll remember it for the rest of his life.”
Before he went on to add: “We had one pull-out and rather than selling the ticket back, my friend Jamie said: ‘Why don’t you take the homeless guy?’, which was sat outside the boozer at the time.
“So he went out and got him. We just said to him: ‘What are you doing tonight?’ He said: ‘Not a lot’, and he started laughing at us.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
World Darts Championship - top stories
READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza...
All the info:
- All the action as it happens in our LIVE BLOG
- Everything you need to know about the Ally Pally extravaganza
- How much prize money can be won?
- What is the format for the tournament?
- Who are the Sky Sports presenters and pundits?
- How much do players and crowd win for a nine-darter?
- Gerwyn Price’s tattoos
- The Ally Pally wasp
News, features and interviews:
- Mardle to take step back after tragic death of wife Donna
- Emma Paton reveals rise as Queen of Darts
- Kyle Walker has a night at the darts
- Callan Rydz laughs off fans’ mean song about hair
- Bobby ‘Dazzler’ George: ‘Today’s players are wrapped in cotton wool’
- Luke Littler ‘hasn’t got many mates on the tour’
- Peter Wright ‘talks crap,’ says rival MVG
“And so we went and bought him a pint of Guinness and said: ‘You might as well come with us.’
“The only thing we didn’t have was a sombrero for him.”
Astonishingly, Craig also revealed John hit the bullseye with his first dart in Ally Pally’s bullseye competition.
Craig said: “He said to a friend of mine, it’s been on his bucket list – he’d always wanted to go to the darts.
“The funny thing was, they did a bullseye competition… and he ended up getting a free drink from that.
“We were all trying and he comes along, pops his first dart into the bullseye. You couldn’t make it up.
“At least we fulfilled his dream. He hasn’t got a lot in life but he’s got something to remember now.”
Social media accounts caught wind of the story and have since received thousands of likes about the tale.
And people online poured in with their praise for the Bournemouth supporters.
One said: “As a Villa fan, got to say yet again football clubs are showing what great people they are. Well done you Bournemouth fans.”
Another added: “You’re all legends. What a wonderful thing to do. If only the whole world were like this.”
A third replied: “Fantastic to see some people do care about others less fortunate.”
While a fourth responded: “Love it. Can’t beat humility and giving someone a real treat. That guy will be forever grateful.”
And a fifth simply said: “Absolutely superb!”
Wednesday’s evening session saw Stephen Bunting beat two-time champion Peter Wright, while last year’s runner-up Luke Littler booked his semi-final spot with a win over Nathan Aspinall.