Father time was not just tapping Peter Wright on the shoulder – he was waking him up in the middle of the night.
When his darts career was taking root, ‘Snakebite’ Wright promised himself he would be a world champion by the time he was 50.
And the hourglass was down to the last grains of sand when crown at Ally Pally.
It was a coronation which made his life complete.
From now on, Wright will not only be the most recognisable darts player on the planet because of the kaleidoscopic outfits which make golfer John Daly look like an undertaker by comparison.
He will be easily spotted as the man who landed the big one. No longer burdened with the perennial ‘bridesmaid’ tag, or fair game for barbs about being a choker on the big occasion after losing 12 of his 13 televised finals, 10 of them against Dutch nemesis Van Gerwen.
Wright’s tears when he landed the winning double on New Year’s Day were genuine raindrops of fulfilment, not turning on the taps for a photo opportunity.
The £500,000 winner’s cheque will keep him in war paint, hair gel and snazzy trousers for life and he said: “When I started playing darts, I promised myself I would win a world title by the time I’m 50. During the night before the final, I woke up and thought, ‘I’m 50 in March, so I’d better win it this year’.
“It would have been annoying, so disappointing, to look back and find myself cast as the greatest runner-up in the world if I wasn’t able to pick up this trophy.
“Jimmy White and Colin Montgomerie were always known as the best players never to win the big one in their sports and I thought, ‘I’m not going to be one of them.’ People ask me if this will change my life – but it’s not the money. From now on, I’ll get the ‘world champion’ thing.”
Wright’s jackpot catapults him leagues away from his life as a skint blue-collar worker who struggled to stay above the breadline.
He said: “When I was younger, I ended up on the dole for near enough five years, going in and out of jobs and it was terrible.
“I couldn’t hold down a job – and by the time you had paid your bills, I was living on £7 a week. I found jobs hard, but I always loved darts.
“I did tyre fitting, ground working, window fitting, labouring... think of a horrible job and I’ve probably done it.
“I know what it’s like when it’s minus 10 and you are up to here in freezing water fitting pipes. It’s not nice. I’ve done night shifts at Morrisons – 12 hours at a time in the warehouse and on the trolleys.
“Now I’ve won the world championship, I will still be the same person. Some become arrogant, but I will be the same person... the shy guy.”
