English debutant Justin Hood closed in on his lifelong dream – opening up a Chinese restaurant – by producing a stunning performance to reach the PDC World Championship quarter-finals.
The 32-year-old, who started the tournament ranked 86th in the world, defeated 11th seed Josh Rock to bring his World Championship earnings to £100,000.
Prior to his last-16 victory over Northern Ireland’s World Cup winner, Hood reckoned he needed “one more win” to earn enough prize money to finally open up a Chinese restaurant.
“I think we are there now,” Hood said on Tuesday.
Against Rock, he hit his first 11 attempts at doubles, missing for the first time when trying to take out 143 to win the match.
After his victory, he asked the crowd: “Who wants a Chinese?”
Last year, Hood gave up working as a night porter at a hotel – a role he job-shared with his wife Jessica – and spent eight weeks living in a hotel in Milton Keynes to earn his tour card.
Hood is now delivering at the top level – something he and his wife always believed was possible with more practice.
“I have been aware of this [Hood wanting to open up a Chinese] from the day I met him,” his Jessica told BBC Radio Bristol.
“We’ve been together for about 10 years and he has wanted it that long.
“Numbers have not been crunched yet and we haven’t done any type of business plan but it is something that will be probably happening next year.”
Hood has won over the Ally Pally crowd, with his nickname ‘Happy Feet’ perfectly fitting his laid-back and humorous character.
However, the nickname has nothing to do with his personality…
“For his first game at country darts when he was a wee little boy, he forgot his shoes and you have to wear black shoes – it is a regulation and you can’t play without them,” Jessica said.
“A member of his team, who had size 13 feet, gave him shoes to borrow. He is a size eight or nine.
“When he put his foot to the oche they bent up like a slipper. People then called him ‘Happy Feet’.
“You all see him the way I see him. He is being nobody else but himself. To see everyone love him like we do is such an amazing feeling.”
