Keith Deller makes emotional tribute to "best pal" Eric Bristow

Of all the reactions to the shock death of Eric Bristow, Keith Deller's was one of the most poignant.

The darts world was stunned by the five-time world champion passing away on Thursday night. Bristow collapsed in Liverpool during the Premier League event at the Echo Arena. He was treated for a heart attack, but could not be revived. He was 61 years old. 1983 world champion Deller, who beat Bristow to take the title in a classic final, was asked to speak about his friend and rival on stage. In front of the Sky cameras, he recalled memories of the Crafty Cockney.
"It's devastating. I'd known Eric for 40 years but for the last 25 years we'd been best pals," he said.
"We were together all the time and I used to speak to Eric nearly every day of the week. It's really sad - he's been one of my best friends I've ever had and I'm going to miss him."
The pair met frequently throughout the 1980s, a decade which Bristow dominated. In that time, the Londoner became the face of darts as its popularity skyrocketed. Bristow's impact on the growth of darts and the birth of the PDC has been revisited since his death. Deller reasserted the view that the 22-time major winner was a sporting great.
He said: "You had to have a big figure in any sport for people to take notice, and we had someone who was a great champion. He was massive for our sport."
"He's been one of the best sportsmen that Britain has ever had and he deserves all the credit.
"When he was playing darts he had the self-belief to win every tournament and he would always let us know that he was going to take the trophy home. Unfortunately we had to keep seeing that go in his car!"