"He was definitely a character" - Dennis Priestley recalls hilarious Jocky Wilson anecdotes

Jocky Wilson is one of the most iconic darters of all time. The Scottish crowd pleaser became BDO world champion in 1982 and 1989 and later was also one of the co-founders of the PDC. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 62, but for many players, including fellow two-time world champion Dennis Priestley, fond memories of the Scot live on.

Wilson was labeled at the time as a special, somewhat crazy guy. "He wasn't a lunatic at all," Priestley said however, on William Hill's Club 501 podcast with Wayne Mardle. "If he'd lost, you'd have to leave him alone but a lot of people are the same. People would go up to him after a game, asking him to do this or that and he'd just tell them F-Off!"

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Priestley recalls one brilliant anecdote in particular. "I remember we were playing in the Jersey Open and we were coming back the toilet, walking across and this little boy and his mother came up 'Mr Wilson? Jocky? Would you...' but he just cut them off and went 'No you can f off!'" Priestley recalls. "I couldn't believe it."

"In 1989 I made the News of the World finals. Jocky lost first game," continues Priestley, remembering another tale. "We're in the changing rooms out back and we're practicing, and there's kids at the door and he's telling them to f off again! So I couldn't hold my tongue any longer and I says: Jocky, you shouldn't treat people like that. It's not on. After about 10 minutes he came to life again and said 'you're right Dennis, I shouldn't!'"

Jocky Wilson in action

Priestley also later became Wilson's regular pairs partner. "We were playing in Las Vegas and Jocky got the winning double. Afterwards he said 'I'm shaking like a leaf can you buy me a drink?' He must have lost it all. He hadn't got a penny, so we got a we got a couple of bottles of beer and went on and won the pairs, me and Jocky!" Priestley laughs. "He was definitely a character."

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