World Championship sensation Justin Hood sticks to remarkable dream after £100,000 in prize money

Justin Hood hasn’t parked his dream of opening his own Chinese restaurant. The 33-year-old Englishman earned £100,000 in prize money with his sensational run at the last World Darts Championship, but says he still needs a bit more cash to make the eye-catching plan a reality. Luke Humphries and Luke Littler might be able to lend a hand.

Hood made his debut at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace last year and quickly became a crowd favourite. The Somerset thrower revealed after his first-round win over Nick Kenny that he dreamed of starting his own Chinese restaurant.

He estimated he needed around £60,000 for that. His performances in London then exceeded all expectations. “Pocket Rocket”, previously known by the nickname “Happy Feet”, won four matches on his World Championship debut.

One of the standout results was his victory over Josh Rock. Hood gave the 11th seed from Northern Ireland no chance and ran out a convincing whitewash winner. His remarkable tournament finally ended in the quarter-finals, where Gary Anderson proved too strong.

Even so, Hood left Alexandra Palace with £100,000 in prize money. That comfortably surpassed his initial financial target and seemed to clear the way for opening his own restaurant.

Yet the restaurant still hasn’t materialised. Hood told Oche 180 that a large chunk of his Worlds prize money ultimately didn’t end up with him. “It [Chinese restaurant] was the goal, it's still the goal. After we paid our management and all taxes I was left with a lot less than I thought I would be but it's still the goal at some point,” said Hood.

The Englishman might not have to fund the plan entirely on his own. During the Worlds, Hood told talkSPORT that Luke Humphries was willing to join him in the venture.

According to Hood, Luke Littler has now also shown interest. The sport’s elite could therefore play a part in realising his restaurant dream. "Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, they both want to get involved but I can't trust them around my food,” Hood joked.