An annoyed girlfriend is forced to dodge darts IN BED after her Luke Littler superfan partner set up his board above her pillow.
Jade Sanderson returned home from work in January to find Liam Falconer, 23, had drilled his darts board into the boiler room door hovering ominously over her side of the bed. Images show it decorated with a Star Wars-themed surround, a bright ring light and an ‘eyesore’ oche mat for Liam to take his throws that stretches the length of the bed.
The window sill is even used to store his equipment, including a replica set of world champion Luke Littler’s darts, and holder for a digital scoring system. Liam says that Jade, 20, called him a ‘child’ and warned him it would look ‘stupid and a mess’ just days before he went ahead with the plans anyway.
The firefighter admits Jade has had to duck for cover a ‘couple of times’ when stray darts have bounced from the board but thankfully they usually land on the floor next to her. Builders’ co-ordinator Jade says she was initially ‘not best pleased’ and was ‘sh**ting herself’ in case darts hit her.
After almost three weeks she’s realised it gives her time to watch soap opera Eastenders in peace while he throws arrows – and she’s even thrown a few herself. The couple, who have been together for a year, have lived together in his parent’s Saxilby, Lincolnshire, home for three months while they live in Madrid, Spain.
He says they wouldn’t approve of him setting up the board in their kitchen or dining room and it wouldn’t fit on his side of the bed because there’s a PlayStation console and a PC there.
His Facebook post showing off the controversial set-up has been liked more than 1,000 times by supportive users joking ‘bounce-outs will be piercings’ and others calling it ’embarrassing’.
Jade said: “At first I suggested putting it downstairs but then he told me he’d put it in the room. I said ‘no you’re not’. I wasn’t best pleased when I came in from work and saw he’d put it up.
“I told him it was on my side of the bed and it would hit me, but he just said ‘oh no it won’t. You’ll be alright’. The Star Wars-themed surround doesn’t go with the room. He could have got a simple colour to make it look a bit nicer.
“When it bounced out I’d s**t myself in case it hit me but to be fair when it does bounce out it only goes onto the floor. At first I thought the oche was an eyesore but, when you get used to it, it feels the same as a carpet. You don’t notice the difference.
“It’s a good job that I’m understanding. I’ve got to be with Liam. I sit up watching Eastenders in peace while he’s throwing darts so at least we’re both happy.
“We’ve had a few nice nights messing about with it. So it’s been quite good actually.”
Liam’s interest in darts took flight when Luke Littler, then just 16-years-old, made it to the World Darts Championship Final last year. Jade admits she now enjoys watching the sport with her boyfriend and is pleased she understands it better than football and its complicated offside rule.
The board was initially set up inside the boiler cupboard but he decided to move it into the bedroom when darts kept hitting the door frame. Jade’s glass-topped bedside table fits underneath the board and Liam says he moves one of her pillows on top to avoid darts smashing it.
Liam, from Saxilby, Lincolnshire, said: “It’s my parents’ house and they live in Madrid so they wouldn’t have been a fan of setting it up in the kitchen or the living room.
“That would have really annoyed them so I had to annoy Jade instead. When I suggested it she told me I’d make a mess and it’d look stupid. She called me a child when I showed her the Star Wars surround.
“When she saw it she just gave a large sigh and she knew she’d now be trying to watch TV while having darts hammered next to her head. I’m a bit impulsive so if we’re watching a film and I’m getting bored I’ll just stand up and throw a couple of darts for an hour.
“It does bounce out quite a bit and she’s had to duck and take cover a couple of times. We don’t use the boiler cupboard so we may as well make good use of it. I’m lucky she agreed to keep [the board] there. She’s brilliant.”
Liam’s Facebook post, which has more than 200 comments, said: “Set this up on the mrs’ side of the bed. She wasn’t happy.”
One commented: “Bounce outs will be piercings.” Another added: “One hundred and divorced.” A third wrote: “She should be thankful it’s not axe throwing.” However, one said: “Grow up.” And another agreed, writing: “So embarrassing.”