Darts ref Owen Binks on Littler, world championship and maths

Rubbing shoulders with Ed Sheeran, Sir Stephen Fry and Luke Littler would not be an average day at work for most.

But for darts referee and official Owen Binks, from Colchester, seeing the country’s most famous faces is just another day at the office.

The 27-year-old travels the world overseeing some of the sport’s biggest occasions – most recently keeping score on stage at the PDC World Darts Championship.

It is a far cry from four years ago, when he was barely holding down the 21st job he had worked in since leaving university.

Mr Binks said it was a phone call from tournament organiser MODUS Super Series that changed everything.

“They asked me ‘can you leave your job and be a full-time referee for us?’ and I was like ‘yes, absolutely’ – so I quit my job on the spot,” he explained.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do and I’ve been living my dream ever since.

I’ve got a lot to thank them for because that call changed my life.”