‘B&B’ Cook keen to make meal of Kiwis

10:05am Friday 2nd May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

WITH darts-mad Alastair "Bed & Breakfast" Cook and Mark "Madhouse" Pettini both taking aim at them, it is probably for the best that New Zealand's players have chosen to stay at the exclusive Five Lakes hotel near Maldon during this weekend's Tour match at the Ford County Ground.

Cook - nicknamed "Bed & Breakfast" due to his propensity for hitting 26 with his three darts - and Pettini have become obsessed with the sport to such an extent that the former has installed an oche at the home the pair share in East Hanningfield.

That obsession has even spread to their Essex team-mates, who hold regular competitions.

But supporters need have no fear, as neither has any plans to swap their willow for tungsten on a full-time basis.

"I've been trying to get people into darts at Essex for ages without success," Cook told essexcricket.org.uk "And then I get back from New Zealand and suddenly everyone's into it because of Jason Gallian's interest in it.

"All of a sudden I'm almost not the biggest darts fan in the dressing room."

Last month Cook and best friend Pettini spent the evening alongside 6,000 screaming fans at the PDC Premier League Darts at Wembley Arena.

And such is the pair's love for the game that Pettini - nicknamed "Madhouse" for his habit of leaving himself double-one - has even bought the pair specially-commissioned darts shirts.

"The shirt was an unexpected present for me from Swampy (Pettini's other nickname) when I got back from New Zealand," he added.

"We both have our nicknames of the back of our shirts - mine being Bed & Breakfast' and Mark's In the Madhouse'.

"There is even a lovely caricature on my shirt of me cooking on a barbecue using a cricket bat."

Away from the oche and back on the cricket pitch, England star Cook is planning to use the four-day showdown with the Black Caps to re-discover his best form after an indifferent start to the new season.

"Of course you would like to score a hundred everytime you bat but I'm aware that doesn't happen," he explained "I'd have liked to have had a couple more nets on grass by now but you can't do much about the weather.

"Hopefully the rain will hold off for the New Zealand game and I can take my chance there."

Essex: (from) Pettini (capt), Cook, Gallian, Westley, Bopara, ten Doeschate, Foster (wkt), Middlebrook, Tudor, Nel, Palladino, Chambers.