Darts in the 1980s was one big cliche.

You know, the one about fat sweaty men downing pints of lager and chugging on cigarettes between visits to the oche that you have heard a million times.

They called it the golden age of bellies and bullseyes - and it was all true.

Well, not quite all, as through the gloom one man, or should that be one man's jewellery, shone brighter than all the rest.

That man was Bobby "Bobby Dazzler" George (pictured), the one-time Barkingside floor layer who picked up his first dart at the age of 30 before, almost, conquering the world.

Now 62 and still the handsome charmer that first wowed fans three decades ago, George splits his time between exhibitions, hosting corporate fishing days at his sprawling George Hall mansion near Ardleigh and manufacturing proper' homemade dartboards.

But next Friday, the two-times world championship runner-up returns to the oche at Purfleet's Circus Tavern - home of the PDC World Championship for 14 years - for the inaugural BetFred.com League of Legends.

There, George will take on the sport's other great 1980s personality, Eric The Crafty Cockney' Bristow - the man who beat him to the world title in 1980 - in the first of seven round-robin matches against darting heroes of days gone by.

"It's going to be nice to be competitve again with the old boys. I'm looking forward to it," said George, who will also take on John Lowe, Bob Anderson, Keith Deller, Cliff Lazarenko, Dave Whitcombe and Peter Evison as the League tours the UK this summer before returning to the Tavern for finals night in August.

"They talk about it being revenge time but of course I've played Eric since that final. If I'd played him the week after it might have been revenge but it's nearly 30 years ago and we've mellowed a bit, but I still want to beat him."

Tournament sponsors BetFred have installed George as 7/2 second favourite to win the event, which will be screened live by Setanta Sports, but the two-time News of the World champion insisted the competition is wide open.

"They probably made me second favourite because I'm the best looking one for my age," he joked. "I don't know how they made the odds because they haven't seen us play competitive darts for years so you don't really know. Some of us could press the button one night and play great."

George himself is confident he will do more than make the numbers up and insisted that the fans who head for the Tavern next Friday will be pleasantly surprised.

"I can play as good as the best in the world one day but I'm not as consistent as I was because I don't do it enough," he added with the honesty that has made him one of sport's most cherished characters.

"I play exhibitions and fun darts but I don't play tournaments. It's a completely different game when you play tournaments, but I can play alright. Some days I'm dangerous. The old boys can play. They'll be surprised.

"I beat a lot of the young ones who think they can play, put it that way!"