Bingo caller is ‘on his own’

5:47pm Tuesday 23rd October 2007

Comments (5)   Have your say »

HE'S been dubbed "the man with the golden voice" for making two bingo players millionaires.

And now Robert "Will" Willard's dulcet tones have won him the title of Welsh Bingo Caller of the Year.

It is the second time the 33-year-old from West Pontnewydd, Cwmbran has won the accolade, taking the title in 2005.

Mr Willard has been calling bingo games for eight years at the Mecca club in Cwmbran, but only landed the job by accident.

He said: "I never really liked bingo before I came into it.

"I came to Mecca for a job as a stand-in bingo caller, and ironically didn't get it but got a job in the cafe.

"Then I started standing in for the odd game and it just went from there."

Mr Willard had to go through a series of tests to win his latest accolade.

A spokeswoman for the National Bingo Game Association, which runs the awards, said: "Will's fantastic personality, his knowledge of the rules of the game, his clear voice and sheer professionalism, won through on the day."

Mr Willard will travel to London in November to compete against the best callers from England and Scotland in a bid to win the national title and trophy.

Mr Willard hit headlines earlier this month after making two bingo players millionaires in the space of two weeks in the Mecca Millionaire game.

The game is played twice daily in a link-game covering all 102 Mecca clubs in the UK, and Mr Willard called out the numbers in two winning games, making millionaire customers in Glasgow and Stevenage.