CALLAN RYDZ loved the crowd’s hair jibes after brushing aside a pesky wasp in his barnet.
Not since England captain David Beckham has a sportsman’s hairstyle caught the imagination of the British public in such a strange manner.
As he swatted aside Welsh qualifier Robert Owen 4-3 – Rydz had been 2-0 down – the fans regaled the North East thrower with some witty songs about his mop.
The punters sang “He’s got s**t hair and we don’t care” and then: “He’s got a bird’s nest in his hair.”
While this was all going on, a stinging Ally Pally insect also landed on the back of his head – which he did not realise.
Rydz, 26, is into the quarter-finals for the first time in three years and he said: “If I had known the wasp was there, I’d have tried to punch it. I had no idea.
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“The crowd were brilliant with me. This means the world.
“I won’t cry about it. I’ve had worse off loads of people back home. My best friends rip the mick out of me all of the time.
“I’m all for the banter. I love it.
“They can give it to us. I can give it to them just as much as they give to me individually.
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“The crowd won me that game. I have to thank them. It was not down to my natural ability.
“If I can win games with them taking the mick, they can crack on. I won’t lose sleep over it. I don’t lose sleep over much to be honest.”