Derby magician conjures up a treat by winning regional contest

By Derby Telegraph | Posted: June 12, 2015 | By AMY GUARD

Antony Bola has been named Leicestershire Magician of the Year.

A DERBY man has won a regional final for his close-up magic tricks.

Antony Bola, of Brackensdale Avenue, Mackworth, won Leicestershire’s Magician of the Year.

Antony, 28, said: “I have been practicing magic for as long as I can remember – I’d say I started really loving magic when I was about six years old.

“I’m always showing people close-up magic wherever I am, whether I’m out with friends, at work, at a party or just at home.

“My family and my partner Jennifer have been very supportive of me over the years by letting me practice all my magic and routines on them.

“I have no clue how Jennifer has still got her sanity as when I’m at home I always have a deck of cards in my hand!”

Antony, who works as a self-employed gas plumbing and heating engineer, became a member of the Leicester Magic Circle to help with his career.

He said: “The Leicester Magic Circle is a fantastic club with lots of great magicians in the industry.

“Every year they hold a close-up competition called the Roy Johnson Close-Up competition – for magicians in Leicestershire that is a really big thing.

“This year I won the competition which makes me Leicestershire’s magician of the year, which is a crazy feeling for me and hard to believe.”

Antony, and his friends in the industry have seen an increase in work in recent times, as TV magicians have brought magic back into the spotlight.

He said: “Since the likes of Dynamo, and Troy, and Jamie Raven on Britain’s Got Talent, magic has become more popular again – me and my friends who are magicians have all been very busy recently.

“In the few days after I won Leicestershire Magician of the Year, I had another six bookings for events to perform at, so it has proved to be really good promotion for gaining more work.

“I perform almost anywhere I get asked to and work weddings, corporate events, trade shows and private functions.”

Antony has a real passion for his profession in magic, and is proud to be able to work as a professional in the industry.

He said: “I absolutely love being a magician, and I really love the art of sleight of hand – I’m so passionate about magic and genuinely love deceiving people.

“The thing that I think is most great about magic is you can go absolutely anywhere, and you don’t even have to be able to speak their language. With magic you can create a feeling like no other.”

Antony hopes that winning the competition will bring more exciting times in his magic profession.

He said: “I’m hoping this is the start of something great in magic for me.”