Ted Hankey

Darts player infobox
playername = Ted Hankey


fullname =
nickname = The Count
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1968|2|20
cityofbirth = Stoke-On-Trent
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
hometown = Telford
homecountry = England
since = 1978
darts =14g
BDO = 1984
PDC =
currentrank = 8 (BDO)
12 (WDF)
BDO World = Winner 2000, Finalist 2001
World Masters = Semi finalist 1997 2003,2004
World Darts Trophy = Quarter-finalist 2004
Int. Darts League = Quarter finalist 2004,2005,2006
PDC World =
Matchplay =
Grand Prix =
UK Open =
Vegas =
Premier League =
tournament = Dutch Open
England Open
German Open
Belgium Open
Norway Open
Denmark Open
Malta Open
Embassy Gold Cup
Primus Gold Cup
resultyears = 1999,2003
2003, 2007
2002, 2003
2002
2004
2003
1995, 1996
1999
2002
achievement =
updated = October 11 2007

Edward "Ted" Hankey (born 20 February, 1968 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English darts player who won the BDO Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 2000. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is "Be On Your Way" by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula. His entrance is typically marked by him wearing a gown and throwing rubber bats to the crowd, while he plays his darts with a trademark scowl. Though highly praised for his heavy scoring and consistancy, Hankey has also been critisied for his on-stage antics and temper tantrums.

In 2000, he whitewashed Ronnie Baxter 6-0 in the Embassy World Final, winning the match with a spectacular 170 checkout (which is the highest three-dart finish achievable). The final lasted only 46 minutes, the shortest in the tournament's history. Ted reached the final again the following year, but lost to John 'Boy' Walton 6-2.

Hankey has since failed to reach another final. In 2002, he was knocked out in the second round by Wayne Jones and suffered a first round exit the following year to 'Silverback' Tony O'Shea. Ranked number two for the 2004 tournament, he was defeated in the quarter finals, again losing to O'Shea 5-1. This was a huge disappointment for a man who had won four Open events that year. Hankey again reached the quarter finals in 2005, this time falling to England captain Martin Adams 5-3, despite at one stage in the contest having led by 3-1 in sets. In the 2006 tournament, 'The Count' had an uncharacteristic "bad day at the office", crashing out at the first hurdle to Dutchman Albertino Essers. Seeded eighth for the 2007 championship, he defeated Mario Robbe of the Netherlands by 3 sets to 0 in the opening round. He then hit another 170 checkout in his tight 4-3 victory over qualifier Davy Richardson, before losing to Martin Adams, again by 5 sets to 3, although he had several darts to remain in the match. Despite this setback, Ted remained positive and upbeat about his darts' future after the game.

Hankey won his first round match of the 2008 BDO World Darts Championship over Steve West 3-2. He twice found himself behind in the match, recovering from 1-0 and 2-1 down to win the final two sets in succession. Afterwards, Ted attributed his erratic form to a minority of the crowd which had jeered him throughout the match. Despite this, his campaign for a second BDO world crown remained on-course as he defeated Andy Boulton in the second round. Ted then lost in the quarter finals to Australian Simon Whitlock 0-5. Again, he expressed his disaffection with elements of the crowd for displaying poor order during the game. Midway through the contest, however, Hankey himself had received a warning from match referee, Barry Kilby, for punching the dartboard as this was deemed unsporting and contrary to the tournament promoter's code of conduct. After the match, an emotional 'Count' informed the BBC's Ray Stubbs that he was considering quitting the game and needed to reassess his future.

The following day, however, he clarified his future plans in a frank BBC interview with Stubbs and Bobby George. Although hugely disappointed with his performance against Whitlock, he indicated that his future still lay in darts and vowed to return after a month-long sabbatical, during which time he is to work on and refine a number of fundaments to his game.

However controversy continued to follow Ted during the BDO International Open (formerly the England Open) on June 15, 2008 which was shown live on Setanta Sports. During a quarter final match with former PDC player Robbie Green, Ted complained about the air conditioning being turned off, wanting it to be on. However, Green requested the air conditioning to be turned off, as his much lighter darts were affected mid-flight, causing them to drift. This caused yet another erratic reaction from Hankey who threw his darts onto the board without much thought. Commentator David Croft labeled Hankey's latest antics as 'disgraceful'. Hankey went on to lose the match 2-1 in sets in the deciding leg.

Personal life

Ted is married to Sarah and resides in Telford, Shropshire. They have a four-year-old daughter together and a son born on 01 June 2006. Sarah's nine-year-old son from a previous relationship also lives with them. Ted has a further four children from an earlier marriage.

BDO World Championship Results

* 1998: Quarter Final (lost to Colin Monk 2-5)
* 1999: 2nd round (lost to Chris Mason 1-3)
* 2000: Won (beat Ronnie Baxter 6-0)
* 2001: Runner-up (lost to John 'Boy' Walton 2-6)
* 2002: 2nd round (lost to Wayne Jones 2-3)
* 2003: 1st round (lost to Tony O'Shea 2-3)
* 2004: Quarter Final (lost to Tony O'Shea 1-5)
* 2005: Quarter Final (lost to Martin Adams 3-5)
* 2006: 1st Round (lost to Albertino Essers 1-3)
* 2007: Quarter Final (lost to Martin Adams 3-5)
* 2008: Quarter Final (lost to Simon Whitlock 0-5)