Andy Hamilton (darts player)

Darts player infobox
playername = Andy Hamilton
fullname =
nickname = The Hammer
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1967|03|16
cityofbirth = Stoke-on-Trent
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
hometown = Stoke-on-Trent
homecountry = England
since = 1983
darts = 23g Unicorn
music = Can't Touch This by MC Hammer
BDO =
PDC = since 2004
currentrank = 6 (June 2008)
BDO World =
World Masters =
World Darts Trophy =
Int. Darts League =
PDC World = Semi-fnals 2007
Matchplay = Semi-finals 2006
Grand Prix = Quarter-finals 2008
UK Open = Last 32, 2005, 2006
Vegas = Quarter-finals 2006, 2008
Premier League =
Grand Slam = Runner-up 2007
US Open = Semi-finals 2007
tournament = Players Ch'ship flagicon|Gibraltar
UK Open Midlands Regional
Antwerp Open
resultyears = 2007
2007
2008
achievement =
updated = February 17, 2008

Andy Hamilton (born March 16, 1967 in Stoke-on-Trent) is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed 'The Hammer'. As of 1 January 2007, he was ranked 7th in the PDC World Rankings. [ [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/OrderofMerit/0,,10180,00.html PDC Order of Merit] ]

Andy started playing darts at the age of 16 with his father Jim and brother Darren. By the age of 18, Hamilton was playing county level darts for Cheshire. However, he did not feel confident enough to pursue a career at the higher level and stopped playing competitive darts for 20 years.He appeared in name only on the BBC television programme "Have I Got News For You" on 3rd November 2007, when Jo Brand read his Wiki biog whilst introducing Andy Hamilton the comedian and writer. He eats chicken nuggets from Mcdonalds before his competitive games.

PDC career

Hamilton made his television debut at the 2004 UK Open championship but was eliminated in the first round 2-5 to Eddie Lovely.

Andy qualified for the 2005 PDC World Darts Championship and eventually reached the quarter-final stage. Hamilton defeated Mark Thomson and Mick Manning 3-0 in the early rounds and beat former BDO World Champion Steve Beaton 4-2 to reach the last 16. After beating Josephus Schenk 4-1 in the fourth round, Hamilton eventually lost 1-5 to Bob Anderson in the quarter-finals.

The 2006 PDC World Darts Championship saw Hamilton gain revenge for his 2005 defeat by Bob Anderson with a 3-2 first round win. He also knocked out Terry Jenkins 4-1 in round two. However, Hamilton fell to eventual winner Phil Taylor in the third round losing 4-0. Andy did manage to gain a share of the prize for highest three-dart checkout by hitting a 170 finish, a feat matched by Taylor.

Andy reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 Las Vegas Desert Classic however where he reached the quarter-final stage before being eliminated by eventual runner-up Raymond van Barneveld 3-1. Hamilton had defeated Kevin Painter 6-4 in the first round and enjoyed a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Matt Clark in round two.

'The Hammer' made his Winter Gardens debut at the 2006 World Matchplay Darts tournament. Hamilton sprang something of a surprise in round one by hammering number 4 seed Peter Manley 10-2. Andy then overcame Adrian Lewis in the second round, the duo produced a thrilling match that eventually saw Hamilton triumph 15-13. Hamilton's fine run continued as he defeated crowd favourite Wayne Mardle 16-9 to reach his first major semi-final. However Phil Taylor, a seven time World Matchplay Champion, eliminated Hamilton 17-11 in the semi-final.

Andy reached the semi-finals of the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship before bowing out 6-0 to eventual runner-up Phil 'The Power' Taylor. Hamilton's campaign began with a 4-3 victory over Mark Dudbridge before defeating Dennis Priestly 4-1 and Terry Jenkins 5-4 in the quarter-finals. Hamilton hit 46 180's during the tournament, second only to the overall winner Raymond van Barneveld.

2007 Season

Hamilton has enjoyed a superb start to 2007 and picked up his first PDC Pro Tour title with a 3-1 win over Colin Lloyd in the StanJames.com Players Championship in Gibraltar on January 21. He had already overcome Andy Smith, Roland Scholten, Terry Jenkins and Alan Warriner-Little on his way to the final.

His maintained his form by reaching the semi-finals of the South-West Regional Final of the UK Open and quarter-final performances in the PDPA Players Championship in Germany and North-East Regional UK Open.

He collected his second PDC Pro Tour title on April 1 beating James Wade in the Midlands Regional Final of the UK Open.

Andy also made a big impact in the inaugural PDC US Open, powering his way to the semi-final, where he was beaten by Raymond van Barneveld. On his way to the semi-finals he overcame one of 'The Powers' oldest rivals, Dennis Priestley and the hugely talented Mark Dudbridge.

In November, Hamilton enjoyed an excellent run in the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts, ending up as runner-up of the tournament and collecting £35,000 for his efforts. He was defeated by Phil Taylor in the final by 18 legs to 11, despite the fact his three-dart average was over 100.

In December, Hamilton has knocked out of the second round PDC world championship by Alex Roy.

Personal life

Away from the oche he runs the Skylark pub in Stoke-on-Trent with his wife Kate and has three step-children Adam, Sarah and Vicky. However in early next year, he will be selling the pub to pursue a full-time darts career.

Andy is sponsored by Unicorn, the same company as James Wade, Michael Barnard, Adrian Lewis and Wes Newton, known as the Contenders. Hamilton now practices with 13-time World Champion, Phil Taylor a fellow resident of Stoke-on-Trent.

Andy Hamilton has shot up the world rankings, climbing his way to the World's top eight, within three years of becoming professional. His strengthly attitude, compact body stance, and pure dedication, has made him a favourite in the sport.

References

Persondata
NAME =
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION =
DATE OF BIRTH =
PLACE OF BIRTH =
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =