Hankey counted out by young thrower
Two-time world champion Ted Hankey was among 116 darters taking part in the BDO's Wolverhampton Open – but came a cropper to another Telford thrower!
'The Count' – Lakeside boss in 2000 and 2009 – chose to play near home rather than travel for the ranking Swedish Open on Saturday, writes Craig Birch.
He returned to the organisation last year from the PDC but missed out on the World Championship and World Masters, for which passes to the open qualifiers went to the winner.
The 47-year-old, who lives in Aqueduct, came flying out of the blocks in Group Three and didn't drop a leg in shutting out Michael Lammas and Jarred Rafferty.
But then Hankey ran into Shropshire cohort Sam Hamilton, the 24-year-old giving him a taste of his medicine with a stunning 4-0 win.
It game Hamilton the impetus to get to the group final, with PDC player James Richardson nicking the match 4-3.
Lakeside regular Paul Hogan took home top honours in the anyone-can-enter event, sponsored by Winmau, at the city's Sports Arena.
Hogan, born in Dudley but now based in Basingstoke, came through nine games to take the £1,000 top prize which was the reason for his trip.
The 51-year-old, nicknamed 'Crocodile Dundee' after the actor, is already on course for Lakeside and the Masters, so the wildcards went begging.
Four groups produced board winners for the last four with some high-profile exits on the way as former World Championship finalist Chris Mason, who lives in Essington, became one scalp.
He lost 4-1 in the last 32 to Dean Stewart, from Wolverhampton, who then whitewashed Martin Angell 4-0 and held his nerve against Mark Craddock 4-3 to take Group One.
Last year's Open winner, Solihull's Tony Randall, bowed out at the same stage as Mason, after he was thumped 4-0 by John Mann.
Hogan emerged from Group Two, defeating Mann's conqueror Simon Stevenson by another 4-0 whitewash in the final.
David Neads prevailed from Group Three after a dramatic finale, pipping fellow Welshman Rhys Griffin 4-3 to the post in the last leg.
That took the victors past the quarter-final stage and into the semis, where Hogan saw off Stewart 4-2 to come within a game of the non-ranking title.
Neads comprehensively eased past Richardson 4-1 to meet him in the decider, where Hogan did the business 4-2 to walk away with a four-figure cash haul. Neads took home £500 as the runner-up.
All of the semi-finalists netted £250, with £125 for the quarter-finalists. There was also a £100 incentive for the highest finish.
