Post by mrpro03 on Jan 12, 2009 1:19:55 GMT 1
Ted Hankey clinched his second BDO World Championship title with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Tony O'Shea.
Stoke's Hankey lost the first set, but took the next three on the trot.
The following six sets went with throw and Hankey nailed double 12 to open up a 6-4 lead but he fluffed a chance to win the title and O'Shea took the 11th.
Hankey missed six darts at a double to win in the 12th and O'Shea levelled at 6-6, but he regained his composure and hit double 10 to take the deciding set.
"I'm overwhelmed," Hankey told BBC Sport after receiving the trophy that he first won back in 2000.
"I almost had too many chances to win it. I lost count of the amount of doubles I missed."
In the 11th set, Hankey hit a single nine when aiming at 12 to set up double top to win the match, and in the 12th he missed double 20, 10, five and two as he struggled to close out the win.
"I thought I wasn't going to win it," he continued.
"Tony played so well, he just kept coming back at me.
Hankey, who is one of the game's more controversial characters, said he owed a debt of gratitude to his fellow professionals after he threatened to quit last year.
"The Count" said: "Tony is a great mate of mine and in February last year, he and Darryl Fitton and one or two others took me to one side and told me to sort myself out.
"Tony's time will come. I'm sorry I beat him in the final, but I'm glad I'm the world champion."
O'Shea admitted his poor start cost him his chance to win a first world title.
After winning the opening set, his accuracy on the doubles started to desert him, while Hankey took out 123 and 111 on his way to winning the third and fourth sets respectively.
Hankey missed three chances to close out the fifth set and O'Shea hit double top to reduce the deficit to 3-2, but Hankey hit 98 in two darts on his way to a 4-2 interval lead.
"In the first six sets it looked like Ted was going to romp it," said O'Shea.
"After the interval I tried speeding up the play, but Ted is the master of tactics and he played well."
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/darts/7823291.stm
