Ted Hankey facts for kids

Edward Hankey, born on February 20, 1968, is a former professional darts player from England. He is widely known by his exciting nickname, "The Count". Ted Hankey achieved great success in the darts world, especially in the BDO World Darts Championship. He won this prestigious tournament twice, first in 2000 and again in 2009. He also reached the final in 2001.

He later joined the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 2012. During a match, he experienced a health issue that caused him to take a break from the sport. After recovering, he continued to play darts, eventually returning to the BDO. He made his last appearance at the BDO World Darts Championship in 2016.

Darts Career Highlights

BDO Successes

Ted Hankey had a remarkable journey in the British Darts Organisation (BDO). In the 2000 BDO World Darts Championship, he showed incredible skill. He defeated several strong players like Bob Taylor and Kevin Painter. In the final match against Ronnie Baxter, Hankey won by a huge margin of 6–0. He finished the match with a spectacular 170 checkout, which is the highest score you can get with three darts to win a leg. This final was one of the fastest in the tournament's history, lasting only 46 minutes.

During the semi-final against Chris Mason in 2000, Hankey set a championship record. He scored 22 maximums (180 points) in a single match. He also holds other high 180s records from 2009. Overall, he scored a record 48 maximums during the 2000 tournament, showing his amazing scoring power.

Hankey reached the final again in 2001, but this time he lost to John Walton with a score of 6–2. After this, he went through a period where he didn't reach as many major finals. However, he made a big comeback with his second World Championship victory in 2009.

In the years that followed his first win, Hankey faced tough competition. He was knocked out in the second round in 2002 and the first round in 2003. In 2004, he reached the quarter-finals but was defeated. He also reached the quarter-finals in 2005, losing to Martin Adams. In 2006, he had an early exit in the first round.

For the 2007 BDO World Darts Championship, Hankey was seeded eighth. He won his first-round match and hit another 170 checkout in a close 4–3 victory. He then lost to Martin Adams again in the quarter-finals. In 2011, he achieved a rare 9-dart finish at the Scottish Open, a perfect game in darts.

In the 2008 BDO World Championship, he won his first two matches before losing in the quarter-finals to Simon Whitlock.

Second World Title and Later Seasons

Ted Hankey started the 2009 Lakeside Championships strong, winning his first-round match 3–0. He continued to play well throughout the tournament, defeating former World Champion John Walton and England captain Martin Adams. In the final, he faced Tony O'Shea and won a thrilling match 7–6 in sets. Hankey had a good lead early on, but O'Shea fought back. Ted eventually closed out the match in the final set, securing his second world title.

In the 2010 BDO World Darts Championship, Hankey reached the quarter-finals. He led 4–1 at one point but was eventually knocked out by Dave Chisnall with a score of 5–4. In the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, he had an early exit in the first round. In the 2012 BDO World Darts Championship, Hankey reached the semi-finals. He had a strong lead but lost a very close match 6–5 to Christian Kist, who went on to win the championship. After this tournament, Hankey announced his decision to join the PDC.

PDC Career and Return to BDO

After his BDO World Championship semi-final appearance in 2012, Ted Hankey was offered a tour card to play in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). This meant he could compete in PDC events without having to go through a qualifying tournament. His first PDC event was the Spanish Darts Trophy. He later achieved his best result in a PDC event by reaching the last 16 of a Players Championship event. In his first major PDC tournament, the UK Open, he won two matches before losing to his former BDO rival, Mervyn King.

Health and Comeback

At the 2012 Grand Slam of Darts, Ted Hankey faced a health challenge during a match against Michael van Gerwen. He visibly struggled and later it was revealed he had experienced a mini-stroke. This health issue required him to take three months off from darts to recover.

Hankey returned to competitive darts in February 2013. He showed encouraging performances, reaching the fourth round of a Players Championship event. He qualified for the UK Open and won two matches before being defeated. He also qualified for his first European Tour event. Later in 2013, he returned for the Grand Slam of Darts. After losing his first group game, he made a strong comeback, winning his next two matches to reach the knockout stages. He then won a thrilling match against Simon Whitlock, coming back from 6–1 down to win 10–9 and reach the quarter-finals. His run ended in the quarter-finals against Scott Waites.

Back to the BDO

After his two-year tour card with the PDC ended, Ted Hankey decided to return to the BDO. In his first season back, he had some good results, reaching two quarter-finals in tournaments. He continued to compete in BDO events, including the 2015 BDO World Trophy.

Personal Life

Ted Hankey has three children.

Career Finals

BDO Major Finals: 4 (2 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	2000	World Championship	Ronnie Baxter	6–0 (s)
Runner-up	1.	2001	World Championship	John Walton	2–6 (s)
Runner-up	2.	2004	Zuiderduin Masters	Raymond van Barneveld	1–5 (s)
Winner	2.	2009	World Championship	Tony O'Shea	7–6 (s)

World Championship Results

BDO

• 1998: Quarter-finals (lost to Colin Monk 2–5)
• 1999: Second round (lost to Chris Mason 1–3)
• 2000: Winner (beat Ronnie Baxter 6–0)
• 2001: Runner-up (lost to John Walton 2–6)
• 2002: Second round (lost to Wayne Jones 2–3)
• 2003: First round (lost to Tony O'Shea 2–3)
• 2004: Quarter-finals (lost to Tony O'Shea 1–5)
• 2005: Quarter-finals (lost to Martin Adams 3–5)
• 2006: First round (lost to Albertino Essers 1–3)
• 2007: Quarter-finals (lost to Martin Adams 3–5)
• 2008: Quarter-finals (lost to Simon Whitlock 0–5)
• 2009: Winner (beat Tony O'Shea 7–6)
• 2010: Quarter-finals (lost to Dave Chisnall 4–5)
• 2011: First round (lost to Scott Waites 0–3)
• 2012: Semi-finals (lost to Christian Kist 5–6)
• 2016: First round (lost to Martin Phillips 0–3)

Performance Timeline