Ted Hankey stuns Phil Taylor at Grand Slam of Darts
Published:A brilliant performance from Ted Hankey stunned Phil Taylor in their Group H game last night as the underdog came through 5-4 at the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts.
The crowd at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall had to wait until the of the final game of the evening session to see the biggest name in world darts take to the oche but they will not have been disappointed with the spectacle provided.
Hankey raced into a 2-0 lead thanks in part to a brilliant 15-dart finish in the first leg, before Taylor levelled the game at 2-2. There was some fantastic darts after the break with Hankey producing a 12-dart finish, before Taylor went one better with an 11-darter.
The game went into a decider at 4-4 with Hankey holding his nerve to qualify for the second round, banishing memories of last year’s competition when he was fined £250 by the Darts Regulatory Authority for storming off after reacting to the boisterous crowd.
Hankey said: “I felt I let myself down last year but I had a tough time. I’ve got through my shoulder problems and I’ve been really looking forward to coming back to Wolverhampton, so to be in the quarter finals is great.”
Taylor must now win his final group game against Wes Newton, who has given himself a chance of qualification with a 5-4 victory over Dutchman Michael van Gerwen. Both Newton and Taylor have two points heading into their fascinating decider tomorrow.
Taylor is still favourite in the darts betting for the Grand Slam of Darts, but has drifted slightly from his initial 4/9 to 8/13. Following his impressive victory, Hankey has now come in to 25/1 in the darts betting to claim his first Grand Slam of darts title.
Does this affect the betting for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship? Taylor is still the massive favourite at 4/9.
