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http://www.bdodarts.com/1619/11-01-2...laim_for_title

Ted Hankey staked his claim for a third world title, burying second seed Scott Waites 4-3 in a gripping 74-minute encounter.

Both players uncharacteristically missed doubles in a match dripping with tension but it was “The Count” who swooped back from 2-1 and 3-2 down to win through on a blood curdling 144 match-winning checkout.

“The breaks in the match came at the wrong time for me. I decided to speed up my game and Scott couldn’t handle it. At one point in the match I thought Scott was trying to slow me down. Scott is naturally fast thrower and I practised with another fast thrower – Dutchman Willie van de Wiel so that I was ready for the match,” said the 43-year-old 15th seed.

Defeated Waites declared: “I could have won 4-0 if I had hit my doubles. I lost this match, although Ted played well at the back end of the game.”

Both players served up some tasty darts in the opening set, fast-throwing Waites surging into a 2-0 lead but then missing two darts for the set in the third as The Count nailed double 10. Hankey swooped to notch a brace of 180s to level. Waites agonised as he missed a further five doubles for the set, Hankey pouncing for a set-winning checkout against the throw, with double five.

Hankey drilled in his fifth maximum to take the opening leg of the second set but costly bull misses for 121 and 90 in the following legs let in Waites for a 2-1 lead and despite missing double 16 for 86 and a further five doubles, he levelled the match with double two.

Remarkably the Halifax player missed 11 darts as he moved into a 2-1 lead with the throw in the next including a 100 checkout, finished with single 20, two double tops. He held his nerve in the next after Hankey failed to exit on 76, taking 2-1 match lead with double 18.

The crucial fourth set saw the Count edge 2-0 in front but it was Waite who clinched the third against the throw and the fourth after missing two doubles before grabbing double five. In the deciding fifth leg the Telford player missed 66 for double tops, Waites missing double 18 and then double nine for a set winning 50. Not believing his luck Hankey missed two double and gratefully slotted the third in double five to level the match.

The fifth also went the full distance, both players still trying to reproduce their best form, Waites hitting the solitary 180 and then missing tops for 120, Hankey repeating the feat and watching on helpless as the Halifax man exited on double 10.

The Count fired in a maximum and 12-darter at the start of a 3-0 rout in the sixth set to plunge the match into a nail-biting deciding set.

And then he added his fourth successive leg, taking the throwing advantage in the seventh set, nervously missing three double attempts before striking double 10 to move within a leg of victory. As Waites grimaced and snatched his darts, Hankey fluffed five match-winning doubles, the gritty Yorkshireman scrambling to double four.

A fallen dart in the next leg failed to deter Hankey as he eyed up a place in the last eight, producing a match-winning 144 checkout finished on double 12.