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Andy 'The Hammer' Hamilton
Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1967, Andy Hamilton was a very promising young player and represented Cheshire county by the time he was 18 years old. However, he quit playing the sport competitively at just 20 years old, believing he lacked the talent to sustain a professional career.
After nearly 20 years away from the game, Andy rediscovered his spark and made his television debut at the 2004 UK Open, though his first taste of the PDC limelight was short-lived - he lost in the first round to Eddie Lovely. Later the same year 'The Hammer' made his World Championship debut, enjoying a fine run to the quarter-finals before eventually being knocked out by veteran campaigner Bob Anderson.
The 2006 World Championship saw Andy paired with Phil Taylor in the third round, a match he almost inevitably lost, and his brilliant performance in this year's World Championship was again ended by Taylor, though this time at the semi-final stage.
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Previous UK Open Performances
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2003
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N/A |
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2004
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1st Round
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2005
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5th Round
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2006
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4th Round |
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2007
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4th Round
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'The Hammer' has made real progress in the few years since he made his TV debut, picking up the Players Championship in January of this year, with a very impressive list of scalps on his way to the title; Andy Smith, Roland Scholten, Terry Jenkins and Alan Warriner-Little. The feeling with 'The Hammer' is that he is making up for lost time after so many years away from darts, and his progress certainly looks like that of a man in a hurry to win titles. It was that progress that meant Andy started amongst the favourites for the 2007 Blue Square UK Open, but he crashed out in his very first game against Darren Webster in round four.
Webster had reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship and represented a tough draw for Hamilton, and the Stoke man was never able to find his rhythm as he crashed to an 11-8 defeat on Board Seven. However, one thing we can definitely say about 'The Hammer' is that he will be back in 2008, determined to do himself justice in the FA Cup of Darts.
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