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Andy Fordham - Returns to
World Darts
ANDY FORDHAM TO RETURN TO WORLD DARTS
The British Darts Organisation is
delighted to announce that
ANDY FORDHAM, the 2004 BDO World
Professional Darts Champion and one of the biggest and most popular characters
in darts, is to return to the world stage later this year.
The charismatic player known universally
as ‘The Viking’, has accepted an invitation to compete in the 2007 Winmau World
Masters this November
“This is wonderful news for the sport
of darts, because Andy is probably the most respected and recognised player in
the world”, says Olly Croft of the BDO. “He and wife Jenny, together with their
children Raymond and Emily, are an integral part of the BDO family and it is
great to have him back on the oche where he belongs”.
The hugely popular player was taken ill
at Lakeside Country Club in January with chest and liver problems, and it was
feared by some that he might never play competitive darts again.
However, with the strong support of his
family, friends and fellow players, Andy (now down to 21 stone in weight) has
been making steady progress towards a return to good health, and after months of
not picking up a dart, he has been practising privately.
The result is that when he returned to
competitive darts last week in the Turunc Open in Turkey, he reached the
Semi-Finals.
“Although I was a little nervous to
begin with, the confidence slowly came back, and I was pleased and surprised
with my game and the way I handled it”, says Andy.
“This was my first competitive darts for
eight long months and although there’s still a way to go, I now have a firm
target to aim for and goals to achieve.”
The 2007 Winmau World Masters, in
association with JJB Sports, is the final tournament in the 2007 BDO Grand Slam
title and will be played at Leisure World, Bridlington from November 16th to
18th. The weekend finals of the Men’s Masters will be televised by BBC TV Sport
on November 17th & 18th and the £60,000 prize money makes it the richest 2-day
televised tournament in World Darts.
Andy was crowned Winmau World Masters
Men’s Champion in 1999 and is sponsored by the Winmau Dartboard Company.
“We are delighted that Andy is making
his return to major darts at this year’s Winmau World Masters”, says Ian Flack,
Sales & Marketing Director of the Winmau Dartboard Company. “We have always
given him our total support and he is a great ambassador for the worldwide sport
of darts.
“Everyone at Winmau joins with Andy’s
family, the BDO, and his fellow players, in welcoming him back to the world
stage where he truly belongs”.
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© Patrick Chaplin 2007
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