Andy Fordham

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Andy Fordham
Personal information
Nickname The Viking
Born (1962-02-02) 2 February 1962 (age 62)
Charlton, London, England, UK
Home town Dartford, Kent
Darts information
Darts 21g Winmau 'Viking Raiders'
Laterality Right-handed
Walk-on music I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO 1990–2008, 2013-
PDC 2009–2011
Current world ranking (BDO) 54
BDO majors - best performances
World Ch'ship Winner 2004
World Masters Winner 1999
World Darts Trophy Semi Final: 2002
Int. Darts League Semi Final: 2003
Zuiderduin Masters Runner Up: 2001
PDC premier events - best performances
Grand Slam Group Stages: 2015
Other tournament wins
Tournament Years
British Matchplay
British Pentathlon
Finnish Open
Isle Of Man Open
Norway Open
Swiss Open
WDF Europe Cup Pairs
WDF World Cup Pairs
Welsh Open		 1995
1998, 2003
1994
1995
1995, 2000
1994
1996
1995, 2001
2002

Andy "The Viking" Fordham (born 2 February 1962) is an English darts player. He plays for the British Darts Organisation, and won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship and the 1999 Winmau World Masters.

Darts career

Fordham made his first appearance on the stage at Lakeside in 1995 and made it to the semi-finals before losing to Richie Burnett. Another semi-final defeat followed in 1996, this time to Steve Beaton. On both occasions, his victor went on to claim the title. Second round defeats followed in 1997 (to Marshall James) and 1998 (to Raymond van Barneveld) before he made it a hat-trick of semi-final defeats in 1999, this time to Ronnie Baxter.

His 2000 campaign ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of Chris Mason and his fourth semi-final loss in 2001 was to Ted Hankey. In 2002 and 2003 he went out in the first and second rounds respectively, before he finally managed to end his jinx in the 2004 World Championship. His run in the 2004 World Championship saw him win his first match 3–0 against unknown Brian Derbyshire. He then beat former Masters champion Tony West 3–0, and teased a 9-dart leg in the third set. He defeated Darryl Fitton in the quarter-finals 5–4, and then stunned Van Barneveld, the defending champion and strong tournament favourite, by recovering from 0–3 and 2–4 down to win 5–4 in what is considered one of the most dramatic matches in BDO history.

Fordham defeated King in the final, hitting a 139 checkout to take the eighth set 3–2 when Mervyn had reached a double-18, and then recovering from 2–0 down in the next set to take it 3–2 with double-8, and win the match by 6 sets to 3.

He has failed to win a single match at Lakeside in the three years since his title victory. The BDO World Champion receives an exemption from qualifying for a three-year period but that has now expired. His world ranking has slipped dramatically and major concerns about his health have meant that the chance of him returning to the heights of that 2004 success have receded.

Health concerns

In 2004, he was forced to withdraw from a best-of-13-sets match at Purfleet's Circus Tavern which pitted the two world darts champions of that time (Fordham representing the BDO and Phil Taylor representing the PDC) due to heat intensity. Taylor was subsequently declared the victor having been leading the contest by 5 sets to 2. After the incident Fordham visited a doctor, who told him his liver was 75% dead and the other 25% was in bad shape and urged him to stop drinking alcohol immediately.[1]

Fordham's health has long been a concern. At one point he weighed 31 stone (197 kilograms, 434 lbs) and was in the habit of consuming 25 bottles of lager before going on stage to play[citation needed]. The scare during the head-to-head game led Fordham to seek help via the television programme Celebrity Fit Club, where he became friends with the journalist and TV presenter Paul Ross. While getting a regime underway to try to lose some weight, he was defeated in the first round of the 2005 Lakeside World championship by Dutchman Vincent van der Voort. Fordham made another Lakeside appearance in 2006 but again suffered a first round exit, this time losing to Australia's Simon Whitlock.

Fordham was due to face Whitlock again in the first round of the 2007 BDO World Darts Championship, but was once again hospitalised after complaining of chest pains and breathing difficulties. He was forced to pull out of the tournament as a result and Whitlock received a walkover and went through to the second round without throwing a single dart.

Weeks after pulling out of the BDO World Championship, Fordham suffered what was initially thought to be a stroke, which turned out to be severe breathing difficulties caused by massive fluid build-up in his lungs. The incident was described as "minor" by his agent, and he is expected to make a full recovery.[2] In 2008, Fordham applied for a liver transplant.[3] Although initially on an emergency liver transplant list, he subsequently lost 17 st (108 kg, 238 lbs) in weight and stopping drinking leading to an announcement in December that he probably would not require a transplant for five years.[4]

Return to darts

In September 2007, after a nine-month layoff due to serious health problems, Fordham made an unobtrusive return to the oche at the Turunc Open in Turkey. Fordham reached the semi-final of the singles event, losing to the eventual winner Martin Phillips from Wales. During the lay-off Fordham lost 10 stone (63.5 kg, 140 lbs).[5]

He won one match in an attempt to qualify for the 2008 Lakeside World Championship, but went out in the last 128 and also lost in his opening match at the last 136 stage of the Winmau World Masters. He then received an invitation to play at the Zuiderduin Masters in December 2007 – but lost both matches 0–5, to Mark Barilli (averaging 53.43) and to Co Stompé (averaging 76.20).[6]

Move to the PDC

On 10 January 2009 it was announced that Fordham will move to the PDC.[7]

Fordham made his PDC debut in March 2009 at a Players Championship in Coventry losing his preliminary round match 6–4 against Gary Scratchley. After ending his first six tournaments with no money and without a single win, Fordham won his first match at the East Midlands Players Championship, beating Jon Archer 6–4 and earned £200 for his efforts. He eventually lost to James Wade in the last 64 stage. He also won £200 in Austria and a combined total of £400 over two tournaments in Nuland. As of October 2011, Fordham is ranked 303 in the PDC Order of Merit having not won any prize money since October 2009. In 2013 it seemed that he had stopped drinking and made a return to competitive darts.[8]

Return to the BDO

It was announced that Fordham would return to the British Darts Organisation (BDO) in 2013, starting with the Dutch Open.[9] MariFlex were announced as his new sponsors in February 2013.[10][11] He also extended his long running partnership with leading darts sponsor Winmau in May 2013.[12]

Fordham was awarded a wild card for the televised stages at the 2014 BDO World Trophy and faced Alan Norris in the first round.[13] He was beaten 6–2 by Norris.[14]

In September 2014, Andy returned to playing County darts and made his debut for Essex. He also plays in the Essex Superleague for Basildon.

In 2015, Fordham notably reached the last 16 of the Hal Masters in March and then reached the same stage at the German Masters in April.[15][16] As of September 2015, Fordham is awaiting clearance to play darts for the White Bear in the Chorley Darts and Dominoes League.[17]

In October 2015, Fordham managed to come through a field of almost 200 players to qualify for the 2015 Grand Slam of Darts (a PDC major event), winning one of the two available BDO UK qualifying places on offer.[18][19] He was unable to qualify from a group consisting of Adrian Lewis, Michael Smith and Wayne Jones. Fordham lost two of his three group matches,[20][21] but his 5–3 victory against Jones was his first televised win in over ten years, since the 2005 Masters of Darts in February 2005.[22]

Fordham also received a wildcard for the 2015 Zuiderduin Masters.[23]

World Championship Results

BDO

Career finals

Independent major finals: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2005 Masters of Darts England Phil Taylor 1–7 (s)

Performance timeline

Tournament 1990 1991–1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009–2012 2013 2014 2015
BDO World Championship DNP SF SF L16 L16 SF QF SF L32 L16 W L32 L32 L32 DNP
Winmau World Masters L32 DNP SF QF SF L16 L32 W L64 SF QF SF DNP L192 L128 L136 L136 DNP L272 L144 L272
World Darts Trophy Not held SF L32 DNP L32 DNP Not held
International Darts League Not held SF L32G L32G L32G DNP Not held
BDO World Trophy Not held L32 DNP
Masters of Darts Not held RU NH DNP Not held
Grand Slam of Darts Not held DNP RR
Performance Table Legend
DNP Did not play at the event DNQ Did not qualify for the event NYF Not yet founded L# lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals SF lost in the semi-finals RU lost in the final W won the tournament

Outside darts

Fordham is the eldest of four children and has a brother and two sisters. He grew up in Charlton, south-east London and attended Charlton Manor Primary School and Eaglesfield Secondary School. He was a keen track-and-field athlete in his younger days and was nicknamed 'The Whippet' at school.

Fordham is a huge fan of Scottish football club Rangers, and even paraded his Lakeside trophy before a game at Ibrox Stadium in 2004, he is also a fan of Millwall F.C. and paraded his trophy at half time.[24] A keen footballer himself, Fordham played for the Angerstein Hotel in east Greenwich after leaving school and this was where his love of darts was sparked. The Angerstein Hotel football team made up most of the resident darts team and after a training night the lads were a man short and asked 'The Whippet' to join them. At the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship at the Lakeside, Mark Williams a former snooker world champion announced that Fordham had broken his leg.

Fordham is married to Jenny, and they have two children, Raymond (born 1986) and Emily (born 1987). Fordham and Jenny run "The Cutty Sark" in Thamesmead having previously run The Queen's Arms in Woolwich and The Rose public house in Dartford Kent.

References

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External links

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