Ted Hankey is out for the count at the Wolverhampton Civic

The Telford darter was beaten for the second time in a week by Scott Waites as he slipped to a 16-10 defeat.

Waites, the 2010 Grand Slam champion, had won their Group H clash 5-3 last Saturday, and hit three ton-plus finishes as he eased into the semi-finals.

'The Count' shared the game's opening four legs before Waites took out 104 to move 4-2 up with a break, only for Hankey to reply by hitting the bull to complete a 124 combination.

Huddersfield-based Waites extended his lead to 7-4, and though Hankey took out 90 to reply, the Lakeside Champion finished a 13-darter and a 102 finish as he moved 10-5 up, before taking out a superb 146 checkout to lead 12-6.

Hankey won three of the next four to pull back to 13-9, but Waites finished tops and double one to move to the brink of victory, and though double five kept the two-time World Champion in the mix, the former Grand Slam winner followed a 180 by taking out 96 to seal victory.

Hankey's run to the quarter-finals is the highlight of a year in which health problems have affected his form, but he said: "I didn't play as well as I could and Scott was the better player.

"I've struggled a bit, but I've enjoyed this week and hopefully I can keep pushing forward now. I know I'm as good as anybody, but I've got my health to sort out first."

Waites was delighted to progress, and said: "It was a good game and good fun, but I'm glad to get it out of the way. "It's difficult to get up on stage and play Ted, but I enjoyed the game and I think the crowd did too.

"Sometimes you get drawn into what Ted's doing rather than concentrating on your game, and I did, but I also had a bit of a laugh with him as well and it worked for me."

Waites now plays Robert Thornton in tomorrow afternoon's semi-finals.

Scotland's Thornton won through with a comprehensive 16-6 win over Tony O'Shea, who missed 31 darts at doubles as he exited the event.