Although beaten by eventual winner Phil Taylor 16-11 in the quarter finals of the World Matchplay on Friday evening Andy Hamilton’s performance confirmed his position as one of the World’s leading darts players.Averaging 99.72 for the match. Hamilton pushed Taylor all the way for the first 20 legs before 15 times World Champion Taylor secured victory. But Stoke born Hamilton’s profile continues to grow and throughout the tournament his popularity is becoming more and more evident. In a clear indication of how far he has come in the last 12 months it was Hamilton’s name being chanted throughout the game from his adoring legion of fans.Andy who has now moved to a career high number 6 in the PDC World rankings looks forward to the next big TV tournament, the European Championships being held in Muelheim in Germany on 20- 23rd September.