Darts: League consolation for beaten Andy Hamilton

The McCoy’s Premier League Darts will feature debutants Andy Hamilton and Kevin Painter in 2012 after the line-up for the eight-man tournament was announced.

Hamilton is rewarded for his run to the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship final and rise to seventh in the PDC Order of Merit with a place in the event, while Painter’s maiden major triumph at the Cash Converters Players Championship has seen him handed the second PDC Wildcard selection. The duo join the PDC’s top four players – Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Gary Anderson – in competing in the McCoy’s Premier League Darts, with Australian Simon Whitlock and Holland’s Raymond van Barneveld completing the line-up. The tournament begins at the Manchester Arena on 9 February.