Wade backed to become world champion after remarkable resurgence

JAMES WADE has been backed to complete his trophy collection by “winning the Worlds” after a stunning revival.

The world No6 lifted the Flanders Darts Trophy by beating Ross Smith 8-4 in the final to claim his first Euro Tour title since Hamburg in 2016.

Wade, 43, has also won his first ever World Series crown at the Australian Masters and became the first player to reach 1,000 Players Championship match wins this season.

Polly James reckons Wade has what it takes to land a 12th major title in Leicester this week, with The Machine beginning his World Grand Prix campaign against Joe Cullen.

She told the Love the Darts podcast: “I think Wadey this year, last year even, he's just someone that you just can't really bet against.

“His scoring power, his doubling, just everything and when it's on and when he's in a good mood up for it, I just think he could easily win this.”

Former pro Paul Nicholson believes the veteran has already ticked off several of the milestones that once seemed beyond him.

He added: “When he won in Flanders, I just heard the pens of the commentators drop as if to say, now we can't write that he hasn't won one of these for 10 years anymore.

“So 2016 Hamburg, now he's won in Flanders. So that's that one done and it has been a very good year because he's won in Australia and we talked about how he'd never won in the World Series.

“So he's ticked that off the list. I mean, what's he going to do next? Win the Worlds.”

“We've talked about how the fact he's never going to win the Worlds. Well, I think maybe he could now. I've got to make in the final in this tournament because I think he's ripe for a run.

“He's won it a couple of times before and the last time he won it, he had motivation because there was a family agreement and he wanted to win for them.

“I think his motivation is thoroughly from his family these days and for himself, maybe for the first time and he's got such a level of calmness about him right now that I haven't seen in him, maybe in all of his career.”

Wade came closest to lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2012 when he led Adrian Lewis 5-1 before suffering a heartbreaking 6-5 semi-final defeat at Ally Pally.

Nicholson reckons Wade now has what it takes to go one step further and become only the sixth player to complete the Triple Crown.

The Asset also highlighted Gerwyn Price’s role in helping Wade rediscover the form that has made him one of the game’s most decorated stars.

He said: “I think when he was winning the match playing the Grand Prix earlier in his career and he was notching up UK Open, you thought, it's just a matter of time before he becomes world champion.

“We do reference 2012 a lot. He probably should have won that tournament, but he didn't.

“But if you play this game long enough, and the way his career has gone, there's going to be peaks and troughs.

“There's going to be years where, I'm not really into this right now, it's a job. But there are going to be times where influences come into your life, inspirations that say, do you know what?

“I think I need this. I think Gezzy Price has had a great deal to do with this because they've struck up a bit of a friendship and they can banter.

“They can really bounce off each other when they play each other.

“And you need those rivalries. Wade has played, through [Phil] Taylor, [Michael] van Gerwen, [Luke] Littler, [Luke] Humphries, some of the greatest players ever, and he's still standing.

“He's playing in his 22nd World Grand Prix.

“This is ridiculous stuff.”

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning