Wade: “I don’t put off rivals!”

By Phil Lanning

EXCLUSIVE

JAMES WADE admits he’s the on the wrong end of perfect legs because he doesn’t put off his rivals. 

The Aldershot hotshot has had ELEVEN nine-darters against him on TV including the most recent by Gerwyn Price in the Premier League a week ago. 

Wade, 38, also reckons that he allows his opponents to relax which helps them go for perfection.

He said: “I look back at all the nine-darters and other players try to slow down the last throw against their opponents. If I watch a player go 180, 180 I get out the way as soon as possible. Because it’s a big thing to do. 

“I’ve never inconvenienced or slowed down another player during a nine-darter. I watched footage over the years and some people are quite naughty. 

“I think the reason lots get hit against me is because I’m unpredictable and I have good legs and bad legs. 

“Sometimes I’ll have a lazy leg and be well back which allows that player to relax and then they hit a nine-darter!”

Wade also believes that he would have beaten Price if not for his astonishing second perfect leg of the night in Belfast.

He added: “If I’d have hit double 10, I would have won the game. So it’s a bit strange that all the publicity is about Gerwyn Price playing amazing and he did play amazing. He is a great bloke and I get on really well with him.

“But if I’d won that leg, he would have lost 6-4. That was the most important leg of the game. 

“You get brushed aside. Perhaps if that had been a different player against him, maybe both players would have been given compliments.”

Wade also admits that expecting another child with wife Sammi will help keep him motivated for success.

He said: “When we had Arthur it did make a massive difference to me. At the same time I was shutting down the garage that I had. 

“All the stress and hassle of that was reduced. It all tied in with having a son and it made a big change to me mentally. I enjoyed going away to darts again so I got some sleep!

“Darts has never been my life. It’s always been a passion of mine. But as you get older you realise there’s lot of other wonderful things in life.” 

Images by Taylor Lanning.