| James Wade | |
|---|---|
_by_Sandro_Halank%25E2%2580%2593073.jpg) Wade in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James Martin Wade |
| Nickname | "The Machine" |
| Born | (1983-04-06)6 April 1983 (age 42) Ash, Surrey, England |
| Home town | Aldershot, England |
| Darts information | |
| Playing darts since | 1997 |
| Darts | 20g Unicorn Signature |
| Laterality | Left-handed |
| Walk-on music | "I'm Still Standing" byElton John |
| Organisation (seesplit in darts) | |
| BDO | 2001–2004 |
| PDC | 2004– (Tour Card: 2011–) |
| Current world ranking | (PDC) 7 1 (23 November 2025)[1] |
| WDF major events – best performances | |
| World Championship | Last 16:2004 |
| World Masters | Last 64:2002,2003 |
| World Trophy | Last 16:2003 |
| Int. Darts League | Quarter-final: 2004,2007 |
| Finder Masters | Last 16 Group: 2002 |
| PDC premier events – best performances | |
| World Championship | Semi-final:2009,2012,2013,2022 |
| World Matchplay | Winner (1):2007 |
| World Grand Prix | Winner (2):2007,2010 |
| UK Open | Winner (3):2008,2011,2021 |
| Grand Slam | Runner-up:2010,2016,2020 |
| European Championship | Winner (1):2018 |
| Premier League | Winner (1):2009 |
| Ch'ship League | Winner (1):2010 |
| Desert Classic | Runner-up:2008 |
| PC Finals | Semi-final:2009 |
| Masters | Winner (1):2014 |
| Champions League | Semi-final:2016 |
| World Series Finals | Winner (1):2018 |
| Other achievements | |
| 2006 PDC Young Player of the Year 2007 PDC Player of the Year 2008 PDC Player of the Year and PDPA Players' Player of the Year | |
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professionaldarts player who competes inProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently rankedworld number seven; he reached a peak ranking of world number two in 2010. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever darts players to have never won a world championship[2][3][4][5] and the greatestleft-hander in the history of the sport,[6][3] Wade is a four-timePDC World Championship semi-finalist and eleven-time PDC major winner, placing himthird in the all-time list behindPhil Taylor andMichael van Gerwen.
Wade started his career in theBritish Darts Organisation (BDO) in 2001 before joining theProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 2004. His best performance in a major BDO tournament came at theInternational Darts League in 2004 and2007, reaching the quarter-finals on both occasions. He became the then-youngest player to win a major PDC title when he won the2007World Matchplay at age 24. His PDC major wins include theWorld Grand Prix in2007 and2010, theUK Open in2008,2011 and2021, thePremier League in2009, theChampionship League in2010, theMasters in2014 and both theEuropean Championship andWorld Series Finals in 2018. He has won a total of 40 PDC titles in his professional career.
Wade first took playing darts seriously at the age of 14 and won the Basingstoke Open, his first competitive event and went on to compete for England at youth level.[7] He reached the final of theBritish Classic in 2001 at the age of 18, losing toJohn Walton and the following year he won the Swiss Open.[8] Wade made his television debut at the2003 BDO World Championship, but lost 2–3 in the first round toDennis Harbour having missed eight darts to win the match in the fourth set.[9] In other BDO Open events during 2003, he reached the Norway Open final, Belgian Open semi-finals and Dutch Open quarter-finals.[10]
At the2004 BDO World Championship, he beatShaun Greatbatch 3–0 in the first round, before losing toDarryl Fitton.[11] Later in 2004, he reached a series of quarter-finals including the German Open, the Isle of Man Open and the prestigiousInternational Darts League in May – which was his last tournament as a BDO affiliated player.[7]
In May 2004, Wade took the decision to forfeit his automatic place in the 2004World Darts Trophy and2005 BDO World Championship to join theProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC).[7] His first PDC major was the2004 UK Open, where he was edged out 8–7 in the fourth round byColin Lloyd.[12]He came through the World Championship Qualifiers to make hisPDC World Darts Championship debut in 2005,[13] losing 3–0 in the first round to Mark Holden.[14] Wade bounced back from this to win the Irish Masters and moved closer to the top 32 in the world for the first time.[7] He lost 11–4 toPeter Manley in the last 16 of theUK Open and 3–1 againstRoland Scholten in the last 16 of theLas Vegas Desert Classic (after beating the experiencedRonnie Baxter in the prior round).[15][16] In his secondWorld Championship appearance he lost again in the first round, this time 3–2 toWayne Jones, despite having won the first six legs for a two-set lead.[7]
Wade hit twonine-dart finishes in the early part of 2006, but when he was defeated in the qualifiers for theLas Vegas Desert Classic he decided to give up his job as a mechanic and become a full-time darts professional.[7]The results of this were evident almost immediately as he made his major breakthrough on television during the2006 World Matchplay in July. He sensationally reached the final, seeing off four experienced players in his first ever appearance at theWinter Gardens. Wade beatDenis Ovens in the first round 10–1, having had darts to make it a 10–0 whitewash, 2004 World Championship finalistKevin Painter 13–9 in the second round, ending one leg with two double 20's to cause a minor controversy, and beatChris Mason 16–4 in his quarter-final. In the semi-finals he came back from 1–5 down to beatRoland Scholten 19–17 in extra legs, as a player is required to win the match by two clear legs in the Matchplay. In the final he playedPhil Taylor but despite being 8–5 up, he lost 18–11.[17][18]In the rest of 2006 in the non-televised events he reached three semi-finals and a final, before he won the Vauxhall Men's Singles by defeatingRonnie Baxter 5–3 in the final, having hit his third nine-darter of the year in the semi-finals of the event.[19]
Wade won his first matches in the PDC World Championship in2007 by beatingWarren French and Dave Ladley to reach the last 16, whereTerry Jenkins was a 4–3 victor.[20] He was then awarded with the PDC's Young Player of the Year and his world ranking had climbed to number 11.[7]
He then returned to Blackpool for the2007 World Matchplay and claimed the title – his first major televised tournament success and became the youngest player ever to win a PDC televised event in doing so.[21] His route to the title and £50,000 cheque saw him beatWayne Jones,Dennis Priestley,Mervyn King,Adrian Lewis andTerry Jenkins in the final.[22]Although Wade's victory was nothing short of emphatic over the ever-tenacious Jenkins, many believe his semi-final victory over Lewis was one of the finest performances ever seen at the Winter Gardens. Both players averaged 101, but it was Wade's finishing, as he checked out almost 70% of his doubles, which saw him triumph 17–7.[23] His 18–7 win over Jenkins in the final saw him move up to world number three.[24]Wade also won the next PDC major tournament – theWorld Grand Prix in Dublin in October beating van Barneveld by 5 sets to 1 in the semi-finals and once again denying Jenkins his first major title in the final by winning 6–3.[25]These successes saw Wade being crowned the 2007 PDC Player of the Year and PDPA Players' Player of the Year.[7]
At the2008 World Championship Wade reached the quarter-finals and was defeated 5 sets to 4 in a close encounter againstJohn Part, who went on to win the tournament.[26]Wade made his debut in thePremier League as he was in the top four of the Order of Merit and on the opening night became the first player to defeat Taylor in the tournament's three-year history, winning the match 8 legs to 6. Taylor however exacted revenge with a 16–8 victory in the final on 26 May 2008 after Wade had defeated van Barneveld in the semi-finals.[7] Incredibly, Wade claimed his third major title in a year at theUK Open, by beating AmericanGary Mawson 11–7 in the final.[27] The following month, he reached the finals of theLas Vegas Desert Classic, losing 13–7 to Taylor.[28] Then in July he reached his thirdWorld Matchplay final in a row, losing for the second time in three years in the final to Taylor 18–9, making this the third major final loss of the year against Taylor.[29] In the defence of hisWorld Grand Prix title he lost toTony Eccles in the first round.[30] He returned to form to claim two Players Championship titles in the autumn and also hit his first televised nine-darter in a second round loss toGary Anderson at theGrand Slam of Darts.[7]
In the2009 World Championship, Wade went a stage further than the previous year, reaching the semi-finals where he lost 4–6 toRaymond van Barneveld.[31]Wade won the2009 Premier League Darts tournament, defeatingMervyn King 13–8 at theWembley Arena. However, he failed to defend his UK Open title in 2009 after losing toPeter Manley 9–8 in the third round. He then failed to reach the World Matchplay final for the first time, losing in the quarter-finals toRonnie Baxter.
Wade lost to an on-fireSimon Whitlock in the quarter-finals of the2010 World Championship. Whitlock won 5–3 in sets.
Defending his Premier League title, Wade reached the final of the2010 Premier League, where he played against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 10–8, hitting two nine-dart finishes during the match.
Wade won the2010 World Grand Prix, beatingAdrian Lewis 6–3 in the final. Four days later, he won his second major tournament inside a week by defeating Taylor 6–5 in the2010 Championship League Darts final.
Wade reached another major final in 2010 at theGrand Slam, seeing bothMervyn King andTerry Jenkins squander match darts against him before Wade himself threw away an 8–0 lead against BDO playerScott Waites in the final, as Waites came back to win 16–12.
Wade was the number two seed for the2011 World Championship due to his World Grand Prix and Champions League Darts victories. However, Wade was beaten by world number 47Mensur Suljović 4–2 in the second round. He got off to a poor start in the Premier League of Darts losing 8–3 to an on formMark Webster he went on to defeat World Champion Adrian Lewis 8–6 in week 2 and then lost 8–5 toSimon Whitlock; during the match he took some stick from the Belfast crowd.[32]He regained some form in the latter weeks of the League drawing with Raymond Van Barneveld 7–7 while averaging over 100.[33]In June he won his 7th major title2011 UK Open Darts after an 11–8 win againstWes Newton.[34] At the2011 World Matchplay, he reached his fourth final and third againstPhil Taylor. Wade beatRaymond van Barneveld andAdrian Lewis en route, before losing to Taylor in the final 18–8.
Wade dropped just one set to reach the quarter-finals of the2012 World Championship, but was then involved in two of the best games ever witnessed at the event.[35] He playedJohn Part in the last 8 and raced into a 3–1 lead before the Canadian won three sets in a row. Wade took the game into a deciding set and the players broke each other's throws twice to require a sudden-death leg, which he managed to win by taking out 85 with Part on 40.[36] He played defending championAdrian Lewis in the semi-finals and looked to be heading for his first PDC World final as he led 5–1. Lewis pulled a set back, before Wade had a dart at double 18 to win the match. He missed and it proved to be a pivotal moment as Lewis took the set and reeled off 10 straight legs to complete a sensational comeback 5–6. Despite the loss, Wade moved up to third in the PDC Order of Merit overtaking Gary Anderson.[37]
Wade once again gained automatic entry for thePremier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.[38] He lost his first three matches, before winning the next three and went into the final game of the season knowing a win overRaymond van Barneveld would guarantee him a spot in the play-offs.[39][40] Wade drew the match 7–7, but due to other results going his way he still qualified for the play-offs by finishing 4th in the league.[41] He playedPhil Taylor in the semi-finals, against whom he suffered heavy 2–8 and 1–8 defeats during the league campaign.[39] The semi-final, however, was much closer as Wade led 4–2 in the opening stages, before the score became 6–6. Taylor then took out a 149 finish, with Wade on 57, to break and then closed out the match 8–6.[42]
Wade beatRichie Burnett,Mark Walsh,Michael van Gerwen andTerry Jenkins to reach his fifthWorld Matchplay final and his fourth against Phil Taylor.[43][44] Wade trailed 10–14, but hit back to 14–15 and then missed a dart at double 10 to level the game. He went on to lose 15–18, stating after the match that winning 15 legs against Taylor whilst playing "half-mast" was a good achievement and that he had never felt so happy playing darts.[45] However, during his first round defeat toColin Osborne in theWorld Grand Prix, Wade appeared visibly unsettled and immediately flew back home to receive treatment forbipolar disorder, with which he was diagnosed in 2010.[46] He released a statement to thank fans for their support and did not play again until theGrand Slam of Darts,[47] where he finished third in his group following one win and two defeats.[48] After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Wade finished 12th on the Order of Merit to qualify for thePlayers Championship Finals.[49] He lost toBrendan Dolan 4–6 in the first round.[50]
At the2013 World Championship, Wade beatPeter Hudson 3–0,Steve Beaton 4–2 andVincent van der Voort 4–0 and then edged pastWes Newton 5–4 in the quarter-finals.[51] He was 1–3 down toMichael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, who then hit a nine dart finish and was a double 12 away from becoming the first player to hit successive perfect legs. However, Wade won the set and then levelled the game at 3–3. Despite averaging 10 points lower than his opponent, which included hitting one 180 to van Gerwen's 14, Wade stayed in the match by taking out finishes at crucial times. But the pressure exerted on Wade eventually showed as he lost 4–6.[52] Wade's best performance of the league stage of thePremier League came in week five when he averaged 105.73 during a 7–1 win overRobert Thornton, who had not lost any of his first four matches.[53] Despite losing three matches in a row he went into the final night needing a positive result againstPhil Taylor to qualify for the play-offs.[54] He managed a 6–6 draw and after other results were favourable for Wade he finished fourth in the league to play van Gerwen in the semi-finals, who he had beaten 7–4 and lost to 5–7 during the league campaign.[54] Wade uncharacteristically missed a plethora of darts at doubles, hitting just 20% during the match and, despite a brief fightback from 2–7 down, he would lose 4–8.[55]
Wade played in six of the eightUK Open Qualifiers but could not advance beyond the last 16 in any of them to finish a lowly 61st on the Order of Merit, which meant he would enter theUK Open itself in the preliminary round.[56] He had six comfortable wins to advance to the quarter-finals.[57] He playedAndy Hamilton and in a tight match he lost 8–10.[58] Wade playedPhil Taylor once again in theWorld Matchplay, this time in the semi-finals, and was beaten 12–17.[59]
On 20 August, Wade was banned by the PDC for four tournaments regarding his behavior at recent Pro Tour events. He was found to have "acted in a manner which may reasonably be considered to injure or discredit the Darts Regulation Authority or bring the game into disrepute". Wade was free to return at theGerman Darts Masters in September.[60] In October Wade reached the semi-finals of theWorld Grand Prix, where he lost 5–1 to Phil Taylor, extending his winless run against Taylor to 18 matches. Taylor remarked afterwards: "James didn't click. He was gone. It's the first time I've ever seen him gone. He told me afterwards that he just gave up."[61] At the inauguralMasters Wade fought a partisan crowd to come back from 7–4 behind in the quarter-finals againstSimon Whitlock to finish 91 on the bullseye in the deciding leg to win 8–7.[62] Wade, whose ranking has now dropped to world number six, stated that he wanted to prove that he should be back in the top four.[62] Early on in the semi-final his opponent Taylor threw a broken flight from the stage, with Wade then asking for it back before complaining to match officials. Wade asked the referee to forfeit the match and lost 10–1 with an average of 73.99.[63] Wade returned to win all three of his group games at theGrand Slam of Darts and then cruised pastPaul Nicholson 10–1 to face Taylor yet again.[64] The meeting looked to be heading in a similar manner to Wade's recent heavy defeats as he trailed 9–2, but he then won five unanswered legs before missing three darts to reduce his deficit to only one. This was as close as he could get to Taylor and he went on to lose 16–12.[65]
Wade rode his luck at the2014 World Championship asDarren Webster missed six match darts in the first round andAndy Smith missed two in the second.[66][67] Nevertheless, Wade advanced to the quarter-finals but was comfortably beaten 5–1 byAdrian Lewis as he missed 34 darts at doubles during the match.[68] As he was outside the top four on the Order of Merit, Wade had no guarantee he would be involved in the2014 Premier League and he did not receive a wildcard from the PDC or Sky Sports which saw him miss the event for the first time since 2007. PDC chairmanBarry Hearn explained the decision was made to give Wade a rest to enable him more time to gain treatment for his health issues,[69] but Wade released a statement the following day, describing the omission as "devastating" as he was "one of the four most consistent players in 2013".[70] Wade also said he didn't ask to be left out and didn't decline an invitation, and that, with regards the reason given by Hearn that he could gain treatment for his bipolar disorder, "no medical professional has suggested I take a break".[70]
At theUK Open, Wade eliminatedMichael Mansell andKim Huybrechts, before being edged out 9–8 in the fifth round byTerry Jenkins.[71] At theDubai Duty Free Darts Masters he led world number oneMichael van Gerwen 5–3, but was eliminated in a deciding leg 10–9.[72] Wade reached his first final in almost two years at the 12thPlayers Championship of 2014 by defeating Van Gerwen 6–4 in the semi-finals, but then lost 6–3 toSimon Whitlock.[73] Later in the month he won his first title since October 2011 by coming back from 4–1 down to beatSteve Beaton 6–4 in the final of theGibraltar Darts Trophy, stating afterwards that the success meant more to him than of his televised wins as he was unsure if he was still capable of winning tournaments.[74] Wade could not advance to the semi-finals of theWorld Matchplay for the first time since 2009 as he lost in the quarters 16–10 to Whitlock.[75]
Wade's match againstRobert Thornton in the second round of theWorld Grand Prix is regarded as the best in the tournament's history. At 1–0 up in sets, Wade opened the next with the second ever double-startnine-dart finish and threw a 156 finish in the leg after. However, he went on to lose the set and the following one, before Thornton incredibly threw the game's second nine-darter to become the first players to have thrown a perfect leg in the same match in darts history. Thornton would miss four darts to win 3–1, with the tie instead going into a deciding set which Wade took to advance to the quarter-finals.[76][77] Wade continued his run by beatingPhil Taylor for the first time in a major knockout tournament and reached the final by fighting back from 3–1 down againstGary Anderson to win 4–3.[78][79] Wade paid the price for missing doubles againstMichael van Gerwen including three to win both the fifth and seventh sets as he fell short of claiming a hat-trick of Grand Prix titles with a 5–3 defeat.[80] The following week, Wade won the 17th Players Championship by fighting back from 5–3 behind to beatKim Huybrechts 6–5.[81] He was denied a weekend double 24 hours later as Van Gerwen beat him 6–2 in the final of the 18th event.[82]
Wade beat Taylor in a major event for the second time inside a month in the semi-finals of theMasters 11–9 with an average of 105.56. Wade started the final poorly, to fall 5–0, 6–1, 9–2 and 10–6 behind againstMervyn King, but incredibly King would miss a total of eight match darts, as Wade won the last five legs of the match to defeat King 11–10 and take his first major title for three years. Wade hit a 135 checkout in the last leg.[83] The comeback was later named the televised performance of the year at the PDC's annual awards dinner.[84]
Wade suffered a 4–1 defeat toStephen Bunting in the second round of the2015 World Championship and he lost 9–6 againstAndrew Gilding in the fifth round of theUK Open.[85][86] He lost in the final of the firstPlayers Championship event 6–5 toGary Anderson, but returned to claim the second event a day later by beatingPeter Wright 6–5.[87][88] He threw a nine-dart finish in the final of the sixth event to level the scores at 2–2 with Van Gerwen, but lost 6–5 and was narrowly edged out by the same scoreline in the final of the next event this time to Wright. In both events he never had a dart for the title.[89][90] On his return to thePremier League, Wade could only win three of his 16 matches to finish seventh.[91] His second Players Championship title of the year came at the 13th event in July as he recovered from 3–1 and 5–3 down againstKim Huybrechts in the final to win 6–5.[92]
In the semi-finals of theWorld Matchplay, Wade endedPhil Taylor's 38 match winning streak in the event stretching back to 2007 by beating him 17–14.[93] He lost in the final for the fifth time this time 18–12 to Van Gerwen.[94] Wade played Taylor in the final of thePerth Darts Masters and lost 11–7.[95] He suffered a surprise 2–1 defeat toMensur Suljović in the first round of theWorld Grand Prix.[96] In October, Wade won through to the final of the 20th Players Championship and in doing so became the second player to reach 100 quarter-finals on the Pro Tour. He lost 6–2 toGary Anderson.[97] Wade was knocked out in the second round of theEuropean Championship,Grand Slam andPlayers Championship Finals.[98]
Wade won three matches without losing a set to reach the quarter-finals of the2016 World Championship, but was comfortably beaten 5–1 byGary Anderson.[99] He lost 6–1 to Anderson in the final of the fourthUK Open Qualifier and 9–2 toMensur Suljović in the third round of the main event.[100] In the deciding leg of the sixthPlayers ChampionshipfinalJosh Payne took out 116 with Wade waiting on tops to beat him 6–5.[101] He became the first player to defeatMichael van Gerwen in the European Tour events this season when he overcame him 6–2 in the semi-finals of theEuropean Darts Matchplay and he claimed the title with a 6–5 win, afterDave Chisnall had missed one championship dart.[102] Wade lost in the final of theShanghai Darts Masters 8–3 to Van Gerwen.[103]
Wade failed to get to at least the quarter-finals of theWorld Matchplay in his 11th appearance at the event when he lost 10–5 in the opening round toMervyn King.[104] In the inaugural staging of theChampions League of Darts, Wade was eliminated in the semi-finals 11–3 byPhil Taylor.[105] Whilst at the event Wade broke theGuinness World Records title for the most darts in the inner and outer bullseyes in one minute with 15.[106] He lost 2–1 in a deciding leg toTerry Jenkins in the first round of theWorld Grand Prix and 11–7 in the semi-finals of theEuropean Championship to Van Gerwen.[107][108] Wade played in his only major final of the year at theGrand Slam, by beating Anderson 16–14, but Van Gerwen won 10 of the final 13 legs to defeat Wade 16–8.[109]
Wade fought back from 3–1 down againstMichael Smith in the third round of the2017 World Championship before triumphing 4–3, winning the last seven legs of the match to reach the quarter-finals.[110]He was then defeated 5–3 byPeter Wright.[111]Wade suffered early exits at theMasters, the2017 Premier League Darts, and theWorld Matchplay, resulting in a decade-low ranking of 10th. Wade's hugely disappointing year continued with yet another first round defeat, this time at the hands ofSteve West at theWorld Grand Prix. Wade'sGrand Slam campaign saw him win through his group, defeatingPhil Taylor along the way. He was beaten in the second round byDaryl Gurney. Wade defeatedKevin Painter andJamie Caven 6–4, in the first and second rounds of thePlayers Championship Finals, respectively. In the third round, Wade saw offIan White 10–6. Wade lost 10–6 at the Quarter Final stage toRob Cross.
Wade suffered a poor showing in the2018 World Championship, losing 2–3 toKeegan Brown in the first round. Wade defeatedSimon Whitlock 10–8 in the first round of theMasters before losing toMichael van Gerwen 10–2 in the Quarter-Finals. Wade was not involved in the2018 Premier League Darts for the first time since 2014. Wade ended his short stint outside the world's top 10 dart players, making good runs in European tour and players championship events away from the TV screens. Wade hit an 8th career 9-darter in a Pro-tour match againstMichael Smith. Throughout the year, Wade had some really good runs on the European Tour reaching the final twice losing both toMichael van Gerwen 8–3. Late in the year, Wade clinched the 9th major tournament of his career winning the2018 European Championship (darts) for the very first time, defeatingSimon Whitlock 11–8 in the final, having already defeated Martin Schindler,Ricky Evans,Gerwyn Price andMax Hopp in the previous rounds. It was Wade's first major since 2014 and his first ranking major since 2011, propelling him back in to the world's elite top 6. Wade dedicated his title and upturn in form to his new-born son, Arthur, also stating he was "dangerous" again and that the rest of the field should "look out".
At theWorld Series of Darts Finals, Wade defeated debutantRoss Smith 6–3 in the first round. He then defeated hometown favoriteMensur Suljović 6–3 in the second round andJamie Lewis 10–5 in the Quarter-Finals, continuing his excellent stretch of form. It was the first time since 2011 that Wade won 8 consecutive TV major matches. In the Semi-Finals, Wade dispatched 5-time World ChampionRaymond van Barneveld 11–2 in a high quality affair in which Wade averaged 100 and hit 65% of his doubles. This win stretched Wade's unbeaten TV run to 9 matches, the first time he had achieved this feat since 2008. In the Final, Wade playedMichael Smith. Wade got off to a 3-leg advantage but Smith would peg him back to 5–5 before the second break. Wade would go onto break Smith in the 19th leg to serve the title out at 10–9 but he busted his score of 121, and Smith eventually came back and won the leg. In the decider, Smith missed 5 match darts and Wade sealed the title on D18. The tournament victory was Wade's second major in 7 days, and the 10th of his career. It was also Wade's first World Series Title. Wade's tournament victories sealed his place in the2018 Grand Slam of Darts where he drew Keegan Brown, Mark Webster and Wesley Harms to comprise Group C. Wade won his opening group match, whitewashing BDO player Wesley Harms 5–0 with a 99 average. In his second group game, Wade defeatedKeegan Brown 5–3, averaging 105. In doing so, Wade set a new personal record of 12 TV major wins in succession. Wade defeatedMark Webster 5–1 with a 102 average in the final group match to top the group, extending his unbeaten run to 13 matches and setting up a Round of 16 showdown withMichael Unterbuchner. Wade lost, rather surprisingly, toMichael Unterbuchner 10–6.
Wade beatRoss Smith 6–4 in the first round of the2018 Players Championship Finals. He then overcameNathan Aspinall 6–4 in the second round before losing out toChris Dobey 10–9 in the round of 16.
Wade defeated Japanese QualifierSeigo Asada 3–2 in the second round of the2019 World Championship, a high quality, feisty affair in which Wade came under criticism for his celebrations aimed towards Asada. Wade later apologized for his actions. In the third round, Wade would go 0–2, and 1–3 down toKeegan Brown in a hostile atmosphere before producing a remarkable 4–3 comeback win. Wade became the 7th top 10 seed to crash out before the Quarter-Final stage, losing 4–3 toRyan Joyce in the last 16. Wade was picked for the2019 Premier League Darts on the 10-year anniversary of him winning the event. Wade'sMasters campaign began with a 10–7 victory ofGerwyn Price. He followed the win with victories overJoe Cullen in the Quarter-Finals andPeter Wright in the Semi-Finals to set up a final withMichael van Gerwen. Wade lost the final 11–5 to Van Gerwen. Wade kicked off the2019 Premier League Darts in style with a 7–4 win over outgoingRaymond van Barneveld with a 99 average. In week 4 of the2019 Premier League Darts he beatMichael van Gerwen 7–3 Averaging 95.65. Wade continued his excellent form at theUK Open, dismantling fellow countrymanJames Wilson (darts player) 10–1 in the 4th round. Wade followed up the victory with a 10–7 win overMax Hopp but was surprisingly beaten 7–10 byRoss Smith in the round of 16. In week 5 of the2019 Premier League Darts, Wade averaged 110 in his 7–0 whitewash win overDaryl Gurney sending him to the summit of the league table. Wade hit a 9-darter in aGerman Darts Championship match which he lost 5–6 toDarren Webster. Wade won Players Championship 9 in Barnsley defeating the likes ofMark Webster,Christian Kist,Peter Hudson,Aaron Monk,Adrian Lewis,Scott Baker andMichael Smith in the final. The tournament victory was his first on the Players Championships since 2015 and the 12th Players Championship of his career. Wade followed the win up with another title in Barnsley the following week – Players Championship 11 – beatingMichael Smith in a repeat final, 8–6. Wade made it a back-to-back double in Barnsley and 3 out of 4, winning Players Championship 12, defeating the likes ofLuke Woodhouse,Christian Kist,Ted Evetts,Stephen Bunting,Jonny Clayton,Michael Smith andJeffrey de Zwaan in the final. The title was Wade's 34th in thePDC. Wade made the Semi-finals of the Premier League for the first time since 2013, defeatingRob Cross 8–6 on the final night of the league stage season, finishing 3rd on the table. Wade would go on to lose 10–5 toRob Cross the following week in the Semi-Finals atThe O2. Wade won a 4th Players Championship title of the year at Wigan, PC 18, defeating the likes ofBenito van de Pas,Yordi Meeuwisse,Keegan Brown,Rowby-John Rodriguez,Callan Rydz,Krzysztof Ratajski, andJosé de Sousa in the final. Wade's 4 PDC titles in one calendar year equalled a personal record set back in 2009.
Wade bettered his record of 4 PDC titles in one calendar year, by winning his 5th Players Championship event of the year at PC 24, defeatingDave Chisnall 8–6 in the final. Wade defeatedJohn Henderson 2–1 in the first round of the2019 World Grand Prix (darts). Wade went down toMervyn King (darts player) 1–3 in the round of 16. Wade's attempt at defending his 2018 European Championship title ended abruptly in the 1st round of the 2019 event as he was whitewashed 0–6 by WelshmanJonny Clayton. Wade lost toJonny Clayton 5–6 once more at the2019 World Series of Darts Finals. Wade picked up his form again at the2019 Grand Slam of Darts, winning his opening 2 group stage matches, 5–2 againstWesley Harms and 5–4 againstIan White. He was then defeated bySteve Lennon in the final group stage match and lost toAdrian Lewis 9–10 in last 16. Wade defeatedTed Evetts andRicky Evans in the 1st and 2 cd rounds of the2019 Players Championship Finals, respectively. Wade lost 10–6 toMichael van Gerwen in the 3rd round.
Wade began the new decade with a whitewash win overRitchie Edhouse in the2020 World Championship, after which he was eliminated 4–2 bySteve Beaton in the third round. Wade performed well at the inaugural PDC Summer Series, defeating the likes ofJeffrey de Zwaan,Nathan Aspinall,Michael Smith, andRob Cross, en route to winning Players Championship 12 of the year. James made the final of theEuropean Championship, losing 11–4 to world championPeter Wright. Wade defeatedDamon Heta with a 102 average in his opening group stage match at the2020 Grand Slam of Darts and beat bothJermaine Wattimena andGlen Durrant in his other group stage matches to top his group. In the last 16, Wade defeated fellow countrymanIan White 10–4, before again seeing off Damon Heta in the quarter-finals 16–13, with another 102 average. In the semi-finals, Wade failed to secure a lead overDimitri van den Bergh for the entire match before producing a thrilling comeback from 5–9 and 12–14 down, to eventually seal a 16–15 victory. Wade lost to debutantJose de Sousa in the final, 16–12.[112]
Wade opened his2021 World Championship campaign with a comfortable 3–0 win againstCallan Rydz in the second round. In the third round, he hit his 3rd televised9 darter, and the first at theWorld Championship for five years. Despite the feat, he went on to lose the match 4–2 toStephen Bunting. Wade made his first final at theUK Open since winning the event a decade earlier in 2011, defeating the likes ofRyan Joyce,Rob Cross,Gabriel Clemens,Simon Whitlock and world championGerwyn Price en route. Wade won his 3rdUK Open title of his career defeatingLuke Humphries in the final. The title was Wade's 11th major of his career, becoming only the second player in PDC history to win major titles in 3 different decades after Phil Taylor. The title also ensured Wade's return to the top 4 on the Order of Merit for the first time in 9 years. Wade was originally left out of the2021 Premier League Darts but ended up replacingGerwyn Price who tested positive for coronavirus on opening night and subsequently pulled out of the tournament. Wade failed to win any of his 3 opening matches of the Premier League before beatingMichael van Gerwen 7–3 on night 4. Wade's form improved in the second week of the tournament, hitting 3 consecutive 105 averages in defeating the likes ofPeter Wright andJonny Clayton. Wade ultimately finished 6th in the Premier League, defeatingGary Anderson on the final night of the league stage. Wade participated in the World Cup of Darts for the first time since 2010 because he was the top ranked darts player in England for the first time in his career, appearing alongsideDave Chisnall. England reached the semi-finals of the2021 PDC World Cup of Darts where they were beaten by Austria. Wade started his2021 World Grand Prix campaign with a 2–1 sets victory over Australian debutantDamon Heta. Wade fell at the second round hurdle, losing toStephen Bunting 1–3.
At the2021 Grand Slam of Darts, Wade hit a 113 average in a group stage match against countrymanRob Cross, winning 5–2 and securing his passage to the round of 16. It was the 9th consecutive year Wade advanced past the Group Stages & on to the knockout phase of the tournament. Wade defeatedRowby-John Rodriguez 10–2 in the last 16 andRob Cross 16–14 in the Quarter-Finals. Wade lost to the eventual championGerwyn Price in the semi-finals 16–9. Wade reached the last 16 at the2021 Players Championship Finals where he was beaten 10–7 byDaryl Gurney.
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Wade began his2022 World Championship campaign with a 3–1 second round win againstMaik Kuivenhoven. Wade would go on to reach the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2013, defeating the likes ofMartijn Kleermaker andMervyn King before losing toMichael Smith 6–3. Wade contested his 12thPremier League Darts season in 2022, the 3rd most appearances in the event behind onlyPhil Taylor &Raymond van Barneveld. Wade took downGerwyn Price 6–3 on opening night in Cardiff before losing 4–6 to Jonny Clayton. Wade hit the fourth televised 9-darter of his career in aUK Open match againstBoris Krcmar, where he went on to reach the Quarter-Finals losing out toKeane Barry 10–4. Wade reached 3 consecutivePremier League Darts finals, winning Night 12 with victories overGary Anderson,Gerwyn Price &Joe Cullen. Wade reached the Semi-Finals of the2022 European Darts Open, but he was forced to withdraw from the event due to an illness.[113] It was later announced via hisTwitter account that he was taken to a hospital inLeverkusen, where he was tested for symptoms which included aracing heart, high blood pressure,nausea and dizziness.[114] Wade took part in the first ever PDC tournament held in New York atMadison Square Garden for the2022 US Darts Masters, winning his opening round match 6–2 against CanadianJeff Smith, before losing toMichael van Gerwen in the Quarter-Finals. Wade won the final Players Championship event of the year, defeatingSteve Beaton 8–6 in the final.
Wade suffered a surprising early elimination at the2023 World Championship, losing 3–2 toJim Williams in the second round. In March, Wade dropped out of the Top 10 in the world rankings for the first time since 2007. James would suffer early eliminations at theWorld Matchplay andWorld Grand Prix before rediscovering his form at theEuropean Championship in late October where he defeated the likes ofDirk van Duijvenbode,Jose de Sousa,Luke Humphries andGian van Veen en route to the final. Wade was defeated in the final byPeter Wright but subsequently jumped back into the World's Top 16 and qualified for the2023 Grand Slam of Darts. James ended the year with a semi-final at the2023 Grand Slam of Darts & a quarter-final at the2023 Players Championship Finals.
Wade was beaten 3–2 by world number 57Matt Campbell in the second round of the2024 World Championship, once again being eliminated in his opening match.[115] Wade attributed his performance struggles in the first half of 2024 to a health scare and his battles withbipolar disorder, having won only 11 matches during the first five months of the year.[116]
After securing the last qualification spot for theWorld Matchplay in the final event before the cut-off,[117] Wade reached the quarter-finals of the event for the first time since 2019 after defeating defending championNathan Aspinall 11–8 in the second round.[118][119] He beatRoss Smith 16–10 to advance to his first semi-final in nine years,[120] before succumbing to reigning world champion and eventual tournament winnerLuke Humphries in a 17–10 loss.[121] He also reached the quarter-finals of theWorld Grand Prix, where he was eliminated by eventual championMike De Decker.[122]
At the2025 World Championship, Wade suffered his third consecutive second-round exit, losing 3–0 toJermaine Wattimena.[123] He returned to form at theUK Open by reaching the final of the tournament; he defeated world number oneLuke Humphries in the quarter-finals andJosh Rock in the semi-finals, before succumbing to an 11–2 defeat to world championLuke Littler.[124] On 12 March, Wade posted a career-to-date personal best average of 115.92 againstBeau Greaves atPlayers Championship 5.[125] He won his first PDC title since November 2022 at Players Championship 19 by defeatingScott Williams 8–3 in the final.[126]
At theWorld Matchplay, Wade reached his seventh final at the tournament. He once again faced Littler and despite leading 5–0, he went on to lose to Littler 18–13.[127] His run to the final resulted in him re-entering the top five of thePDC Order of Merit.[128]
Whilst it is somewhat traditional for a darts player to adopt asobriquet, Wade has adopted several in his career so far. His first nickname,The Gladiator, was used during his breakthrough year of 2006. His nickname was changed following his nine-dart exploits that year to009 – a take onJames Bond's 007. The 009 nickname was used from December 2006 to October 2007.
In November 2007, during the2007 Grand Slam of Darts – Wade introduced himself on a television promo as having "no nickname". In December 2007, following a competition which invited fans to provide him with a new nickname, Wade briefly became known asSpectacular, a play on the fact that Wade is one of the few players who wears spectacles when he plays. He was briefly known asThe Wingman. He cited his dislike for the insinuations the name lead to and fans asking him to make social appearances after matches. For his Premier League debut in January 2008, Wade unveiled another nickname –The Machine, which he has used ever since.
He became the first player to hit three tournamentnine-dart finishes in a calendar year during 2006. They came at the North-West UK Open Regional Final in March, the PDPA Players Championship at Hayling Island in June and he completed his hat-trick at the Vauxhall Men's Open in November. None of these achievements were in televised competitions.
Wade came within one dart of achieving the first ever nine-darter with a double start at the2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin. In the semi-final against van Barneveld he hit double top to open the leg, then six treble 20s, treble 17 then missed a bullseye for a unique nine-darter.
On 20 November 2008, Wade completed his first live nine-darter hitting two 180s then T20, T19 and D12 againstGary Anderson in the second round of the2008 Grand Slam of Darts which was shown onITV4. However, Anderson went on to win the match 10–8, therefore Wade became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish in a major televised tournament in the UK and then go on to lose the match. (Michael van Gerwen had previously done so in a tournament on Dutch television.) Wade was also the first left-handed player to hit a live nine-darter.
In October 2014, at theWorld Grand Prix againstRobert Thornton, Wade hit scores of 160, 180 and 161 to become the second ever player to throw a double-start nine darter. Later in the match Thornton repeated the feat with the pair becoming the first players to both throw nine darters in the same match in the history of darts.[76] Wade remains the only PDC player to achieve a televised 9 darter for double start and open start formats.
In December 2020, Wade hit a nine-darter at theWorld Championships in a third-round game againstStephen Bunting. He became the first player in 5 years to throw a nine-darter at thePDC World Darts Championship, afterGary Anderson at the2016 PDC World Darts Championship. He went on to lose the game 4–2.
Wade is also infamous for the number of nine darters thrown against him; he has had thirteen nine darters hit against him, a current PDPA record.[129]
| Date | Opponent | Tournament | Method | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 November 2008 |  Gary Anderson | Grand Slam | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | |
| 8 October 2014 | Robert Thornton | World Grand Prix | D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, bullseye | £2,500 |
| 29 December 2020 |  Stephen Bunting | World Championship | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | |
| 5 March 2022 |  Boris Krčmar | UK Open | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 |
Wade quit his job at a garage in Aldershot twelve days before the start of the2006 World Matchplay, becoming a full-time professional darts player.[130]
Wade datedSoccer AM presenterHelen Chamberlain from 2008 to 2010, but they split after roughly two years together.[citation needed] On 8 August 2015, Wade married model Sammi Marsh, who he has been in a relationship with since 2013. Marsh worked for the PDC as a "walk-on" girl and often accompanied Wade during his entrance. She is now Wade's manager.
In 2012, Wade, together with the seven other players who competed in thePremier League recorded a charity single withChas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets for the Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single were donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.[131][132] On 8 October 2018, Wade's wife Sammi Marsh gave birth to a son. They also have a second son.
Wade hasbipolar disorder andADHD,[133][134] and has openly spoken about his experiences with mental health.[135][136] He has been an ambassador forBipolar UK since 2016, wearing the charity's logo on his darts shirts,[137] and has participated in fundraisers for them.[138]
Wade chose his current walk-on song –I'm Still Standing byElton John – to represent how he came through his struggles.[134]
| Legend |
|---|
| World Matchplay (1–6) |
| World Grand Prix (2–1) |
| Grand Slam (0–3) |
| Premier League (1–2) |
| UK Open (3–1) |
| European Championship (1–2) |
| The Masters (1–1) |
| Championship League (1–0) |
| Las Vegas Desert Classic (0–1) |
| World Series of Darts Finals (1–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2006 | World Matchplay(1) | Phil Taylor | 11–18 (l) |
| Winner | 1. | 2007 | World Matchplay | Terry Jenkins | 18–7 (l) |
| Winner | 2. | 2007 | World Grand Prix | Terry Jenkins | 6–3 (s) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2008 | Premier League(1) | Phil Taylor | 8–16 (l) |
| Winner | 3. | 2008 | UK Open |  Gary Mawson | 11–7 (l) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2008 | Las Vegas Desert Classic | Phil Taylor | 7–13 (l) |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2008 | World Matchplay(2) | Phil Taylor | 9–18 (l) |
| Winner | 4. | 2009 | Premier League | Mervyn King | 13–8 (l) |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2010 | Premier League(2) | Phil Taylor | 8–10 (l) |
| Winner | 5. | 2010 | World Grand Prix(2) | Adrian Lewis | 6–3 (s) |
| Winner | 6. | 2010 | Championship League | Phil Taylor | 6–5 (l) |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2010 | Grand Slam(1) | Scott Waites | 12–16 (l) |
| Winner | 7. | 2011 | UK Open(2) | Wes Newton | 11–8 (l) |
| Runner-up | 7. | 2011 | World Matchplay(3) | Phil Taylor | 8–18 (l) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2012 | World Matchplay(4) | Phil Taylor | 15–18 (l) |
| Runner-up | 9. | 2014 | World Grand Prix |  Michael van Gerwen | 3–5 (s) |
| Winner | 8. | 2014 | The Masters | Mervyn King | 11–10 (l) |
| Runner-up | 10. | 2015 | World Matchplay(5) | Michael van Gerwen | 12–18 (l) |
| Runner-up | 11. | 2016 | Grand Slam(2) | Michael van Gerwen | 8–16 (l) |
| Winner | 9. | 2018 | European Championship |  Simon Whitlock | 11–8 (l) |
| Winner | 10. | 2018 | World Series of Darts Finals | Michael Smith | 11–10 (l) |
| Runner-up | 12. | 2019 | The Masters | Michael van Gerwen | 5–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 13. | 2020 | European Championship(1) | Peter Wright | 4–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 14. | 2020 | Grand Slam(3) |  José de Sousa | 12–16 (l) |
| Winner | 11. | 2021 | UK Open(3) | Luke Humphries | 11–5 (l) |
| Runner-up | 15. | 2023 | European Championship(2) | Peter Wright | 6–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 16. | 2025 | UK Open | Luke Littler | 2–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 17. | 2025 | World Matchplay(6) | Luke Littler | 13–18 (l) |
| Legend |
|---|
| World Series of Darts (0–3) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2015 | Perth Darts Masters | Phil Taylor | 7–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2016 | Shanghai Darts Masters | Michael van Gerwen | 3–8 (l) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2022 | New South Wales Darts Masters |  Jonny Clayton | 1–8 (l) |
BDO
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDO World Championship | DNQ | 1R | 2R | PDC |
| International Darts League | NH | RR | QF | QF |
| World Darts Trophy | DNQ | 2R | DNP | 1R |
| Winmau World Masters | 2R | 2R | PDC | |
| Zuiderduin Masters | RR | RR | DNP | |
PDC
PDC European Tour
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ADO F | GDC 1R | EDO QF | GDM SF | DDM DNP | |||||||||
| 2013 | UKM QF | EDT WD | EDO 3R | ADO 3R | GDT 3R | GDC EX | GDM QF | DDM 3R | ||||||
| 2014 | Did not qualify | GDT W | EDO QF | EDG 3R | EDT 1R | |||||||||
| 2015 | GDC 3R | GDT SF | GDM QF | DDM 2R | IDO DNP | EDO SF | EDT QF | EDM DNP | EDG SF | |||||
| 2016 | DDM 3R | GDM 2R | GDT 3R | EDM W | ADO DNP | EDO 3R | IDO WD | EDT SF | EDG QF | GDC DNP | ||||
| 2017 | GDC 2R | GDM SF | GDO DNP | EDG 2R | GDT 2R | EDM 2R | ADO DNP | EDO 2R | Did not qualify | EDT 1R | ||||
| 2018 | EDO SF | GDG SF | GDO 2R | ADO 3R | EDG F | DDM 1R | GDT 3R | DDO 3R | EDM DNP | GDC 2R | DDC 2R | IDO DNP | EDT F | |
| 2019 | EDO QF | GDC 3R | GDG 2R | GDO 3R | ADO SF | EDG WD | DDM WD | DDO 3R | CDO 2R | ADC DNP | EDM SF | IDO DNP | GDT QF | |
| 2020 | BDC 3R | GDC QF | EDG 3R | IDO QF | ||||||||||
| 2021 | HDT 3R | GDT QF | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | IDO QF | DNQ | ADO 3R | EDO SF | Did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2023 | BSD 2R | EDO 2R | Did not qualify | BDO 1R | DNQ | EDM SF | GDO 1R | HDT 2R | GDC 3R | |||||
| 2024 | BDO 2R | GDG 1R | IDO 2R | EDG 1R | ADO 1R | BSD 2R | DDC 2R | EDO 1R | GDC 2R | FDT 2R | HDT 2R | SDT QF | CDO 2R | |
| 2025 | BDO SF | EDT 2R | IDO 2R | GDG 2R | ADO WD | EDG QF | DDC 2R | EDO 3R | BSD SF | FDT SF | CDO SF | SDT QF | HDT 2R | GDC 2R |
PDC Players Championships
Key
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Won the tournament | F | Finalist | SF | Semifinalist | QF | Quarterfinalist | #R RR Prel. | Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round | EX | Excluded |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | DNP | Did not participate | WD | Withdrew | NH | Tournament not held | NYF | Not yet founded | ||
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | PDC Player of the Year 2007 | Succeeded by |
Top 20PDC darts players inOrder of Merit | |
|---|---|
Rankings as of 23 November 2025 with movement in rank since 16 November 2025 indicated. |
