James Wade feasts on out of date pizzas but World Matchplay finalist insists he's not past his sell by
Time-defying James Wade fancies another slice of Matchplay history after dining on out-of-date pizzas.
The Machine forged into a showdown with Luke Littler at the Winter Gardens with his epic semi-final success over Jonny Clayton.
Wade is the youngest-ever winner of the tournament having triumphed in 2007 as a raw 24-year-old who had burst onto the scene. Fast forward to 2025 and he's back in the showpiece aiming to lift the trophy again and prevent The Nuke from tagging his youngest-ever tag.
Wade might 'not care' about that statistic, but he does care deeply about his darts and has rolled back the years in Blackpool to maintain a superb season of form which is lifting him up the rankings again and banging him into the spotlight.
The Londoner isn't being snubbed for TV promos now as he heads into the crunch clash with Littler, but he's also keeping it grounded. Celebrations after the Clayton match were restricted as he said: 'Going back to my room. I've got some pizzas that are four or five days out of date. Hopefully they smell all right when I open them out of the fridge. Everyone thinks I'm joking, but I'm being serious.
'I'm just going back to my room to relax and enjoy myself. Not be too critical of myself. but really, really happy to win. So, so, so lucky to win that game, but it might make up for some of the times where I've been so unlucky. There you go.'
It was a titanic tussle that went 38 legs before Wade came through 20-18 and he said: 'To be fair, it's my own fault because I probably should have closed it off earlier. But you know, it is what it is. And there were so many moments where he would have turned me over if God was on his side and not my side. Just happy, don't want to harp on too much about who won and who lost, but I'm happy I won.'
Wade reckons 'stupidity' and 'ignorance' were keys to a big 161 finish that set-up the success and added: 'Desperation, rankings. It's nothing more than that. You're stubborn, you want to win and let's be honest, 'Jonny probably should have won that game, but I should have won it way before. Just happy to win. I'm exhausted, genuinely. Not very often I walk in after a game of darts, you know, we all go like, I'm tired. I am genuinely, absolutely bamboozled after that. I'm f****d. I'm knackered, I'm old.'
Wade's success ato bridge an 18-year-gap between first and latest would be an incredible storyline, but he's putting no extra store on it as, when asked what it mean to lift The Phil Taylor Trophy again, he said: 'No more different to what they all mean to me.'
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Scottish Sun
37 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
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Indeed, A Hard Day's Night feels like the archetypal 1960s film, marking the dawn of a new permissiveness – but in its breaking down of barriers, in its celebration of four working-class lads, the seeds of its success were sown in the previous decade. Top five kitchen-sink heroes The writers remain in print and many of the actors are still recognised names. But look deeper, and there are some no-longer-quite-so-well-regarded figures whose work repays study. 1. Mary Ure Glaswegian actress Mary Ure made a huge impression as Jimmy Porter's fragile, abused wife Alison in Look Back in Anger (1959), playing the part – definitively – on both stage and screen. A spell with the Royal Shakespeare Company followed, as did an Academy Award nomination for her role as Clara Dawes in Sons and Lovers (1960), but her career – like those of many women – remained defined by her marriages, in her case to John Osborne and Robert Shaw. 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The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Luke Littler left perplexed by fan's bizarre jibe at Australian Darts Masters
LUKE LITTLER has learned to block out the haters and hecklers, saying: I just let my darts do the talking. The Nuke is heading to Auckland for part two of his Down Under jaunt this summer. 5 5 The 18-year-old banked £30,000 on Saturday when he beat Belgian thrower Mike De Decker 8-4 in the final of the Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong. It was his fourth success on the World Series of Darts circuit and was equally impressive given that he had not practised ahead of this 21,000-mile round trip. Every time he failed to hit a treble during the evening's three games, a group of locals shouted out 'rubbish, rubbish' and someone even bizarrely said he was 'washed'. This comment perplexed Littler but it is believed to mean he is supposed to be washed-up and not as good as he used to – which is clearly not the case. The more he wins, the more he will be targeted by irate punters but even for someone so young, he has learned to rise above it all. There have been times in Germany where he has been singled out and he was asked if he had gotten used to dealing with a portion of the crowd being on his back. Littler, in his second season as a pro, said: 'For myself, the first time I hear it, I will obviously do something, but then I will let it go by. 'Just do my darts. Let the darts do the talking. 'No-one has taught me how to deal with much. I just get on with things. You are on stage alone. 'No-one else is with you. No-one else is going to help you unless it's a few guys from the crowd. Yeah, you have just got to get on with it.' Littler – who is on the two-week trip with new girlfriend Faith – is in good form and in a good mood, telling his rivals that his confidence is sky high. No-one else is with you. No-one else is going to help you unless it's a few guys from the crowd. Yeah, you have just got to get on with it. Luke Littler on dealing hecklers while on the stage An early-morning flight to Kiwi country means shifting his body clock by another two hours – he has already said he struggles with jetlag on the other side of the world. Last year, the Warrington teen was defeated in a last-leg decider 7-6 by world No.1 Luke Humphries in the semi-finals at the Globox Arena in Hamilton. Littler, the newly-crowned World Matchplay champion, says he has a policy of practising hard for the big TV events but for the smaller ones, he will simply rock up and do his thing. 5 The world No.2 said: 'I'm very happy. My debut last year in Australia didn't go to plan. But second time lucky. 'I want to be winning things. We look to New Zealand next week. 'I will enjoy this. But then it's an early flight again. An extra two hours ahead – so I will definitely be needing some sleep. 'It's only my second time coming to New Zealand. I didn't do much last year. 'We can make the most of four to five days and then once it comes to Friday that is when the darts starts again. 'I'm feeling confident. This is the most confident I have felt in a very long time. 'For myself I know how much I will practise, how much I have been doing. 'But yeah I practised really well for the World Matchplay and won it. I think I will practise for the big ones. 'As a player, you are on stage for a long time. You practise leading up to it and when you are on stage, you gain that confidence. 'You get warmer and you find those four or five gears.'
