Biography
James Wade is young, gifted and talented - the best left-hander in the world of darts, who is destined to become World Champion and World No.1.
And after becoming the first man to beat Phil Taylor in 2009, he won his 4th ‘Major’ title – the Premier League at Wembley, to add to those victories at the World Grand Prix, World Matchplay and UK Open.
Wade of course, announced his arrival in darts elite by winning those three ‘Major’ TV tournaments in the space of just a year, adding to a total of 20 finals in a fantastic 12 month period.
The current World No.2 pocketed an incredible £125,000 for his Premier League triumph. After finishing second in the group stages – just a point behind Taylor, Wade secured a thrilling 10-8 win over Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals.
And he then toppled Mervyn King in the final by 13 legs to 8…..and that despite losing concentration for a while! He was 7-0 up at one stage.
We have come to expect great things from Wade, so when it doesn’t quite happen, it comes as a big surprise…..take the summer of 2009 for example.
He went to Bolton as the defending UK Open Champion but fell at the first hurdle – losing 9-8 to Peter Manley. Then he was beaten by Barney in the semi-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic and there was more disappointment to come at Blackpool.
It was Wade’s 4th appearance at the World Matchplay but the first time he had failed to reach the final. He lost 16-10 to Ronnie Baxter in the quarter-finals after uncharacteristically missing a stack of darts at the double.
One thing’s for sure though, it will only be a temporary blip! He has also won Pro Tour titles in Wigan and Derby in 2009.
And it is Taylor’s scalp that he really wants – en route to winning a ‘Major’ and don’t be surprised if ‘The Machine’ achieves his goal!
During 2008, he was beaten three times by ‘The Power’ in ‘Major’ finals and also lost to Taylor in three finals on the PDC Pro Tour.
However Wade believes it is in his destiny to become one of the very best in the modern era and after what he described as ‘a sticky patch’ he saw off Taylor 8-4 in the 2009 Premier League in Belfast, after demolishing Raymond van Barneveld the week before!
It is the sign of things to come – the sign that James Wade is ready to mount a serious bid to knock Taylor off the top of the world darting tree.
By anyone’s standards, 2008 and 2009 have been terrific years but for Wade, it wasn’t good enough and he has vowed to win more of the big titles to add to his already impressive CV.
He has initiated a strict fitness and practice regime and it is starting to pay off for him. He has lost a lot of weight, is practicing every day and is bulking up in the gym.
“It is important to my future in darts to change the way I am living my life and I can already feel the benefits. It is up to me to transfer that to the oche,” he said.
“I took my eye off the ball for a bit. Yes, it was a big year again in many ways but not what I expected and when people started to write me off, it was the wake up call that I needed.”
“Maybe my bad isn’t that bad, but it isn’t good enough for me!” he joked.
Unicorn has provided Wade with some new darts, which have brand new titanium shafts and confidence is returning.
Victory over Unicorn stablemate Gary Mawson gave Wade his first UK Open crown at Bolton in June 2008. He also won three more titles on the PDC tour in Scotland, Holland and Gibraltar.
Add to that his first ever televised 9 darter at the Grand Slam of Darts and you can see why he is one of the best in the business.
That magical moment for Wade came at the Grand Slam of Darts II in Wolverhampton in his 2nd Round match against Gary Anderson. It was an historic achievement for Wade but there was no cash prize for a 9-darter and he lost the match 10-8 after being 7-5 in front……revenge finally came for Wade when he finally beat Anderson for the first time in the 2nd Round of the 2009 World Matchplay.
Clearly though, it isn’t good enough for the perfectionist that is ‘The Machine’.
After losing to eventual World Champion John Part in the quarter-finals of the 2008 World Championship, there was more frustration in 2009 at the Alexandra Palace.
He was beaten by 6 sets to 4 in the semi-finals by Raymond van Barneveld, after missing four darts to establish a 3-1 lead and 13 180s weren’t enough on the night.
Wade was also angry at his failure to reach the final of the Players Championship ‘Major’ on ITV4 at the end start of February.
He threw away an 8-6 lead at the Circus Tavern in the semi-finals, eventually losing 13-10 to Robert Thornton.
In 2008, Wade reached three other ‘Major’ Finals and three times, he lost to Taylor….16-8 in the Premier League, 13-7 in Las Vegas and he lost his grip on the World Matchplay crown, with Taylor winning 18-9 in Blackpool.
“He remains the benchmark for everyone,” said Wade. “Phil has just got better and better over the last 18 months. His consistency is what we all want and nowadays a 100 average won’t be good enough to beat him, but I know that I have got the game to beat him at the big events, so it’s just a case of proving it now.”
The 25-year-old has his sights set on a host of big titles and everyone connected with Unicorn expects him to deliver on that promise over the next decade.
No wonder, they call him the ‘Golden Boy of Darts!”
‘The Machine’ aptly sums up the game of James Wade, who wowed the crowds across the UK in his debut season in the Premier League in 2008.
And Wade secured that unique hat-trick of ‘Majors’ in the space of only 10-and-a-half months when he beat Mawson to win the 2008 UK Open crown at Bolton.
“If you had said to me in June 2007 that inside 12 months, I’d have won at Blackpool, Dublin and Bolton – on top of everything else I’ve achieved, I would have laughed out loud! It has been reward for a lot of hard work and hopefully people will now start realising that there are more than two players in the PDC!” Wade said.
At The Reebok, he beat the likes of Steve Brown, Ronnie Baxter, Alan Tabern and Vincent van der Voort, before beating Mawson by 11 legs to 7 in the final to pocket the winners cheque of £35,000
And in that semi-final victory over Van der Voort, Wade had incredible 77 per cent check-out success rate!
“I’m enjoying myself and having fun. I still get nervous every time I go up on the stage but I just love what I do and I am lucky to have the opportunity.”
Remember, Wade also became the first man to beat Phil Taylor in the PL – with victory on the opening night in the 2008 event in Glasgow – to end Taylor’s 44-match unbeaten run.
He finished second in the group stages – just a point behind Taylor – then beat Raymond Van Barneveld in the semi-finals, before losing a terrific final to ‘The Power’ by 16 legs to 8, despite an average of over 100…..but the £50,000 prize money was some consolation!
He also earned a cool £100,000 from becoming the youngest ever winner of the WMP and WGP but the titles and achievement mean much more to Wade!
His triumphs in Blackpool and Dublin were just rewards for the best left-hander in world darts. He was outstanding at The Winter Gardens and the City West Hotel – proving once and for all that he is a major player in the darts world.
He beat fellow Team Unicorn star Terry Jenkins in both finals – demolishing ‘The Bull’ 18 legs to 7 in Blackpool, with a 97 average…..then winning the World Grand Prix by 6 sets to 3.
In Dublin, he beat Denis Ovens, Alex Roy and Colin Lloyd, before blitzing World Champion Raymond Van Barneveld in the semi-finals 5 sets to 1. He lost only five sets in five matches in the whole week in Dublin and against Barney, Wade just missed the bull to become the first player ever to hit a 9-darter, with a double-to-start, on ‘live’ TV.
But he doesn’t rate his victory over Barneveld as his best performance ever. “I would say the 19-17 victory over Roland Scholten in the 2006 World Matchplay semi-finals is still the best, closely followed by my win over Adrian Lewis in the 2007 Blackpool semi-finals.”
At the Winter Gardens in 2007, he beat Wayne Jones and was then involved in a mini-classic. After missing 11 darts for victory, he finally overcame Dennis Priestley 16-14 in a tie-break. ‘The Menace’ actually bent the wire on double top with his only dart to win – but Wade rode his luck and got better and better.
A surprisingly easy victory over Mervyn King was followed by that win against Adrian Lewis in the semi-finals. Lewis had earlier stunned World Champion Raymond Van Barneveld, so it was expected to be very close.
Not a bit of it! Wade romped to a 17-7 win, boasting one of the best check-out rates in the 14-year history of the tournament. From 9-7 in front, he won eight consecutive legs, averaged 102, hit five ton plus finishes (and three more in the 90s!) and that 68 per cent check-out success was simply amazing!
The 25-year-old has always promised so much and he is now delivering.
In fact it was in 2006 that Wade gave a hint of what was to come, when he reached the quarter-finals of the International Darts League in Holland – admitting “I played some of the best darts of my life” and he was beaten by Gary Anderson, despite a brilliant 106 average.
He was No.2 seed for the UK Open at Bolton – winning the North West Regional – and beating Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals…..Wade’s average an unbelievable 110.48! He has beaten the master several times, as you can see from his record, but not in the big finals….not yet anyway!
It seems an age ago but it was the summer of 2006 when we all witnessed first hand what James Wade is really all about, when he reached the final of the World Matchplay in Blackpool. It was a phenomenal achievement, which prompted the great Eric Bristow to say: “It was the best performance I have seen from someone his age!”
He lost the final to Phil Taylor but gave ‘The Power’ a real run for his money – missing darts to take a 10-5 lead - and since that golden week on the golden mile, Wade has gone from strength to strength…..and his achievement of going one step further in 2007 at The Winter Gardens spoke volumes for his temperament and talent.
Sky Sports legendary commentator Sid Waddell picked Wade out as a future World Champion two years ago and he will surely prove him right!
The big turning point for Wade can be traced back to that summer of 2006. After failing to qualify for the 2006 Las Vegas Desert Classic, he quit his job as a full-time mechanic to become a darts professional but he still likes to tinker under the bonnet: “to take my mind away from darts!”
He started to take his chosen sport seriously and look what he has gone on to achieve!
Wade did cause a stir in 2006, by remarkably hitting not one but two magical 9-darters in competition. His first came in the UK Open North West Regional in Manchester….and his second came in the Players Championship event at Hayling Island.
After impressing in the BDO with his precocious talent, he took the bold decision to switch to the PDC and Wade has reaped the rewards.
Unicorn were quick to identify the new kid on the block and Wade has already repaid that faith. It has been a meteoric rise. He has just one giant stride to make at Team Unicorn….from Maestro to World Champion!
“I believe I can be world No.1 in a few years and I am sure I will be World Champion,” Wade said. “I would be really angry in five or six years time if I look back and haven’t achieved that dream.”
That is certainly not arrogance, just the self-belief that has carried Wade during his short career.
It is difficult to believe that he only started to play competitive darts seven years ago. Wade explains: “I went to play for my dad’s team Ash Royal British Legion in a local league and amazingly checked out 109 in my first match. That was it. I was hooked!”
He added: “It was my great friend and co-sponsor Jason Thame who persuaded me to take the leap to the PDC and he was right! But the link-up with Team Unicorn has been one of my proudest moments in darts so far. They are the number one in darts and that’s where I want to be as well.”
In 2005 – has he really been around that long - Wade won his first big PDC title. He lifted the Irish Masters crown in Rosslare after claiming some notable scalps along the way. Andy Jenkins, Team Unicorn’s Colin Lloyd and former World Champion Steve Beaton to name but a few and Wade then beat Steve Maish convincingly in the final.
James is currently dating TV presenter Helen Chamberlain.
“Without darts, I hate to think where my life would be and which path I would have gone down,” he said. “But this sport is now a passion….a passion with huge rewards.”
‘The Machine’ looks certain to wheel his way to many more big titles over the next 10-15 years. Time and huge talent is on his side. He is a World Champion in waiting and we surely won’t have to wait too long!