"I wouldn’t be surprised if it was investigated": James Wade licking Luke Humphries' neck branded 'disgusting' by former major winner

James Wade caused a stir during the quarterfinals of the 2025 UK Open by bizarrely sticking out his tongue and licking Luke Humphries' neck. The incident, which took place during both players' turnout in Minehead, has been labeled "disgusting" by former major winner Paul Nicholson and could possibly be investigated further.

After the match - in which world champion and world No. 1 Humphries won 10-6 - Humphries gave Wade a light shoulder thrust. He later expressed his frustration in a message on X (formerly Twitter), which he subsequently deleted.

“Everyone loves to see people be a bad loser but I’m generally one of the best losers in the sport. I wasn’t going to give someone who didn’t deserve my respect after what he was doing through the game a hug and be all happy about it that’s just my honesty.,'' the world number one wrote.

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Some fans then accused Humphries of being a bad loser, but Paul Nicholson actually stood up for him. Speaking with Sporting Life, Nicholson called it nonsense to label Humphries as a bad loser.

“Just two days after earning all that praise for bringing Beau Greaves back on stage, Humphries found himself being harshly criticised by some fans on social media for a frosty handshake and a small shoulder barge.

According to Nicholson, tensions had been mounting throughout the match, as evidenced by the fact that no handshake or boxing was exchanged before the deciding leg. The moment when Wade stuck out his tongue and licked Humphries' neck might have been a major factor in this.

“It is ridiculous for anyone to call Humphries a ‘bad loser’ and his track record of graciousness speaks for itself.

“There had seemingly been tensions building throughout and they didn’t exchange the usual handshake or fist bump before the deciding leg, while Wade licking Humphries’ neck before the match began may have been an issue.

“I’m with Luke on this one. I think sometimes as a competitor, you have to draw a line and say, ‘If you are going to play games and do things within a competitive environment that cross the line, then don’t expect respect in return’.

“The photograph that surfaced of James sticking his tongue out and touched Luke’s neck was disgusting and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was investigated.

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Nicholson emphasized that Humphries' reaction had nothing to do with unsportsmanlike conduct, but purely with the way Wade behaved. “Whether that was one of the things that bothered Luke or not, the fact he left the stage in the manner he did after the match wasn’t anything to do with being a ‘bad loser’. 

“If James hadn’t done anything provocative, Luke’s reaction to defeat would have been very different.

In addition, Nicholson cited that Wade himself has not always been athletic over the past 20 years. “Wade isn’t exactly the most gracious in defeat anyway. Some of the handshakes he’s given down the years have been perfunctory at best.

Nicholson closed with praise for Humphries and the way "Cool Hand Luke" usually comes out in the media. "Let's focus on what a great ambassador Luke Humphries is. His response toward Beau Greaves was a perfect example of how he sees the bigger picture."

Humphries' attitude toward the attention given to Luke Littler also shows great sportsmanship, according to Nicholson. “Let’s instead focus on what an incredible role model Luke Humphries is and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.

“Humphries’ reaction to Greaves was just another example of how he recognises the bigger picture.

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