"It was getting right on my tits!" - James Wade through to round 2 at 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy despite shirt discomfort

James Wade has qualified for the second round of the 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy. 'The Machine' beat the in form Cameron Menzies 6-4 in the first round at the Antwerp Expo and will now face the second seed, Dave Chisnall in round two.

Wade and Menzies treated the enthusiastic Belgian crowd at the Antwerp Expo to a great match on Friday night. Wade (96.38) ended up with a lower average than Menzies (99.65) but pulled on his customary grit and determination to win five of the last six legs and emerge victorious.

"Yeah I did alright," Wade reflected in his post-match interview on stage afterwards, although he did reveal there was something troubling. "From the get go, this shirt. I don't know if it was a label or what, but it was getting right on my tits!"

"But yeah, Cameron didn't score or finish the way he can," continues the multiple major winner. "I've been doing this 23 years and I've learned now that I've got to enjoy and embrace it. There's nothing that I've not seen so yeah, it's all good, all great and I'm happy to win. As I say, he didn't play great, but I made the most of that opportunity."

With this victory, Wade also made a good case toward possible qualification for the 2024 World Grand Prix, a tournament he managed to win in both 2007 and 2010. The 41-year-old Englishman does still need a few more wins to secure a starting spot for the yearly double in double out event next month though. "You've got to be good enough to be in it and I'm clearly scraping the barrel," Wade concludes. "I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and eventually, I'll hopefully string along some results. Two or three months where I'm really playing well. At the moment though, I'm scraping the barrel every time."

In the next round, Wade takes on compatriot Dave Chisnall, who earlier this year won the European Darts Open.