James Wade doesn't want to know World Darts `Championship draw: "A superstition I've developed over the years"
PDC
James Wade knows he must be in action at the World Darts Championship on Monday, Dec. 16, but 'The Machine' does not yet know who his opponent will be. The Englishman hopes to find out as late as possible.
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"The draw for the PDC World Darts Championships has been completed…and I hope I don’t find out who I am playing for as long as possible." Wade wrote in his column for Daily Star.
"That is the way I prefer it, not knowing who I am going to be coming up against. It has always been like that for me, a superstition I suppose I have developed over the years."
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Wade's last official preparation for the World Darts Championship did not go smoothly. In the first round of the Players Championship Finals, the left-handed dart player let Stephen Burton surprise him. ''The PDC Players Championship Finals at Butlins Minehead this past weekend was not a happy holiday for me and to be honest, I was pretty poor in my performance when I went out in Friday’s first round.
"That is not to take anything away from my opponent, Stephen Burton, who deserved to go through and unfortunately for me, it is what it is. The only comfort I can take is that I was not the only top 32 player who took an early bath; I joined a few others who were feeling a little washed up at the seaside."
Wade did notice that Luke Humphries eventually took the title in Minehead by dealing with Luke Littler in the final.
"For the two Lukes, it obviously wasn’t too much of a distraction. As he did in last year’s World final, Humphries came out on top against Littler and fair play to him for that, it is no mean feat beating the young man at this moment.
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"Just like Littler, Humphries is young, hungry and fresh - and he just loves playing darts. He is also a very calculated player, who is in good form and, by the looks of it in Minehead, he is ready to defend his world crown."
WADE GONE FOR A BURTON!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 22, 2024
What a win for Stephen Burton, who rattles off four straight legs to complete a terrific comeback victory over James Wade!
Burton moves through to round two in Minehead!
📺 https://t.co/AmuG0PMn18#PCF2024 | R1 pic.twitter.com/e6XMDqqW3y

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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
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- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026







