James Wade appears to be hitting form at the perfect time for the World Grand Prix. The experienced Englishman has had an excellent season and, according to Polly James and former major winner Paul Nicholson, he should not be underestimated in Leicester.
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In the Love The Darts podcast, James and Nicholson discussed Wade’s chances at the tournament with its unique double-in, double-out format. A player with ‘The Machine’s’ skill set seems tailor-made for it.
Wade tipped as a title contender in Leicester
“Wadey this year, last year even, he's just someone that you just can't really bet against, you know,” said James. “His scoring power, his doubling, just everything. And when it's on and when he's, you know, in a good mood up for it, I just think, I think he could easily win this."
Nicholson also sees that Wade is putting together a particularly strong year. He pointed to the Englishman’s recent success in Flanders. "When he won in Flanders, I just heard the pens of the commentators drop, as if to say, now we can't write that he hasn't won one of these for 10 years anymore. So 2016 Hamburg, now he's won in Flanders, so that's that one done.
We debate Wade on The DartsNews Podcast.
Wade also filled a missing piece on the World Series this year. “And it has been a very good year, because he's won in Australia, and we talked about how we'd never won in the World Series, so he's ticked that off the list."
That naturally raises the question, Nicholson said, of what comes next. He no longer casually rules out a world title. "I mean, what's he gonna do next? Win the World's. I mean, we've talked about how the fact he's never gonna win the World's. Well, I think maybe he could now."
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For the World Grand Prix, Nicholson expects a deep run from Wade. "I've got him making the final in this tournament, because I think he's ripe for a run. He's won it a couple of times before, and the last time he won it he had motivation, because there was a family bereavement, and he wanted to win for them."
Above all, Wade’s composure stands out these days. “I think his motivation is thoroughly from his family these days, and for himself. Maybe for the first time. And he's got such a level of calmness about him right now, that I haven't seen in him maybe in all of his career."
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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.