"Peter just smashed me to bits" - James Wade acknowledges he 'lost to a player who was way better' in European Championship final

James Wade reached the final of a major tournament on Sunday for the first time in more than two and a half years. The ultimate crowning achievement did not come though, as 'The Machine' lost to Peter Wright in the final of the European Darts Championship.

The legendary left-handed darter had started the tournament with relatively easy matches against an injured Dirk van Duijvenbode (6-3) and an out-of-sorts Jose de Sousa (10-1). He then also defeated Luke Humphries (10-6) and Gian van Veen (11-9). However, the tank was empty in the final, which was won 11-6 by Wright.

"I haven't got a lot to say apart from I'm gutted," Wade reflected afterwards. "I lost to a player who was way better than me tonight. Peter just smashed me to bits, there's nothing more I can say.”

The Englishman did become a little more talkative afterward, seeing the positive side of his second place finish at the European Darts Championship. ''I’ve not been very good for the last 14 months, so this is a step in the right direction. I’ve been fortunate today because a few of the players didn’t play as well as they can, but for me this is a massive building block, and I’m moving forwards again.”