James Wade created a series of vintage displays to win the 19th success in the Players Championship at Leicester on Thursday, waiting almost three years for the PDC ranking title.
Wade performed the finish exhibit to destroy Scott Williams 8-3 in the decisive showdown at Matio Liarina, returning to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since November 2022, with an average of 101.52.
The left-hander was at his unforgiving best against Williams, landing the Ton Plus checkout trio, doubleping eight of his nine attempts – an astonishing conversion rate of 88.9%.
“It’s been a while,” Wade regained his top eight location in the world after pocketing a £15,000 top award.
“I’m really, really happy. It’s been a difficult few years for me.
“I went from third place in the world to the top 20 outside, not because my darts ability disappeared, but because my health disappeared.
“I’m really proud of myself today because these are not easy events to win. This is a milestone for me as I lost in a few recent finals and semi-finals.
“I still want to get into the mix. I still know that it’s enough to compete with the best players, so I want to keep knocking on the door and upset Apple’s cart!”
After a 6-2 win over Brett Claydon and Joshua Richardson, Wade moved to the final 16 in a victory over Peter Wright, passing Scotland as a decider for the second day in a row.
Aldershot Stalwart averaged 103.94 on his final 16 successes against Kevin Doets, earning six straight legs to Stun World Youth Champion Gian Van Veen from 4-0.
Wade produced 161 and 124 finishes in Bullseye during the spell, and he maintained that ruthless precision in the outer ring with Andrew Guilding’s 7-3 slap in the semi-finals.
However, the winner of the 10 TV title saved a best finish at showpiece on Thursday, reminding them of 110 checkouts, including checkouts for the title, and closing out their fantastic performance with their trademark 120 combinations.
Results of the 2025 Championship 19
The last 16
James Wade 6-4 Kevin Doet
Jean Van Veign 6-5 Ricky Evans
Andrew Guilding 6-3 Ross Smith
Damon Heta 6-4 Daryl Gurney
Scott Williams 6-5 William O’Connor
Bradley Brooks 6-0 Brendan Doran
Alan Soutar 6-5 Marvin Van Velzen
Wessel Nyman 6-3 Ryan Joyce
Quarterfinals
James Wade 6-4 Jean Van Veign
Andrew Guilding 6-2 Damon Heta
Scott Williams 6-2 Bradley Brooks
Wessel Nijman 6-5 Alan Soutar
Semi-finals
James Wade 7-3 Andrew Gilding
Scott Williams 7-6 Wessel Nyman
final
James Wade 8-3 Scott Williams
What will be the next darts event related to Sky Sports?
Darts’ summer highlights will be the Betfred World Matchplay held at Winter Gardens July 19th-27th. LukeHumphries bids to maintain the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy, and world champion Luke Littler and three-time winner Michael Van Gerwen will also headline the £800,000 event over nine days.
Sunday, July 27th will also be the fourth staging of Betfred Women’s World Matchplay, featuring eight competing players in one session. This is when Beau Greaves won the 2023 and 2024 events.
Sky Sports will be home to Darts World Cup, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam darts, and more! Stream darts and now offers top sports
