James Wade was not happy with behaviour of some fans at the UK Open on Saturday, slamming ‘idiots’ as being ‘a bit selfish and a bit stupid’.
The Machine is into the quarter-finals in Minehead, where he will meet world number one Luke Humphries on Sunday afternoon.
The UK Open is a tournament Wade has excelled in over the years, winning it three times, but he had some stern words for the fans at Butlins after reaching the last eight on Saturday.
It was put to the 41-year-old that he used the fans singing in support for his opponent as motivation, specifically when Flower of Scotland was being sung for Cameron Menzies when he was 9-7 up on Wade, before the Englishman came back to win 10-9.
Wade was blunt in his response, telling a press conference: ‘They’re idiots, in my opinion.
‘It’s not about darts then is it. It’s about people in the crowd just being a little bit silly, a little bit ostentatious. Too many lemonades, probably too many bubbles in their lemonades, and they’re are just a bit silly.
‘That’s the way it is. It tends to be that kind of person, and it seems to be those kind of people that cheer on those players. Just a bit silly, a bit selfish, and a bit stupid.’
Wade has so far beaten Willie Borland, Menzies and Robert Owen this week and has a huge task ahead of him against Humphries over a best of 19 legs.
Speaking before the event, though, Wade played down the level of of darts being played at the moment, led by the top two players on the planet, Humphries and Luke Littler.
‘I don’t think it’s what it’s hyped up to be,’ he told Sky Sports’ Love the Darts podcast.
‘What I feel is there’s more better players that can win tournaments, there’s more than a few of them now, but I don’t feel the big numbers are coming and I don’t feel that the magical games are that in-depth in tournaments now.
‘I just don’t feel that the big numbers are there. I watch very, very little darts, so I’m probably the worst person to ask, but I don’t see that the standards are as mighty as what some people talk about.
‘It’s magical, you know, and it’s amazing. But I just feel there have been other years and other times where it’s probably been a bit better. That’s my experience from what I see anyway.’
There is no question that Humphries was sensational on Saturday, beating Ryan Searle 10-0 and the Ryan Joyce 10-2.
Of the last 27 legs he has played at the UK Open, the world number one has won 25 of them and was understandably pleased with his performances.
‘My finishing has been fantastic today,’ he said. ‘You’re in the real business end of a big tournament now, and it’s going to be tough because there are so many contenders left.
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‘It’s been a great couple of days for me, but now I’ve got to turn up tomorrow, have a good night’s rest and make sure that I’m really at my best to try and lift this trophy.
‘If I keep playing like I can then I stand a great chance, and it would be an amazing achievement, because it’s such a prestigious tournament to win.’
The other three quarter-finals see Littler play Gian van Veen, Nathan Aspinall meet Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton take on Michael Smith.
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