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James Wade had the first nine darts at the World Championship since 2016; the left-hander gave up a two-set band by becoming the sixth player in the top 10 to exit the tournament.
By Josh Gorton
Last Updated: 12/29/20 2:39 pm
1:15
Watch James Wade throw nine darts in his match with Stephen Bunting at the World Darts Championship.
Watch James Wade throw nine darts in his match with Stephen Bunting at the World Darts Championship.
James Wade posted the first nine-dart finish in the World Darts Championship in five years, only to collide with former Lakeside World Champion Stephen Bunting on a dramatic afternoon at Alexandra Palace.
Wade posted his lowest average at the World Championship since 2014 when he gave up a two-set lead, though he managed his third televised nine-dart midway, his first at Alexandra Palace since January 2016.
Wade has enjoyed a brilliant career, but the World Championship title so far has proven elusive – with three semi-finals his best comeback at the sport’s biggest event.
He was proposed by many to compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy after reaching the final of the European Championship and the Grand Slam of Darts in recent months, only to become the sixth player in the top 10 to exit the tournament.
This contest was touted as Wade’s combination that ended up against Bunting’s power score and that’s how it happened in the early exchanges, with Wade punishing ‘The Bullet’ wastefulness to establish a command cushion.
Bunting rallied from 2-0 in the first set to force a decider in which he had the advantage of throwing, but was left to regret wasting two darts as Wade capitalized with two 62 kills to hit first.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Bunting produced a delicious 121 combination to save the set, though he couldn’t exploit the left-hander’s inconsistency in the scoring department, with Wade converting a flashy head-to-head shot to double his lead.
2:05 After beating James Wade, Stephen Bunting admitted that Wade’s nine darts were a “blur” for both players due to no fans present.
Bunting fought back in his first round win over Andy Boulton and showed similar strength against the nine-time main winner, finishing the third set with 14 darts to cut backs, before ‘The Machine’ completely failed in the fourth. .
The former BDO world champion was dominating the scoring stakes, staggering through three consecutive stages at 13, 13 and 15 darts to restore parity at two each, with Wade averaging a measly 66.
Bunting struck first in the fifth set to lead for the first time in the contest, only for Wade to respond in spectacular fashion, following 180 in a row with the magical finish of 141 to achieve the 10th final of nine darts at the PDC World Championship. history.
Wade was previously dubbed ‘Double 009’ due to his propensity for nine-dart betting, though he’s largely been on the receiving end of perfection, with seven televised nine-dart throws against him, more than any other player. .
However, the heroic deeds of the nine darts failed to galvanize the world number 7 and Bunting remained unflappable, closing a very close fifth set to advance to the pinnacle of the fourth round.
Wade had the advantage of throwing in the sixth set, but after the pair exchanged four grabs in a row, the triples evaded Wade at a crucial moment and ‘The Bullet’ charged, firing 14 darts to complete the comeback, which sets up a last 16 showdown against Ryan Searle.
You won’t miss a dart thanks to the dedicated Sky Sports darts channel until January 4 with each session of the World Darts Championship, including the final on Sunday January 3. Check out the daily Darts news at skysports.com/darts, our mobile app and our Twitter account. @sportsdarts
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