Waded in and looked foolish

EVEN by professional darts’ standards, James Wade’s interview after scraping past little-known Japanese player Seigo Asada was bizarre in the extreme.

Wade (below) was thoroughly obnoxious during his 3-2 win at the PDC world championship and even worse afterwards.

“I dug in deep there. It’s a magnificent feeling. I’ve done it for my son, for my country, so it’s good.

“I kept giving it to him, I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to really hurt him in his face.

“That’s for my son and also for the UK.”

I doubt the UK was very proud of Wade coming across as, to put it mildly, a xenophobic bully. But this is a sportsman who has suffered mental health problems and has been very open about his issues.

Indeed, he apologised to Asada (above), was extremely contrite and said it was down to a “hypomania episode”. Hopefully, he will go and get the help he needs… because nationalistic abuse of sporting visitors is the last thing we need.

MARK ALLEN’S comments about being on the lash during last week’s Scottish Open, which he won, were mildly amusing.

It sounds like he had been on the ale for most of the tournament.

But as a case for snooker being an Olympic sport, they were as leaky as a cracked pint pot.

ONE factor in Kings XI Punjab successfully bidding £800,000 for Sam Curran might have been the intelligence that he will not be needed for an England pre-world Cup training camp in April and will therefore be available for the full duration of the Indian Premier League.

If England can go into the World Cup without considering the younger of the Curran bothers, then they really must have a favourite’s chance of winning it.

LAST Saturday, Pep Guardiola said Raheem Sterling only has issues with his finishing when he has time to think about it.

With one of the worst ‘Panenka penalties’ you are ever likely to see, it took Sterling only a matter of days to prove his coach spectacularly correct.