Wade hopes Cardiff victory can spark his bid for top-four spot
JAMES Wade has revealed a Judgement Night victory in Cardiff tonight could re-ignite his aspirations of securing a top-four finish in this year’s darts Premier League.
‘The Machine’ suffered a narrow 7-5 defeat to world champion Michael van Gerwen last time out, dropping to seventh place in the standings ahead of his clash with Raymond van Barneveld at the Motorpoint Arena tonight (7pm).
But his place in the top eight is already secured ahead of his encounter against the Dutchman with Kim Huybrechts and Jelle Klaasen already being relegated ahead of Judgement Night in the Welsh capital.
But Wade – only four points behind van Gerwen who is at the top of the standings – admits victory over Mighty Mike’s compatriot van Barneveld would propel him right back into the mix for a coveted top four spot ahead of finals night at London’s O2 Arena in May.
“It’s good fun down here but I’m looking forward to getting going,” said Wade.
“Everyone knew it was going to be tight this year but there’s only going to be two or three points in it to reach the top four. There’s still a long way to go so there’s plenty of time to get closer to the top.
“I enjoy playing him (van Barneveld), he gets on with the game, plays his darts and I either play really well or really bad against him so hopefully it’s good.
“Some people said they thought it was a good game (against van Gerwen) but I thought I was awful.
“Maybe I was too critical of myself, at 3-3 I was just winding myself up and that’s probably why what happened, happened.
“It’s quite funny because you don’t really get nervous for the Premier League and you’re less nervous on Judgement Night because you’ve really done what you set out to do.
“The Premier League is important and it’s not a case of if you lose you can’t play anymore. On Judgement Night it’s not if you lose you’re out of it, so there’s probably less pressure on you.”
Wade was speaking at the We Want Any Car branch at Cardiff Gate Retail Park.