MCCOY’S PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS
Wade winds up to blow champ Lewis off the oche
JAMES WADE believes he’s on the brink of putting the frighteners on his Mccoy’s Premier League rivals.
The 2009 winner suffered a nightmare start to the season, losing his first three matches.
But back-to-back wins over Kevin Painter and Raymond van Barneveld have put him bang in contention.
If Wade defeats Adrian Lewis in Glasgow on Thursday, the reigning world champion is likely to remain slumped at the bottom of the eightman table. Wade said: “My confidence is there as much as ever but I’m thinking far too much about the game.
“It’s starting to feel good in patches but last week I won again so it’s all good and the tide is turning.
“I did a good job on Raymond early on last week – I felt brilliant for three or four legs – but then shut off. That’s how I’m playing at the moment but I’ve got to keep my foot on the gas.”
Blew
Wade has enjoyed the better of Lewis in the majority of their major meetings, but allowed a 5-1 lead to slip in a controversial World Championship semi-final on New Years Day.
The game was disrupted by a draught which blew across the stage at Alexandra Palace, as seven-time major winner Wade saw his hopes of winning the world championship blow away. “I look back
LEAGUE TABLE and laugh at the game now,” added Wade. “That won’t ever happen to me again and I have learned from it.
“Adrian has won two World Championships – and deservedly so – but I’ve won seven majors.”
The current Premier League leader Phil Taylor is looking to continue his unbeaten start to the season when he plays Andy Hamilton in Scotland, having also hit two nine-dart finishes in Players Championships last weekend.
Tartan idol Gary Anderson plays Simon Whitlock as he returns to his native country in front of a 6,000 sell-out crowd, while Barneveld plays Painter in the night’s other game.