James Wade 'disgusted' during World Matchplay quarter-final and blasts Sky coverage

James Wade didn't hold back on Sky Sports or on his own performance despite producing a thrilling fightback to beat Gian van Veen at the World Matchplay. Trailing 4-1 early on, Wade reeled off nine legs in a row before eventually coming through 13-11 to make the semi-finals.

He'll now play Jonny Clayton in the final four as he bids to regain the title he won at Winter Gardens in 2007. It is Wade's 10th Matchplay semi-final, and second in a row in Blackpool after losing to Luke Humphries in 2024. However, he was left seething with Sky after claiming he was snubbed in their pre-match coverage.

"Yeah, it was quite funny," he said in his press conference. "I've probably played some of the better darts out of all players (in Blackpool), and the whole sky build-up for tonight didn't show me once.

"So that was quite a proud moment of mine, going up there afterwards and following it through. Because I've probably averaged better consistently than most players here, and I didn't get one advertisement, that made me a little more angry."

Wade didn't finish his rant there, describing himself as "one of the best darts players to have walked the planet in the last 20 years." He also referenced his tournament record, adding: "If it were other players, you probably all would have said a lot more."

Wade was also scathing about his own display before getting over the line. Asked how he recovered from his poor start, he said: "I had a very stern word with myself. I was so disappointed, I was disgusted."

Clayton was more convincing in his 16-7 win over Stephen Bunting. The pair will meet on Saturday in a best-of-33-legs match, with two more quarter-final matches taking place today.

Luke Littler will play Andrew Gilding, with the winner facing Josh Rock or Gerwyn Price. The final takes place on Sunday, with the tournament winner set to take home £200,000.