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James Wade in action. Pic: Lawrence Lustig
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Wade safely through in World Darts Championship

By Jon Couch
December 18, 2012

JAMES WADE marched into the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a comfortable straight sets victory on Monday night - yet insisted his performance was not good enough.

The Aldershot-based left-hander averaged 91.09 and hit four 180s but still was not satisfied with his display despite demolishing Peter Hudson at Alexandra Palace.

Seven-time major winner Wade dropped only two legs in the match and won the last six without reply to move safely into the last 32 in his bid for a first world championship crown.

But in his first tournament back after receiving treatment for bipolar disorder, the world number three said he expected to hit the ground running.

"It's good to get the win but I'm frustrated because I've never done so much work before and played so poorly," he said.

"Having said that, I beat a good player there, a lot of people don't realise how good he is.

"My scoring wasn't great but I finished well and hopefully it can all come out in the next round."

Both Wade and Hudson took time to settle, each missing four darts at the double before Wade hit double two to calm the nerves and get his campaign under way.

Hudson hit back to take leg two, but after Wade let him in again by missing his favourite double top, the Machine clicked into gear, winning the next two legs and taking the opening set 3-1.

Having lost the first leg of set two, Wade then checked out 76 to level at 1-1 before punishing Hudson for missing double 20 in the next and finishing off the set with a 62 checkout.

From then on it was routine for Wade as Hudson again struggled to capitalise on any rare opportunity he got.

Two more missed darts at tops handed Wade the break for 2-0 before the part-time mechanic pieced together a 56 checkout to take the set and the match.

It will ll be a more polished Wade when he takes to the oche for his second round match against former Lakeside favourite Steve Beaton on Sunday (December 23) - the 29-year-old vowing to shave off his beard after six weeks' growth now he has won a match live on television.

With his condition culminating in indifferent performances for the latter part of 2012, Wade remains an outside bet to dethrone double champion Adrian Lewis or 15-time king Phil 'The Power' Taylor to take the title.

But Wade insisted he could upset the odds and battle through his problems to clinch his first world crown.

"Of course I can win," he added. "The people who win this tournament are good dart players and I'm a good dart player.

"It came back in very small degrees tonight. The scoring wasn't great but I finished well and it's a step in the right direction for me."

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