Page 6 - News

WADE BIDDING TO RETURN TO THE TOPJAMES WADE believes he has let himself down as he bids to return to the elite level of the sport.  The 10-times major winner has enjoyed a good start to the season on the ProTour, reaching the last-16 of the Players Championship 3 before making the quarter-finals in Players Championship 4.   However, Wade is absent from the Premier League line-up for a third straight season and has endured three successive second-round exits at the PDC World Darts Championship.

Smith "over the moon" with contract extensionBy Phil Lanning ROSS SMITH admits he is still “chasing that next level” after signing with Unicorn until 2030. The former European Champion suffered a shock early exit at the Ally Pally but is already fighting back to form.  Smudger, 36, revealed it’s been a tough couple of months but he’s delighted to be back with Unicorn and is ready to keep pushing up the rankings.  On re-signing, he said: “I’m over the moon with it, to be fair. “Unicorn have

“Obviously the Worlds was a bit of a downer. The only way to get over that is back playing and forgetting about it. That’s the aim."By Phil Lanning CAMERON MENZIES has vowed to come back stronger after his emotional Worlds exit.  The World No.39 returns to action for the Winmau World Masters qualifiers at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes today (Wednesday). Menzies, 35, was last seen leaving the Ally Pally stage a month ago in tears after losing to Leonard Gates as he struggled to deal with

''I wanted to win this title so much; I’m absolutely buzzing. This means so much to me''CAMERON MENZIES admitted “nobody can take away” his joy after landing his first PDC ranking title.  The Muirkirk ace beat Stephen Bunting 8-4 to take the Players Championship 29 event in Leicester last night (Wednesday). Menzies, 35, delivered a stunning day of form to finally end his title quest. He smashed Danny Noppert 7-1 in the semis after getting past James Wade 6-2, Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5, Rob Cross

''I think there's a lot of smoke blown up a lot of other dart players' backsides that aren’t that great, that haven’t won a TV tournament but they're egged on to be favourites above me''By Phil Lanning JAMES WADE is “genuinely enjoying” the game again as he bids for a third World Grand Prix title.  The Machine takes on pal Gerwyn Price in the second round in Leicester tonight.  Wade, 41, has shown superb form in recent months after fighting back from illness over the past couple of years. He

“If I carry on playing like this I can go deep into the tournament”ROSS SMITH admits he has got his heart set on getting a Premier League place.  The Dover thrower delivered a strong opening World Grand Prix win, dropping just one leg in the victory over Gian van Veen in Leicester.  Typical of Smith he was brutally candid in the post-match interviews and says he’s delighted to be in the elite of the sport. He said: “If I’m honest, I’ve turned up here and I've not put any pressure on myself.

"I’m at that stage now where there is no pressure on me, but when you come here, you want to play."By Phil Lanning GARY ANDERSON admits he won Players Championship 22 despite only turning up to chat with his darting pals! The two-time World Champion picked up his third title of the year after beating Connor Scutt 8-4 in the final in Leicester yesterday (Tuesday). Ando, 53, delivered another strong day of form including wins over Jonny Clayton and James Wade on the way to the final.  He said: “It

"I’m just going to go up there and I know I’ve got the game to beat him, it doesn’t bother me."ROSS SMITH believes he has to be less SERIOUS before facing Luke Littler in the World Series. The explosive scorer faces the 17-year-old in the glamour tie of the first round of the finals in Amsterdam on Friday night.  World No.10 Smith, 35, has dismissed any fears of facing the No.1 seed ‘The Nuke’, who has picked up seven titles in 2024.   He said: “I’ve played him twice this season. Once in the

''I'll just carry on doing what I do, I'm in a good place in my life and I'm enjoying playing darts''GARY ANDERSON admitted he felt like a “kid at a new school” after winning the Players Championship 2.   The Flying Scotsman delivered an incredible day of form including a 117.12 average and missed double 12 for a nine-darter on THREE occasions.   Ando, 53, took the title by beating practice partner Ryan Searle 8-5 in the final in Wigan on Tuesday night.   He said: “It's always nice to

“It’s just one of these days, I’ve never been so lucky in my life”GARY ANDERSON admitted he was “lucky” after winning his first European Tour title in TEN YEARS.   The Flying Scotsman beat Team Unicorn stablemate Ross Smith 8-6 in the final of the European Grand Prix in Sindelfingen, Germany last night (Sunday).   Ando had survived match darts against Josh Rock in the quarters and scraped a win over Rob Cross in the semis before outgunning Smith.   He said: “It’s been a long time, a very