JAMES WADE bizarrely licked rival Luke Humphries as they embraced on stage at Minehead.
The two darts stars were in action in the quarter-finals at the UK Open Darts when the astonishing moment happened.
James Wade couldn’t help but lick his opponent Luke Humphries on stage
Wade was first to walk on, with Luke arriving to the stage to the Kaiser Chiefs’ familiar I Predict a Riot anthem.
As the pair hugged, cameras caught The Machine sticking his tongue out as he got close to Cool Hand Luke.
Then, Wade bizarrely licked the back of Humphries’ neck before the pair exchanged niceties in front of the oche.
Incredibly, the world No1 didn’t seem to clock Wade’s actions.
But, it certainly seemed to make a difference when the game got underway.
Wade provided a shock to roar into the last four of the tournament with a stunning victory.
The three-time winner hit a purple patch in the last three legs – throwing SIX 180s.
The match went to a deciding leg – with the scores at 9-9.
Finally, Wade got over the line by pinning 45, following a 180, to win 10-9.
He joins Luke Littler, Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton in the last four.
The world No 14 recently aired his concerns over a lack of “big numbers” and “magical games’” at top level, even though Littler and Humphries have greatly contributed to a boom in darts’ popularity.
Wade told Sky Sports: “When the easier games are coming my way when I should be doing something, I’m not performing.
“But it seems to be my timing is awful at the moment and that’s what I need to get right.
“I don’t think the standard is particularly great at the moment. The high end is good but it’s not what I feel people are talking about.
“There’s opportunities there and there’s lots of players not taking them.
“I’m contradicting what I want to say now because I was trying to be polite… I don’t think it’s what it’s hyped up to be.
GettyJames Wade celebrates defeating Luke Humphries at Minehead[/caption]
GettyHumphries was dumped out of the UK Open 10-9[/caption]
“What I feel is there’s more better players that can win tournaments, there’s more than a few of them now, but I don’t feel the big numbers are coming and I don’t feel that the magical games are that in-depth in tournaments now.
“I just don’t feel that the big numbers are there. I watch very, very little darts, so I’m probably the worst person to ask, but I don’t see that the standards are as mighty as what some people talk about.
“It’s magical, you know, and it’s amazing. But I just feel there have been other years and other times where it’s probably been a bit better. That’s my experience from what I see anyway.”
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