JAMES WADE’S bizarre lick of Luke Humphries’ neck has been branded as “disgusting”.
Former major champ Paul Nicholson believes the incident during the UK Open quarter-final on Sunday afternoon may well be investigated.
ITVJames Wade seemingly licked opponent Luke Humphries on stage on Sunday[/caption]
Humphries later barged into Wade after losing their quarter-final tie
Humphries couldn’t wait to get off the stage after losing 10-9
PABut former darts ace Paul Nicholson has backed Luke Humphries and called out James Wade[/caption]
Wade, 41, stuck his tongue out towards the World No.1 after his walk-on at Minehead.
After losing the match, Humphries slightly shoulder-barged his rival.
He then posted on X, which was later deleted: “Everyone loves to see people be a bad loser but I’m generally one of the best losers in the sport.
“I wasn’t going to give someone, who didn’t deserve my respect after what he was doing through the game, a hug and be all happy about it that’s just my honesty.”
Some fans criticised Humphries for being a bad loser.
But Nicholson told Sporting Life: “Just two days after earning all that praise for bringing Beau Greaves back on stage.
“Humphries found himself being harshly criticised by some fans on social media for a frosty handshake and a small shoulder barge.
“It is ridiculous for anyone to call Humphries a ‘bad loser’ and his track record of graciousness speaks for itself.
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“There had seemingly been tensions building throughout and they didn’t exchange the usual handshake or fist bump before the deciding leg, while Wade licking Humphries’ neck before the match began may have been an issue.
“I’m with Luke on this one. I think sometimes as a competitor, you have to draw a line and say, ‘If you are going to play games and do things within a competitive environment that cross the line, then don’t expect respect in return’.
“The photograph that surfaced of James sticking his tongue out and touched Luke’s neck was disgusting and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was investigated.
“Whether that was one of the things that bothered Luke or not, the fact he left the stage in the manner he did after the match wasn’t anything to do with being a ‘bad loser’.
“If James hadn’t done anything provocative, Luke’s reaction to defeat would have been very different.
“Obviously I’ve been in my fair share of incidents, and there was one time when I lost to Kim Huybrechts at the World Cup and I walked off without shaking his hand.
“I was called a bad loser then but I was just mad at myself – not at Kim. So, these things can happen at the end of a match when there’s been no bad blood.
Littler won the one-sided contest 11-2 and a £110k jackpot
“Wade isn’t exactly the most gracious in defeat anyway. Some of the handshakes he’s given down the years have been perfunctory at best.
“We’ve got to give him credit for what he’s done in the sport for over 20 years, but he’s not an angel.
“Let’s instead focus on what an incredible role model Luke Humphries is and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.
“Humphries’ reaction to Greaves was just another example of how he recognises the bigger picture.
The photograph that surfaced of James sticking his tongue out and touched Luke’s neck was disgusting and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was investigated.
Paul Nicholson
“He’s always been so magnanimous about the way Luke Littler takes the lion’s share of the spotlight even when others feel he’s been ‘overlooked’, while on this occasion he wanted to ensure Greaves got the credit she deserved.
“And he would have given her the highest praise possible had she beaten him without any sense of bitterness.
“When we see something like that, it just goes to show that there are people in sport who can be competitive, but also very gracious.”
Littler later smashed Wade 11-2 in the final to take home the £110,000 prize and apply pressure to Humphries at the top of the rankings.
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
1994 – Dennis Priestley
1995 – Phil Taylor
1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
2003 – John Part
2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
2008 – John Part (2)
2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
2011 – Adrian Lewis
2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
2014 – Michael van Gerwen
2015 – Gary Anderson
2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
2018 – Rob Cross
2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
2020 – Peter Wright
2021 – Gerwyn Price
2022 – Peter Wright (2)
2023 – Michael Smith
2024 – Luke Humphries
2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
14 – Phil Taylor
3 – Michael van Gerwen
2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
