James Wade’s Grand Slam of Darts mission: revenge on Ricky Evans and an elusive title

James Wade begins his bid for the one major that has always escaped him at the Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday. Standing in his way is Ricky Evans, the man who knocked him out of the World Championship last winter.

Evans beat Wade 3-2 in a deciding-set tie-break at Alexandra Palace in December, after Wade had missed a dart for the match. The pair now meet again in Group K in Wolverhampton.

Wade, the seventh seed, opens against Cam Crabtree in Saturday’s evening session. Evans came through last week’s qualifier in Leicester to complete the group. Under the new format, only the group winner reaches the last 16, so there is no margin for error.

James Wade Grand Slam record

Wade has won 11 televised majors, but never the Grand Slam. He has lost three finals.

The first still hurts. In 2010 he led Scott Waites 8-0 and lost 16-12, one of the great comebacks in darts history. Michael van Gerwen beat him 16-8 in 2016, and José de Sousa won 16-12 in 2020. He also lost a semi-final to Gerwyn Price in 2021.

Year	Result	Winner
2010	Lost 16-12 after leading 8-0	Scott Waites
2016	Lost 16-8	Michael van Gerwen
2020	Lost 16-12	José de Sousa

The event holds good memories too. In 2008 he hit his first televised nine-darter here, though he lost the match to Gary Anderson. In 2021 he averaged 111.71 against Rob Cross in the group stage, the highest televised average of his career at the time. He reached the semi-finals again in 2023.

Last year was a struggle. He led debutant Stefan Bellmont 3-0 but lost 5-4 after missing four match darts, and Price then whitewashed him. He beat Evans 5-2 in his final game, but he was already out.

James Wade’s 2026 season

The Machine has had a solid year. In February he won the first Players Championship event of the season in Hildesheim, beating Van Gerwen 7-6 in the semi-finals and Nathan Aspinall 8-6 in the final.

At the UK Open he beat Cross 10-9 in the quarter-finals, then averaged 105.53 to beat Price 11-8. That took him to a fifth UK Open final, where he lost 11-7 to Luke Littler, a year after losing the 2025 final 11-2.

In 2025 he also hit a career-best average of 115.92 against Beau Greaves at Players Championship 5, and won Players Championship 19, his first ranking title since 2022.

At 43, he remains one of the sharpest tacticians on the circuit. Follow his career on our James Wade profile.

James Wade’s Group K test

Evans is the obvious danger, and he loves this event. Last year he beat Price and Bellmont to qualify from Wade’s group, then edged Luke Woodhouse 10-9 to reach the quarter-finals.

Crabtree is no pushover either. He beat Jonny Clayton 5-1 on his Grand Slam debut last year, and recently beat Littler to reach the World Youth Championship final.

Group matches are best of nine legs. A win earns two points, and leg difference settles any tie.

Wade must beat Crabtree on Saturday. If he does, his rematch with Evans on Monday or Tuesday could decide the group. If he loses, he faces Evans on Sunday needing a win just to stay alive.

See every group in our Grand Slam of Darts groups guide, every session in the Grand Slam schedule, and more on our PDC darts hub.

James Wade FAQ

Has James Wade ever won the Grand Slam of Darts?
No. He has lost three finals, in 2010, 2016 and 2020.

Who is in James Wade’s Grand Slam group?
Ricky Evans and Cam Crabtree in Group K. Only the winner reaches the last 16.

When does James Wade play at the Grand Slam?
He opens against Cam Crabtree in Saturday’s evening session, which starts at 7pm.

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