Humphries and Wade book World Grand Prix quarters

Luke Humphries and James Wade have both booked their places in the World Grand Prix quarter-finals, with contrasting wins at a busy venue in Leicester. Humphries made quick work of Jermaine Wattimena, winning 3-0, while Wade needed four sets to see off Stephen Bunting, eventually prevailing 3-1.

Humphries had a nervy start against Wattimena before his doubling took over. He closed out the win comfortably from there, sending him into a fourth straight quarter-final in Leicester, a run previewed in our World Grand Prix guide.

Wade had the tougher night of the two. He beat Bunting 3-1 in a scrappy double-start battle, continuing an excellent record in an event he knows better than almost anyone else left in the draw.

Detailed First Half Narrative

Double-start throws up its share of scares, since every leg begins with a dart at a double rather than a free run through the board. That suited Wattimena in the first set, and Humphries had to survive two set darts before it finally went his way.

Having survived that scare, Humphries made sure there was no repeat. He wrapped up the second and third sets with far less resistance, missing just five darts at double across the whole match. Full numbers from the win are laid out in the Sporting Life report.

Humphries used his doubling as a pointed message to the rest of the field. “When you’re doing that it’s going to take a good performance to beat you,” he said.

He also drew a clear line under his previous match. “I was a lot better tonight than I was on Tuesday,” Humphries said, adding: “I don’t care how I win, but when you put in the performance I did on Tuesday, it’s disappointing and you want to put it right. I think I did that tonight.”

There’s more to come, by his own admission. “I feel like there’s still other levels in me, and hopefully I come back tomorrow with some more of that starting, but even better scoring,” he said. For a player who has set the pace in darts over the last couple of years, that response after a flat outing was exactly what Leicester needed to see.

The result extends his record at this venue to a fourth straight quarter-final. His progress through this year’s tournament is tracked in our Humphries win report. It sets up a last-eight meeting with Niels Zonneveld, who arrives with nothing to lose. Humphries will fancy his chances given the control he showed over the doubles tonight.

Detailed Second Half Narrative & Drama

Bunting made this one far harder than a 3-1 scoreline suggests. He pushed Wade into a fourth set in a tight, scrappy double-start contest, and nothing came easily for either player over the full match.

Wade’s finishing held up when it mattered most. “I just felt it was down to timing and hitting the right shots at the right time,” he said, explaining how the tie swung his way. He didn’t dress up how hard the format makes things. “I’m just really grateful to win. It’s so, so tough to win in double-start. It’s really hard work!”

Wade’s comment about facing tougher opposition said as much about the strength of this year’s field as about his own form. “I’m nowhere near my best, but I’m having to play better against better players,” he admitted, pointing to the depth of the draw in Leicester this week. That kind of resistance meant he had to find a higher gear than he perhaps expected before the night was done.

True to character, he still found room for a joke about what’s left in reserve. “I’ve got loads more gears to go, but talk is cheap, and I’m full of cheap talk!”

The win sends Wade back into the World Grand Prix quarter-finals for an eighth time. It also extends his run in the event to a 22nd consecutive year, a streak very few players on the tour can match. He now waits to discover his quarter-final opponent as the rest of the draw plays out in Leicester.

Thursday’s action at the venue also saw Gian van Veen progress by beating Ryan Searle 3-2, according to Sporting Life. Sky Sports covered that stretch of the afternoon in its Sky Sports live blog. A separate Sporting Life piece has more quarter-final context from elsewhere in the draw. Our own Leicester drama report covers more of this week’s action at the venue.

Away from Leicester, the PDC calendar keeps moving. Michael Smith and Scott Williams were both involved in Dutch Darts Championship qualifiers this week, detailed in our latest qualification update.

Player Ratings (home side)

Both winners played to the identity that has carried them deep into tournaments throughout the year. The two matches in Leicester, though, asked very different questions of each man and demanded different qualities to get through. Humphries needed composure under an early fright, while Wade needed patience and precision in a grinding double-start battle that refused to open up.

Luke Humphries, 8/10: Humphries survived two set darts early and then took total control, missing just five darts at double across the match. That accuracy explains the one-sided finish and the fourth straight Leicester quarter-final that follows.

James Wade, 8/10: Wade had to work through four sets against Bunting in a tight double-start contest, relying on sharp finishing at key moments. The win takes him into an eighth World Grand Prix quarter-final and a 22nd straight year in the event.

Player Ratings (opponent)

Neither loser could find the extra level needed against two of the form players left in this year’s draw. Both pushed hard in isolated moments, though, and gave their more fancied opponents problems along the way. Both will have chances to put these results right as the PDC calendar continues.

Jermaine Wattimena, 5/10: Wattimena held two set darts in the opening set and had the better of the early exchanges. Once Humphries’ doubling clicked into gear, though, he had no way back, beaten 3-0 without ever threatening a second set. He will have other chances to impress against ranked opposition as the season continues, but this was a missed opportunity in Leicester.

Stephen Bunting, 6/10: Bunting took the contest into a fourth set and gave Wade a far tougher night than the final outcome suggests. A 3-1 defeat, though, leaves him short of the World Grand Prix quarter-finals this year. Few opponents enjoy facing Wade in this format, and Bunting’s effort over four sets reflected that difficulty.

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