Wade looking set to carry on his seaside love affair

Only one player in the darting pantheon boasts a better World Matchplay record than James Wade, who is convinced that he’s poised for another magnificent week beside the seaside.

Wade, who has reached six finals in Blackpool in the past ten years, won the Matchplay as a 33-1 shot nine years ago and has been giving his backers a run for their money ever since.

The left-hander, playing even better now than he was back then, is 25-1 to dot up for a second time, a price that looks on the big side even allowing for the other class acts lined up in this elite 32-man field.