JAMES WADE COLUMN: The Machine is ready for this weekend’s Players Championship Finals in Minehead before a trip to see Chelsea in training
09:48, 20 Nov 2025
James Wade’s column, in collaboration with OOONO – a screen-free traffic camera alert device, for safer driving
I won’t go on too much about the Grand Slam of Darts because I’m already heading to Butlin’s to take part in the Players Championship Finals. It’s a bit of a strange event with the seedings, and I bet a lot of people don’t really know how it works. Let me break it down.
Most of the time, seedings are set by world ranking points, but for the Players Championship, it’s all about the players’ performances in some closed-door events. For instance, even though Luke Littler is ranked number one in the world, Gerwyn Price is seeded number one for this tournament. Luke is actually seeded 36, so he’ll be up against Jeffrey de Graaf in the first round – sorry, Jeffrey!
There are definitely some exciting matches in the first round, like Gian van Veen vs. Luke Humphries. As for me, I’m facing Mickey Mansell. I played him at the Grand Slam last year and lost 5-4, but I managed to top my group in the end.
There are loads of great players out there, so I’m going to give it my all. When I’m at my best, I can hold my own against anyone, so I’m going in with a winning mindset. This is a bit like the FA Cup; there can be some surprises in the first and second rounds – hopefully not for me, though!
Fingers crossed the weather is mild this weekend. I remember a couple of years ago it was freezing in the tent; my hands were so cold I could barely feel them. I was worried about just hitting a 20, let alone a double!
James Wade is ready for the Players Championship Finals
Some players were complaining about the heat – or lack of it. The averages weren’t great, so hopefully, the PDC steps up and gets some heating going to keep the viewers happy.
My buddy Dan is a bit of a nerd; he decided to study the draw and map out the route to the final — kind of silly! In round two, I’d supposedly play Joe Cullen, then Damon Heta in round three, Jermaine Wattimena in the quarters, Wessel Nijman in the semis, and finally Gerwyn Price in the final. Honestly, I’d say there’s not much chance Dan is going to be right about that.
Right now, I’m just focusing on practice, and I’ve been playing well. Other than my match against Price last week, things have been solid, and I’ve been training hard – hitting a lot of ton-plus finishes, so I’m feeling pretty confident.
James Wade is focusing on practising ahead of the Players Championship(Image: Getty Images)READ MORE: Luke Littler to lose big chunk of Grand Slam of Darts prize money after sensational winREAD MORE: Gerywn Price reaction says it all after flashpoint as referee sends strong message
Next week, I’m heading to Chelsea’s training ground to check it out and also play some darts with the players. It’s super exciting for my son Arthur, who’s obsessed with Chelsea. My wife Samantha is into it too, although she might not admit it!
Even though I’ve kind of lost interest in football over the years, I’ve started to follow it a bit more because of Arthur. It’ll be awesome to get invited to Chelsea’s training ground, and I’m hoping to show off the Players Championship trophy while I’m there.
By the way, the sponsors of my column, OOONO, generously gave Samantha and me a device that I’ve become a little obsessed with. Unfortunately, driving around for darts means you rack up a lot of miles, especially in London where there are 20mph speed limits everywhere.
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This gadget is super handy; it sits in my footwell and beeps when I get close to a speed camera. If you’re considering picking one up, you’ve got to check out Black Friday deals – they’re nearly 60 per cent off the pricier stuff and almost 40 per cent off the cheaper products — just hit the link!
Oh, and one last thing: my manager Lee is on a mission to run 7km every day for a year to raise awareness for mental health. He mentioned that it can be tough to admit when you’re struggling, so it’s great to see him being open about it. Plus, he’s aiming to raise some cash for charity.
It’s important to note that I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and some days can be really hard — it’s a challenge just getting out of bed in the morning. But I remind myself that things will get better; I just have to keep pushing through.
Wadey
OOONO is a screen-free traffic camera alert device, for safer driving – https://ooono.com/en-uk/
