Former major champion Paul Nicholson has hit out at James Wade for his actions during his victory over Luke Humphries at the UK Open last week.
Humphries suffered a shock defeat by Wade in the quarter-final of the tournament on Sunday, with the world No 1 going down 10-9.
However, the tie had been marred by an incident that came ahead of the game.
After the players conducted their walk-ons, Wade, who has struggled to recapture his best form over recent years, embraced Humphries.
As the pair hugged, Wade then could be seen bizarrely sticking his tongue out as he appeared to lick his opponent’s neck.
This set the precedent for a feisty clash, with their post-match handshake extremely frosty, while Humphries slightly shoulder-barged his rival on his departure from the stage.
A former darts star has hit out at James Wade for his actions in his win over Luke Humphries
World No 1 Humphries suffered a shock 10-9 loss to Wade in the quarter-finals of the UK Open
Ahead of the game, Wade had bizarrely appeared to lick Humphries’ neck as they embraced
After the game, the former world champion had taken to X to express his frustrations in a now-deleted tweet.
‘Everyone loves to see people be a bad loser but I’m generally one of the best losers in the sport,’ he wrote.
‘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.’
This led to criticism for Humphries for being a supposed bad loser, which came just days after he was lauded for his actions following his victory against female star Beau Greaves earlier in the tournament.
But former darts star Nicholson, who won the Players’ Championship Finals in 2010, leapt to the defence of Humphries and hit out at Wade.
‘Humphries found himself being harshly criticised by some fans on social media for a frosty handshake and a small shoulder barge,’ Nicholson told Sporting Life
‘It is ridiculous for anyone to call Humphries a “bad loser” and his track record of graciousness speaks for itself.
‘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.
Humphries appeared to slightly shoulder barge Wade as he headed off stage after the game
There was an extremely frosty atmosphere around the game after Wade’s ear licking
Former darts star Paul Nicholson hit out at Wade and defended Humphries’ character
‘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 touching Luke’s neck was disgusting and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was investigated.’
Nicholson went onto reaffirm his point and claimed that Wade was to blame for what had gone on following the game.
‘Whether that (the ear lick) 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”,’ he added.
‘If James hadn’t done anything provocative, Luke’s reaction to defeat would have been very different.
‘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.’
Nicholson continued: ‘Let’s instead focus on what an incredible role model Luke Humphries is and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.
‘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.’
Wade went onto reach the final of the UK Open, but he was thrashed 11-2 by Luke Littler as the teen sensation took home the £110,000 in prize money.
