Keegan Brown will never be gifted as much support in his life.
Before he took the oche on Sunday afternoon and four days after the crime, James Wade said on Sky Sports that he doesn’t remember much about Wednesday, the whole day, and he certainly doesn’t remember much about the night and the infamous game itself.
He’d missed out on a lot.
Four days earlier, Wade had hounded the mild-mannered Seigo Asada in their Round Two clash before doubling down on his overly aggressive taunts and jeers in his post-match interview.
In the aftermath, he apologised and claimed that his Hypomania, a condition that has affected him for years had prompted him into the mood-swing before pleading for forgiveness from the darts faithful.
He’d forgotten a lot but the Alexander Palace crowd had forgotten nothing at all. And they weren’t too forgiving either. From the moment he stepped foot on the stage for his Round Three clash against fellow countryman Keegan Brown, it was very clear who they were siding with.
Brown’s arrival was greeted with unusually loud, welcoming roars – that’s saying something when you consider the Ally Pally crowd’s rep anyway and Wade’s couldn’t have been anymore contrasting.
The cheers were fewer and further between amid a growing collection of boos and the cheers were quickly drowned out.
And Wade was, as any human would be, put off by the hostile atmosphere that he was met with.
He couldn’t hit a double to save himself while a buoyed Brown on the other hand, was revelling in the London jungle and as soon as the gates were lifted he’d bolted into a two set lead.
A set up and now a break of throw for Brown…Wade up against it at the moment!#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/V6A84SI8uu
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 23, 2018
Wade did eventually come to terms with it all, he took the third set comfortably, slotting a couple of tasty doubles along the way, but the damage had already been done.
By the seventh leg of the game, he’d missed nine darts on the double.
By the eight, he’d missed every single one of his five throws at double ten. Those aren’t winning stats and Brown, the highly rated 26-year-old had an opportunity to punish Wade and his wayward darts.
BROWN ONE AWAY | The Needle is just one set away from knocking out James Wade!#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/OlIw9RmJgg
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 23, 2018
The Machine won the fifth one to pile on the pressure, but Brown still had the throw to win this match.
Wade though, is made of stern, stern stuff and despite being booed overwhelmingly by the crowd, he nailed double tops and a seventy two checkout to send this one to a deciding seventh.
He came into his own then in the crunch set, winning two clutch legs off the bop before going onto seal a hard-fought comeback win 4-3.
JAMES WADE COMPLETES THE COMEBACK | The Machine overcomes a hostile environment to defeat Keegan Brown and book a spot in the last 16#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/qUh5woNLqG
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 23, 2018
Darts fans had a mixed reaction to the crowd’s reception for Wade.
James Wade getting exactly what he deserves from the crowd 😂
— Steven Gilroy (@buttermyarse99) December 23, 2018
Massively disagree with how the crowd are acting towards James Wade #PDCWorldChampionships
— Cass (@cassie_moffatx) December 23, 2018
A lot of arseholes in the crowd tonight! Come on @JamesWade180 🎯 ignore the boos and show them👊🏻🎯
— Steph Louise Clayton (@steph_clayton92) December 23, 2018
But whatever you think of the man, he showed some steel in the face of adversity there.
