'Looking forward to some down time to recoup': James Wade out of ProTour double header after marathon World Matchplay

James Wade reached his 7th World Matchplay final this weekend, falling short to Luke Littler in a thrilling 31 leg shootout. Wade who won the title back in 2007 was looking to pick up his first major title since the UK Open in 2021 where he defeated Luke Humphries.

At the end of the game Wade was seen leaving the stage before the lifting ceremony and fans had their say with won tweeting “Not good from James Wade at least can stop moaning about paying £50 for fish and chips now after his 100k prize for losing.”

Wade had an outstanding tournament, averaging over 100 in every game leading up the final, a run that included an emphatic 20-18 win over Jonny Clayton in the semi-final.

Following on from the loss, Wade posted a heartfelt message on his official X account, expressing his thanks to supporters who cheered him on over the last week. The message stated: "It has been a brilliant week of highs and ultimately I'm so happy I made it to the finals last night."

After leaving the stage early, Wade also congratulated Littler on his historic win, “A big congratulations to Luke on the win.” Littler picked up his 14th title in the last 20 months, an impressive run that saw him completely the ‘Triple Crown’ in this time and etch his name into history becoming only the 5th player to do so.

With the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam still to come before the World Championship at the end of the year, Wade will be hoping he can continue his fine form ahead of December and even pick up a title on the way.

To conclude his message, Wade said "I'm really looking forward to some down time to recoup. Thank you all as he concluded."