‘I thought they were friends?’ – Darts stars in awkward handshake snub before UK Open semi-final

James Wade produced a hilarious fake handshake moment before his UK Open semi-final clash with Gerwyn Price.

The two players, known to be good friends, shared a light-hearted exchange just before their match began when Price initially failed to greet Wade in the usual pre-match manner.

As he walked past the Welshman, Wade jokingly performed a handshake with himself, playfully mocking the fact that Price hadn’t noticed him.

He then returned to Price moments later, and the pair finally exchanged a proper handshake before the match got underway.

ITV commentator Dan Dawson joked: “And there will be a handshake eventually.”

Former pro Glen Durrant added humorously: “I thought you said they were good friends!”

The moment added another quirky chapter to Wade’s list of unusual on-stage incidents.

Almost exactly a year earlier, Wade was involved in a bizarre moment when he appeared to lick the neck of Luke Humphries during their quarter-final match on the same stage.

Earlier this year, Wade was also wrongly accused by Madars Razma of failing to properly shake hands at the World Masters Darts.

When the action finally began, Wade and Price delivered a thrilling contest, sharing 19 legs in a gripping race to the final.

In the end, Wade held his nerve to claim an 11–8 victory, securing his place in the tournament’s showpiece final at the UK Open Darts Championship.