James Wade in X-rated complaint about unusual noise coming from the oche during Players Championship Darts win

James Wade found himself at the centre of a very different kind of talking point during a Players Championship match in Leicester — and for once it had nothing to do with his darts.

‘The Machine’ was competing against fellow veteran Peter Wright at Players Championship 17 in June 2025 when an unmistakable sound emerged from the direction of the oche, stopping play and leaving Wright visibly taken aback. Wade beat Wright 6-5 in Leicester, but the real talking point of the evening was when he passed wind after throwing a dart. A baffled Wright stepped back and appeared confused by the sound before realising exactly what it was. SPORTbible

Wade, ever unflappable, attempted to keep proceedings moving. As he went to collect his darts from the board, he quipped: “It slipped out. Give it a second.” BenchWarmers He then tried to hurry his opponent back into action, asking: “Go ahead. Do you want nine more arrows?” GB News

The moment was made all the more awkward by the fact the match was being streamed live online. Referee Owen Binks was left with little choice but to acknowledge what had happened. “Oh boy, OK then… this is a streamed match, guys,” Binks said. SPORTbible

Wright attempted to see the funny side, but the incident was impossible to ignore. The smell was clearly potent, and Wright was forced to step back to give himself some distance. NewsBreak He eventually composed himself and resumed his throw, with Wade going on to seal the 6-5 victory and progress to the quarter-finals, where he lost to eventual tournament winner Chris Dobey.

This was not the first time ‘The Machine’ had let rip during professional competition. He also passed wind less than a year earlier in September 2024 at a ProTour event. Oche 180 On that occasion, Wade had taken to social media to address the situation with a straight face. He wrote: “I feel I must address a situation following my run to the semi-finals of PC22 today. Footage has emerged of me doing what appears to be a ‘shart’ at the end of one of my matches. It was actually the Velcro on my new trainers. I now consider this matter put to bed as don’t wish to talk about it again.” Sportscasting

The Leicester match against Wright proved that statement rather premature.

Former pro Vincent van der Voort weighed in on the Darts Draait Door podcast, suggesting consequences could follow. “It would be right if he gets punished now. To do something like that twice? Then you’re just playing with it — you’re asking for trouble. It made me laugh, but it’s hardly a great advert for the sport. Not that Wade cares — what a character,” van der Voort said. Oche 180

For Wade, however, it was very much a case of onwards and upwards. Despite the incident, he continued to perform strongly at the oche in 2025, eventually winning his first PDC title since November 2022 at Players Championship 19, before going on to reach the final of the UK Open — where he was beaten 11-7 by Luke Littler — and cementing himself as one of the most dangerous operators on the floor circuit heading into 2026.