Luke Littler reveals what James Wade said to him after World Matchplay final amid controversial incident

Luke Littler has revealed what James Wade told him immediately after he won the World Matchplay Darts final.

Littler defeated Wade 18-13 in Blackpool to win the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time.

The 18-year-old remarkably becomes only the fifth player in darts history to complete the sport's Triple Crown, having now won the World Championship, World Matchplay and the Premier League titles.

Wade raced into an early 5-0 lead, but could only win eight further legs despite averaging over 101.

The 2007 Matchplay champion even broke Littler's throw on several occasions and hit over 44 per cent of his doubles, but his opponent's relentless scoring proved to be the difference at the Winter Gardens.

During the match, Wade appeared to be less than happy with a heckling fan who appeared to be sat in the VIP section.

Littler also had words with match referee Huw Ware during one of the intervals, appearing to explain his opponent's concerns.

His run to the final continues a strong 2025 for Wade, who was also runner-up to Littler at the UK Open and is now ranked at world number five.

Seconds after Littler threw the winning dart and celebrated, Wade embraced the 18-year-old and whispered something in his ear that caused the new champion to briefly stop in his tracks.

Speaking post-match, Littler revealed (via TungstenTales): "He said, 'Well played, brilliant tournament and well done to you'.

"He's definitely got a lot better since the UK Open. Obviously, I had it my way in Minehead, and he had his in the first five legs [tonight], and then I got myself back in it and picked up the trophy."

Wade did, on occasion, walk slowly towards the board to pick up his darts, but Littler said: "He definitely didn't put me off. That's what he said to me - 'I'm not like that'."

On Saturday, Littler revealed that he had been practicing with Wade during the tournament - with the more experienced dartist giving him a few words of advice beforehand.

"We practiced tonight, we've done a lot of 121 to 170 checkouts," he said.

"He literally told me, 'Get up off your a**e and practice with me. 121.' Alright, James."

Perhaps surprisingly, Littler's success at the Winter Gardens was his first tournament victory since March, when he won the first European Tour event of the season.

He has had fewer opportunities to win tournaments this year, though, having opted out of playing the majority of Players Championship events, and several European Tour dates, due to his increasingly demanding schedule.

Littler played in the Premier League across 16 weeks - a stage Wade will surely be in contention to qualify for next season.

The Aldershot-born star hasn't been selected to play in the invitational event by the PDC since 2022, but will qualify automatically should he be placed in the world's top four.