James Wade secured the first World Series of Darts title of his career on Saturday, beating home qualifier Brody Klinge 8-5 in the final of the KenoGO Australian Darts Masters at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.

The victory marked Wade’s first televised title since his 2021 UK Open triumph, while Klinge, competing in just his second World Series event, produced an impressive 104.56 average despite falling short in the final.

Wade made a fast start, breaking with an 11-dart leg to move 2-0 ahead. Klinge responded with a 12-darter to level the contest at 2-2, but Wade then took control.

The Englishman won four consecutive legs, including three successive 13-darters, to build a commanding 6-2 advantage. Klinge refused to give up, winning three straight legs and producing a superb 140 checkout to reduce the deficit to 6-5.

However, Wade held his nerve when it mattered most. He took out 76 in the 12th leg before capitalising on two missed doubles from Klinge to seal the biggest title of his World Series career.

Wade had already produced a dramatic comeback earlier in the tournament, recovering from 5-2 down against Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals. A spectacular 164 checkout helped him complete a 6-5 victory before he defeated top seed Gerwyn Price 7-4 in the semi-finals, hitting eight maximums and averaging just over 101.

The 42-year-old had also made an impressive start to the tournament on Friday, averaging 112.73 in a dominant 6-0 victory over Tim Pusey.

Klinge’s route to the final was equally impressive. The Australian defeated Ross Smith, Gian van Veen and Jonny Clayton on his run to the championship match.

After surviving two match darts before edging past Smith in a deciding leg in the opening round, Klinge produced another major upset by defeating world number two Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals.

He then averaged almost 102 in his semi-final against Clayton and produced a brilliant 170 checkout to end the New Zealand Masters champion’s hopes of securing back-to-back Oceanic titles.

“It’s been a while since I’ve won something,” Wade said. “My children always say to me: ‘Daddy, can you get a trophy?’ I have to keep buying them. I really enjoyed myself this weekend, and to win the title in Australia is even better.”

Klinge was also delighted with his run, saying: “It’s been absolutely amazing. The crowd have been behind me the whole time and I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience. Every opportunity that comes my way I’ll try and take it.”

In the other semi-final, Clayton defeated Australian number one Damon Heta 6-3, while Price booked his place in the last four with a 6-2 victory over Josh Rock.

The World Series of Darts Finals will bring the season to a close in Amsterdam, with 32 players set to compete at AFAS Live from September 17-20.

Six-time champion Michael van Gerwen will attempt to defend his crown, while world number one Luke Littler is also among the confirmed players for the season-ending event.