Premier League Darts star confronted ref and grabbed his arm after mid-match bust-up

Over the years has thrown up memorable moments both good and bad. And , between and Adrian Lewis back in 2012, has gone down as one of the contest's frostiest disagreements.

Lewis was 7-5 up and on the cusp of victory in their best-of-14-leg clash on week nine of the competition. With the 12th leg underway, Wade glanced towards the referee with a look of disgust after Lewis appeared to creak a floorboard while walking back past the oche. When Wade forced the issue, and the referee informed his opponent, Lewis went storming towards the floorboard and stamped on it several times to show that it was raised.

Wade's next two darts were an errant shot into the five and a wayward throw into the 18, with 'The Machine' once again turning to the referee and muttering. As tensions boiled over, Lewis bowled up to the referee and angrily put forward his case about the loose floorboard.

Moments later, 'Jackpot' took the leg and the match by checking out 78, but there were no smiles from him, Wade or the referee. There was barely a handshake between the two players as Lewis grabbed the official by the arm and pulled him towards the floorboard in order to prove his point.

Lewis stormed off and said after the match: "I never did anything wrong - there was a raised floorboard.

"I think it was a poor excuse when I came out firing in the second half because he didn't moan about it in the first half. I swear on my daughter's life I have never ever cheated. I don't need to because I believe in my ability."

Although things did not go his way on that night, Wade did eventually one-up Lewis, who finished sixth in the regular-season standings, by making it into the play-offs. 'The Machine' saw his campaign end against Phil Taylor in the semi-finals.

Wade has not been part of the eight-player Premier League line-up since 2022, when he again made it to the last four. But if he can maintain his current ranking of eighth in the world, he stands a chance of being picked as a wildcard in 2026.

And if Wade can boost his prize money haul further, he could qualify automatically by breaking into the top four. Lewis, meanwhile, took a two-year hiatus from top-level darts and is set to begin working his way back into the fold by competing in the MODUS Super Series.