JAMES WADE caused one of this year's biggest darts shocks when he beat world champion Raymond Van Barneveld at Newport Centre yesterday.

Wade, a 22-year-old from Aldershot, was victorious in the Blue Square UK Open Welsh Regional Final with a heart-stopping victory over Barney'.

Wade finished off a great weekend of competition by taking his place in the UK Open finals with a deciding leg victory over one of the biggest names in the sport by 8-7.

The final was a tight and fitting conclusion to a day of competition where all involved showed real heart and passion. Both finalists remained neck and neck right down to the final leg with Wade managing to get the victory in dramatic style.

Sunday saw intense competition from all throwers, which included such huge names as 13-time world champion Phil Taylor, who suffered a shock defeat by Denis Ovens in the quarter-finals by 6-4.

Former double world champion John Part lost 6-5 in a classic encounter to ex-world finalist Mervyn King, also in the quarters, while Taylor's prodige Adrian Lewis, went out 6-3 to Wade.

King lost 7-2 to Wade in the semi-final while Ovens was smashed by Barneveld 7-3.

Wade did not have an easy run through to the final either as he held off former world number one Colin Lloyd in the fifth round, also on a final leg shoot-out to record a 5-4 verdict.

Newport's Sean Palfrey managed to win three rounds before going out of the tourament in the fourth round with a 5-0 verdict against him as former UK Open number one seed Andy Smith took his scalp.