The Phil Wade Medal
Phillip Ashley Wade was an all round sports person, good at basketball, football, drag racing cars and darts. In 1975, he won the state doubles with Australian champion Harry Jones. He then stopped playing competitive darts until ’81, but came back with a vengeance, captained SDL 2 super league side to win the inaugural state super league. In the next ten years he won many SA and Vic doubles tournaments. He was a staunch SDL representative and helped many up and coming players with counting and presentation on the boards. He played Prem. A for Seacliff Hotel, Morphett Vale Tavern and lastly for the Tonsley Hotel where he was part of an undefeated team for two years. He made the SA state team in 1990 and the WA team in 1991, was in the running for the SA team in 1992 when he lost his life on the Victor Harbour road after taking his children to see the whales, leaving his son a paraplegic. He had four children, John, Shane, Tony and Lisa. John and Shane themselves played darts, Tony state table tennis, Lisa took after her dad having her car on the cover of Fast Fours. For the ten years Phil was an SDL Rep. Player he steadfastly refused to move to SADA where he could have made the state team more easily. He was the backbone of the SDL rep sides and always in the top four players for them. The award for the Phil Wade medal was proposed by Bob Flower, SDL life member and long time supporter and friend of Phil’s, It is not for the fairest player or the best player in a team, but for the SDL person whom on any given dart night gives 110% of himself, whether chalking, playing or just getting the drinks in, in other words, it’s for the best team man who gives his all for his mates, which is exactly what Phil did. He was an exceptional left handed player and the best team mate and darts partner any one could wish for. I am privileged to say I knew him as a friend, team mate, and as a darts partner from 1980-81 until his untimely passing in 1992. Without Phil, our League would not have progressed to the standard it has achieved.
A special thankyou to Tym Gurd for compiling this paragraph about his and the league’s friend Phil Wade.
Ray White
Ray White has been playing with the SDL for over 20 years and he is our record holder for 180’s thrown in our league. Ray has Exceeded 700 at an average of over 20 a year which is absolutely awesome. Ray has also represented the SDL at Super league level for 12 years and at State level for 10 years. Which is why when anybody plays him they give their all to try to beat him. Keep up the great darts Ray.