An emotional Stephen Bunting responded to pundits and fans who had ” given up on him ” ahead of his side’s fourth-night Premier League victory in Belfast, saying he always deserved to be in the tournament.
Bunting put in the best performance of his career in his first Premier League win, defeating world number two Luke Humphries 6-4 and scoring a perfect 6-0 win over Johnny Clayton to book a spot in the final against World Championship runner-up Jan van Veen.
However, the Dutchman was no match for Bunting and won 6-2, his first win in 20 Premier League games.
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Stephen Bunting’s reaction after Round 4 Premier League win in Belfast
“Everyone was looking down on me before the tournament,” Bunting said. “People said I shouldn’t be in it, but I know how hard I work.
“These are the nights I play and the crowd pulls me along.
“I’m currently the only darts player with a one-year-old child. I have to juggle family life. I have a lovely family at home.”
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Stephen Bunting scored these finishes in his quarter-final match against Luke Humphries on the fourth night of the Premier League in Belfast.
Despite his defiant reaction to doubters, an emotional Bunting was keen to prove he remained positive in his mindset even when he struggled badly for form in the Premier League last year.
“Losing seven or eight games on the bounce last year really helped us, it gave us a lot of experience in this area.
“When you play in the Premier League you are playing against the best of the best.
“I’m very happy with this win. Winning one of my best wins will move me up the rankings. I was a little emotional after the first match, but I persevered well.”
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Stephen Bunting told Love The Darts that he was always confident he would be in the Premier League in 2026.
“I have taken a break from social media. I have a great team around me. I don’t think about anything negative. I had hypnotherapy this morning.
“I believe I am one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in the Premier League. This will go a long way to show that I should be here.”
“Every time I step up, I still believe I’m one of the hardest players to beat. A person finds their best game, but I always seem to lose to the winners.”
“Tonight, I’m the winner.”
Mardle: Bunting was ‘unplayable’
Former Premier League star Wayne Mardle said on Sky Sports:
“It was really good to hear that he didn’t lack confidence and panic about the situation.
“What we do as humans is project our emotions onto other people. We thought, ‘He’s definitely going to go through that,’ but he didn’t.
“If it was Luke Littler or Luke Humphries, you’d be talking about whether they’re invincible or unplayable.
“He was unplayable – just ask Johnny Clayton.”
