Premier League Darts: Stephen Bunting wins in Belfast as Josh Lock hits nine darters and Luke Littler loses again | Darts News

Unranked Stephen Bunting produced his best performance to seal a Premier League darts win on night four in Belfast as Josh Lock hit a nine-darter and Luke Littler suffered another early sending off.

After defeating defending champion Luke Humphries, Bunting whitewashed Johnny Clayton to set up a final match against Jan van Veen.

‘The Bullets’ were in top form, winning 6-2 against the Dutch, going from 0 to 5 points overall and clinching Northern Ireland glory.

“Last year I lost seven or eight games on the bounce, but it really helped me. I gained a lot of experience in this area,” said Bunting, a two-time world championship semifinalist.

“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.

“Every time I step up, I still believe I’m one of the hardest players to beat. People find their best matches, but I always seem to lose to the winners. Tonight I’m the winner.”

“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.”

A tearful Bunting continued, “Everyone was looking down on me before the tournament. People were saying I shouldn’t compete, but I know how hard I’m working.”

“The nights I play, the crowd pulls me through. I have to juggle family life. I have a nice family at home.”

Bunting defeated league-leading Creighton by an average of over 106 and entered the final against Van Veen, earning his first win in the 2026 Premier League.

The Dutchman was determined to reach the Premier League final for the third time this year, averaging 105.22 points and averaging an astonishing 160 in the process to defeat Gerwyn Price in the deciding final leg.

Littler falls to 7th place with Creighton loss

Littler has only won one game in this year’s Premier League and is languishing in seventh place in the standings after being sent off by Creighton in the quarterfinals.

Creighton won their fourth straight Round 1 encounter with a 6-3 resounding success against the world No. 1 after punishing the 19-year-old doubles player from Warrington with just 3/13.

‘The Ferret’ defeated the world champions for the second week in a row, but ‘The Nuke’ was irritated by the whistles of the Northern Ireland crowd.

Former Women’s World Championship quarter-finalist Laura Turner told Sky Sports: “It’s surprising that Littler has only won one game in the Premier League. There’s just no reason for it, it just doesn’t click here.”

“He’s going to think about it now but he’s not panicking. There’s plenty of time.

“Johnny looked really confident. For me, his finish was on point again. He doesn’t let people back off to Oche.”

Bunting defeated Humphries 6-4 to earn his first win of the tournament with a stunning performance, setting up a semifinal date against Creighton.

“The Bullet” averaged an incredible 106.63 points and defeated Humphries. Humphries averaged 106 points himself, but was disappointed by poor finishing.

Price ended Michael van Gerwen’s hopes in a thrilling final leg decider, producing an unstoppable burst that rattled three legs with a spin.

Enthused, Price took advantage of his strong performance at the Players Championship that week and averaged more than 100 points. He took the last two legs with 22 darts, completing a great counterattack.

Live, electric, unforgettable! Rock is perfection

Van Veen defied Lock’s incredible nine-darter and dispatched Belfast’s home hero with a checkout of more than three tons to win 6-2.

Lock remains entrenched at the bottom of the table and is yet to pick up any points on his debut, but the Antrim boy raised the roof with his perfect eight-legged performance in front of adoring fans.

“I know it’s all a point, but to hit nine darts in front of a home crowd in Belfast…the noise when I hit the double was unbelievable,” Turner said.

“The Niners didn’t win the game, but it was a special moment.”

Rock: Belfast Nine Darters, a dream come true

Josh Lock won a £30,000 custom-made set of 18-carat solid gold for his nine-darter.

“My body is excited and shaking like a leaf. It’s a dream come true,” he told Sky Sports’ Polly James. “If I ever play in the Premier League, I want to hit nine darts in Belfast.

“I’m not worried about losing. Hitting nine darters in front of my home crowd is a big accomplishment in my eyes.

“I don’t care if I never throw nine darts again. This is a dream come true. I can’t explain the feeling.”

Mardle: Nine darters don’t hide their problems.

Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle said: “The way he played just moments ago, I was saying he was restless! ‘Everything is going wrong’ and he did it!”

“A lot of pros say that wearing two 180s is relaxing, but that’s not really the case.

“What he did when he settled down was unbelievable. But he needs to play better than that.”

What’s happening on Premier League night 5?

Price and Clayton will be the star attractions when Darts Roadshow returns to Cardiff, with the pair taking on Bunting and Van Veen respectively.

Van Gerwen and Humphries will also battle in the evening’s opening match at the Utilita Arena, with Littler, who hit nine darters in the Welsh capital 12 months ago, facing Lock.

Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch the match every Thursday on Sky Sports until May. Stream darts and other top sports now.