Former champion Michael Smith was sent packing from the World Darts Championship on Saturday, leaving Stephen Bunting emotional.
Smith, who has struggled over the past two years and was unable to regain the form that saw him win the Sid Waddell Trophy in nine-dart style in January 2023, lost 3-1 to Dutchman Niels Sonneveld despite putting in his best performance of the year.
Meanwhile, Stephen Bunting was reduced to tears after speaking about the social media reaction to his first-round win at Alexandra Palace.
“Bully” spoke about how he battled a wall of pain by receiving cortisone injections in his ankles and wrists ahead of this year’s tournament.
St Helens slinger Smith showed bright spots in her opening round victory over Lisa Ashton, and although she averaged less than 98 points against ‘Triple Z’ Sonnefeld, the world No. 44 popped up at the crucial moment to secure her place in the third round for the first time in her fifth appearance at Ally Pally.
“It means the world. This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a boy. It feels so good,” said Sonnefeld, a 27-year-old left-hander who will next face “Ferret” Johnny Clayton. “I was a little nervous, but I’m really happy that I won.”
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Watch Sonnefeld defeat former champion Smith in the second round…
Pundit Laura Turner told Sky Sports: “Since he’s been here in the world, he produced one of his best matches against a former world champion.”
Of Smith, she added: “It was a good performance, but he just got ahead of Sonnefeld. Of course he’ll be disappointed. He looked really good here, so we’ll be positive for next year.”
Emotional bunting responds to social media backlash
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Stephen Bunting hits this 132 checkout and advances to the third round of the World Championship.
Fan-favorite Bunting defeated Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki 3-2 in the first round and declared afterward: “I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the people’s champion. I believe I have the best fan base out there. I have the best social media in darts.”
And world No. 4 Bunting lived up to the pre-match hype, easily edging past Indian pioneer Nitin Kumar with just two legs missing, averaging 94.11 points.
Bunting anchored checkouts of 118, 107, and 132 on the bullseye, achieving a 53% checkout success in an incredible performance.
But during the press conference, Bunting had to wipe away tears when asked about the negative reaction he received on social media before his match with Kumar.
“If you look at social media, I have some pickiness. I’ve made comments in the media that I’m the people’s champion. I’m not saying I’m the people’s champion. I’m just talking about what I’ve been told, and I have a lot of pickiness about it,” Bunting said.
“Listen…I’m not the people’s champion. I try my best to win every game. The fans are incredible, but sometimes I watch too much social media. I’ve never shunned the fans. I get a little emotional.”
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Bunting has spoken of his love for Liverpool, recalled his heartbreak at the hands of Eric Cantona at Wembley and revealed his embarrassing trip to watch Liverpool v Man Utd with Luke Littler.
Bunting, a two-time Ally Pally semi-finalist, told Sky Sports after his stage win. “I felt really comfortable there. I know how well Nitin can play. He’s a great ambassador for our sport from India. Luckily he didn’t hit a double, so I was able to take advantage of that. But again, this crowd is amazing! If they get behind me, I can do anything.”
“I am confident that if I play the way I play I will have a chance. Every match I play on this stage is a final. The longer format suits me now. I will regroup and make sure I am ready for the next match.”
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Chris Dovey cheekily imitated Andrew Golding’s Thumbs Up Celebrity during the second round of the World Darts Championship
‘Goldfinger’ Andrew Gilding fell just short of his career-best average of 100 points at Ally Pally, with a 3-1 victory over 8th seed Chris Dobbie, the highest-ranked player to date!
This will be the first time since 2018 that “Hollywood” star Dobie has not been able to return to the venue after Christmas.
“What do you think? It’s amazing!” said Gilding, 55. “I don’t know what happened. I felt really bad in practice, but that’s often a good sign.
“The first thing I wanted was nine darts and the second was a win, so I got my second choice. Now I have a better chance of nine darts!”
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Gilding and Dobby exchanged a huge amount of finishes in this showdown…
Sakai’s dream run ends on DVD, Chiji is knocked out
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Motomu Sakai had another great walk-on performance ahead of his match against Andreas Harrison
There was no such thing as a fairy tale for Japanese star Motomu Sakai, who lost in straight sets to Andreas Harrison but won the hearts of Ally Pally’s followers with a first-round win over Frenchman Thibaut Trichole.
Harrison, who topped the Nordic and Baltic rankings after an impressive year, averaged 88 points, had two runs in the 180 range and posted a high checkout of 141 points for an impressive victory.
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Harrison pulled out this Mega 141 checkout during his win…
The Swede will next face Ricardo Pietrecko after ‘Pikachu’ overcame a brave fightback from Dave Chisnall to win an epic five-set battle.
Chisnall, a 2021 semi-finalist, fought back from a 2-0 deficit to miss a match dart, but the German stepped up a gear in the tie-break to secure a post-Christmas spot.
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Watch James Harrell score a classy champagne finish on Dirk van Duijvenbode…
‘Hillbilly’ James Harrell beat Dirk van Duijvenbode in an incredible 10.180 seconds, punishing the Dutchman’s disastrous finish.
Harrell nearly died from a torsion of the intestines before resuming his darts career with the WDF system, but is now in the third round here for the first time, facing Bunting.
“My training is great. My confidence is great. In fairness, I can beat anyone,” said the Gloucestershire pitcher.
Ryan Searle secured a spot in the last 32 of the World Championship with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Brendan Dolan.
“The way I play, I feel like I can do some damage in this tournament,” said “Heavy Metal.”
Dom Taylor leaves World Championship after failing drug test
Meanwhile, Welshman Clayton advanced to the third round by default after his opponent Dom Taylor was disqualified after failing a drug test.
A statement from the Darts Regulation Authority said: “On December 19th, the DRA was informed that tests carried out on December 14th had yielded an adverse analytical result for player Dom Taylor.
“As a result of this, and in accordance with the associated DRA process, Dom Taylor has been suspended from participating in DRA-regulated events with immediate effect.
“This matter will now be the subject of disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the relevant DRA Anti-Doping Rules.”
“The future of darts” Rory imitates Littler
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Mitchell Lowry wins the JDC Junior World Championship against Kaya Baysal
Just weeks after reaching the finals of the WDF World Championship, 15-year-old darts sensation Mitchell Rowley has won the JDC World Championship title.
The teenager averaged 84 points and checked out more than two tons in a 5-2 win over Kaya Beysal in a rematch of the Lakeside Youth semifinals.
What’s happening on Ally Pally on Sunday?
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Highlights of defending champion Luke Littler’s winning start to world championship title defense against Darius Labanauskas
The World Darts Championship continues with another great double session on Sunday, with defending champion Luke Littler taking on Wales’ David Davies, while former champion Gerwyn Price joins German star Martin Schindler and Australian No1 Damon Heta to take on Wesley Plazier on the night.
‘The Rockstar’ Joe Cullen returns for the afternoon session along with Ryan Joyce, Luke Woodhouse and 2018 winner Rob Cross of ‘Voltage’.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407 from 10 December on Sky Channel 407) until 3 January. Stream darts and other top sports now.
