Stephen Bunting said he “slipped off” to give Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki a first-round exit at the World Darts Championship.
Bialecki was about to suffer the biggest shock of the tournament so far when he roared from a 2-0 deficit to take the match to a deciding set and lead 2-1 in the final set.
But World No. 4 Bunting, who played three straight legs to avoid any big surprises, admitted that “I might have thought the match was over” after dominating the first two sets.
Bunting, who reached the semi-finals at last year’s world championships, said: “That wasn’t my plan. I felt comfortable. For some reason I fell asleep and it was a travesty to be on the back foot in the match, to be honest.”
“I felt a little worthless, but I’m glad I was able to find a way to get out of that hole and win the game. I felt great and felt in control. I’m happy to finish with a 96 average, but 2-0 to the end of the game is not what I want to do.”
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Stephen Bunting scores massive finish against Sebastian Bialecki at World Darts Championship
Bunting received a huge ovation from the crowd during his now-iconic walk-on, but says the fans played a key role in getting him over the line.
“It wasn’t just the experience, it was the fans. They were exceptional throughout the whole game. ‘Let’s Go Bunting Mental’ and ‘Walking in a Bunting Wonderland’ were being sung till the end,” he said.
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Alexandra Palace crowd serenades Stephen Bunting’s ‘Titanium’ walk-on music at World Darts Championship
“Any opponent I play, they’re going to feel that pressure. When things don’t go well, I have a fan base. They’re the 12th man. They really helped me and were able to push me towards the end of that game.”
“I always say that the first match in any tournament is the hardest. Whether it’s the World Championship or any tournament, the first match is always the hardest. Two years ago, I probably would have lost that match.”
Bunting hopes the crowd is still on his side against India’s Kumar
Bunting will face India’s Nitin Kumar in the second round this Saturday after making history by becoming the first player from his country to win a World Darts Championship match in the qualifiers.
Kumar, who was described as Alexandra Palace’s “new cult hero” by Sky Sports Darts’ Rod Studd, received huge support from the crowd, but Bunting expects the majority of the crowd to remain on his side.
“I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the people’s champion and no matter what happens, we’re all going to have a Bunting mentality,” Bunting said.
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Nitin Kumar defeats Richard Veenstra in first round of World Championship
“The crowds are incredible. I think my YouTube channel will soon reach 100,000 subscribers, but I’m just a normal person. It’s great to be able to relate to the crowd and give back to them that I’m normal.
“If that happens (the crowd turns against me), I’ll have to deal with it. But to be honest, I don’t think that will happen.”
“No matter who I play, I played against Luke Littler on this stage last year and had the whole crowd on my side and I believe I have the best fan base in darts.
“I have the best social media in darts. I have the best management in darts. I have the best family in darts. The only thing I’m missing is the World Championships, which will be held this year.”
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Nitin Kumar shares his thoughts after defeating Richard Veenstra in the first round of the World Championship
Bunting and Kumar’s only previous meeting was at the Bahrain Darts Masters in January this year, where Bunting won 6-2 on legs, and said: “I absolutely love Kumar.”
“Nitin is a great player. What he has achieved in Indian darts is extraordinary. I have known him for many years and we played against him in Bahrain as well. Luckily I was able to win that match,” Bunting said.
“But the World Championship is completely different. I’m really looking forward to playing. He had the crowd on his side in the first round. When he plays next week, the crowd will all be in a bunting mentality.”
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