Stephen Bunting described his Night Four triumph in Belfast as one of the finest victories of his career after reigniting his BetMGM Premier League campaign in emphatic style.
Arriving at the SSE Arena without a point after three straight quarter-final exits, the Liverpudlian delivered a stunning hat-trick of performances to defeat Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gian van Veen, climbing to fifth in the standings.
Bunting began with a personal-best Premier League average of 106.63 in a 6-4 win over reigning champion Humphries, who also averaged over 106 in a high-class encounter. He then whitewashed league leader Clayton with another 106+ average, finishing 66% of his doubles to book a rematch with Van Veen.
Having lost 6-3 to the Dutchman in Glasgow a week earlier, Bunting reversed the result convincingly, sealing the nightly title with a dominant 6-2 success. He conceded just six legs across the evening.
“I’m overjoyed to be honest, this has got to rank up there with one of the best wins of my career,” reflected Bunting.
“It’s been a bit emotional, to get my first win of the campaign and then go on to win the night, but I felt like I played really well.
“When you’re playing against the best players in the world you know you need to perform at your best, and luckily I was able to produce those two 106 averages.
“This will live in my memory for a long, long time.”
Reflecting on last year’s struggles, he added: “I learnt a lot from last year… I’m happy I’ve got that monkey off my back now.
“I still believe I’m one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in this Premier League.”
“One good night brings massive confidence, and we push on to Cardiff next week; I’m really looking forward to that one!”
Source: PDC.TV
