Stephen Bunting continued his sensational season by lifting the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel, sealing his second European Tour title of the year with a dominant 8-3 victory over Luke Woodhouse in Sunday’s final. The Liverpudlian delivered a masterclass at St. Jakobshalle, averaging close to 104 as he claimed his sixth title of the campaign.
After missing six darts at double in the opening leg, Bunting quickly found his rhythm, surging into a 3-1 lead. Woodhouse briefly stemmed the tide with a fine hold on double nine, but the world number four responded instantly with an 11-darter to regain control and close out the contest in emphatic fashion.
“There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes,” said Bunting, who averaged over 100 in all four of his matches on Finals Day. “I’m playing the best darts of my life. I feel consistently that I’m delivering. I’m so happy with this win, it means a lot.
“Luke’s had a fantastic week, there’s no better time to be playing your best darts. This will give him a lot of confidence going into future tournaments.”
Bunting’s path to the title saw him defeat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3, before brushing aside Raymond van Barneveld in the quarter-finals. He then survived a dramatic semi-final against Gian van Veen, breaking in the deciding leg after withstanding a match dart.
“I’m number four in the world. The rankings are over a few years so it shows how consistent I’ve been, but you can’t take anything for granted in this game,” Bunting added. “There’s so many good players in this world and to be in the top four in the world is an unbelievable achievement.”
Despite defeat, Woodhouse enjoyed a breakthrough week, reaching only his second PDC final and producing a series of impressive performances. “He scored so heavily and proved why he’s where he is in the world,” Woodhouse reflected. “It’s all positive for me now… Hopefully this year, a first title comes.”
Source: PDC.TV
