Stephen Bunting's Belfast surge hands him first Premier League points and a night-four title
Why this matters now: Stephen Bunting's run in Belfast changes an early-season narrative — he earned his first points of the 2026 Premier League Darts with three successive wins on night four, and left the SSE Arena having rediscovered momentum while a home hero produced a headline moment despite team struggles. The result shifts confidence for Bunting, lifts the crowd, and hands a psychological edge into next week's stop in Cardiff.
Stephen Bunting: immediate impact on confidence, crowd energy and his season
Stephen Bunting walked away from night four having not only won the final but also reversed the questions around his place in the competition. The win supplies Bunting with his first points in the 2026 Premier League Darts and a confidence boost that he stressed came after deliberate changes in routine and support at home. Fans at the SSE Arena rallied behind him, and that backing was an explicit part of his post-match reflections about coming through a difficult patch.
Event snapshot and key results from night four (embedded)
- Final: Stephen Bunting 6-2 Gian van Veen
- Semi-finals: Clayton 0-6 Bunting; Price 5-6 Van Veen
- Quarter-finals: Littler 3-6 Clayton; Bunting 6-4 Humphries; Van Gerwen 5-6 Price; Van Veen 6-2 Rock
Josh Rock delivered the first Premier League nine-darter of the season in front of his home Belfast crowd, yet he lost 6-2 again and remains bottom of the table. The venue for night four was the SSE Arena in Belfast.
- Here’s the part that matters: the scores show Bunting not only reached the final but did so by stringing together three wins on the night.
What Bunting changed and what he said about pressure and preparation
After the win Bunting described a change in mindset and routine. He said he no longer felt the same pressure that had affected him previously and highlighted work done off-stage, including stepping away from social media and relying on a close support team. He mentioned using hypnotherapy that morning at 8am and balanced his professional aims with family life, noting he has a one-year-old son at home and must juggle those responsibilities. The crowd response, he said, helped pull him through and reinforced his belief that he belongs in the Premier League.
Short takeaways and near-term signals
- Bunting’s night: first points of 2026 plus three consecutive wins culminated in a 6-2 final victory.
- Van Veen progressed to the final after a 6-5 semi win over Price, then fell 6-2 to Bunting in the final.
- Clayton reached the semis by beating Littler 6-3 but was shut out 6-0 by Bunting in the semi.
- Josh Rock hit the season’s first Premier League nine-darter in Belfast but lost 6-2 and remains at the bottom of the table.
- Next venue and date: Premier League Darts moves to Cardiff's Utilita Arena for night five on 5 March; the schedule is subject to change.
The real question now is whether this win will translate into sustained form for Bunting beyond the immediate momentum. It’s easy to overlook, but while one night can reset confidence, consistency is the larger challenge.
That's all from me here at the SSE Arena. See you next week for night five in Cardiff.
What’s easy to miss is how quickly a single performance can reshape a player's tone going into the next event; Bunting’s mix of practical changes and crowd-driven lift is a clear example.
