Premier League Darts Table: Stephen Bunting ends drought with Night Four win in Belfast
Premier League Darts Table shows a clear shift after Stephen Bunting secured his first Premier League nightly win in 20 attempts, beating Gian van Veen 6-2 to take Night Four in Belfast and quiet critics who had questioned his place.
Bunting’s breakthrough night
The 40-year-old, who is sixth in the PDC order of merit, capped a night of commanding performances with a 6-2 final victory over Gian van Veen in Belfast, registering his first nightly win after failing to win a game in the tournament’s first three weeks. Bunting said he had been written off by some fans and that he had come off social media because of the criticism; he added that juggling family life with a one-year-old child had been part of his recent life away from the spotlight.
Dominant wins over Humphries and Clayton
Bunting produced one of the finest performances of his career in Belfast, beating World No 2 and defending champion Luke Humphries 6-4 in the quarter-finals with his highest Premier League average of 106. 63, then delivering a flawless 6-0 semi-final against current league leader Jonny Clayton while averaging 106 before the 6-2 final over Van Veen.
Premier League Darts Table: immediate effects on the night
The Night Four results reshuffled momentum on the circuit: Bunting’s first nightly win in 20 attempts halted a run of early losses that had seen his place questioned after a winless opening three weeks, and he said losing seven or eight on the bounce last year had given him experience for nights like this. The win in Belfast ranks, he added, as one of the best of his career.
Van Veen’s runner-up run continues
Gian van Veen, the World Championship runner-up and a first-time Premier League participant, has now reached three finals in four weeks but again failed to close out the title, losing 6-2 in Belfast. The Dutchman’s consistency in reaching finals stands in contrast to his trouble getting over the line for a win.
Rock’s nine-darter and Littler’s slump
Northern Ireland debutant Josh Rock delighted the home crowd with the first nine-darter of this year’s tournament in Belfast, an achievement that carries the award of a set of 18-carat gold darts, but Rock still lost 6-2 to Van Veen in the quarter-finals. The 24-year-old, known as one of the biggest scorers on tour, has averaged 92. 33 across the four weeks and has a checkout percentage of 29. 63% (eight from 27); the 6-2 result in Belfast was his fourth successive 6-2 defeat in his debut Premier League campaign. Meanwhile world number one Luke Littler lost 6-3 to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals, leaving Littler with only one win in four weeks.
Bunting’s Belfast victory followed a run earlier in the event where he had taken nine weeks to register a point in last year’s Premier League and had returned this season after his first involvement as a challenger in 2020. He described the night as vindication for the hard work behind the scenes.
The Premier League season continues toward its finale at The O2 in London on May 28, the next confirmed milestone on the schedule.
