Premier League Darts Table: Bunting wins night four in Belfast
Stephen Bunting’s 6-2 victory over Gian van Veen in Belfast reshaped the premier league darts table and broke a run of three weeks without a win for the 40-year-old; the premier league darts table now reflects his jump from zero to five points after night four.
Bunting’s night: averages, wins and a personal rebound
The 40-year-old, sixth in the PDC's order of merit, moved from zero to five points overall with his 6-2 success over Van Veen in the final. He posted his highest Premier League average of 106. 63 in a 6-4 quarter-final win over defending champion Luke Humphries, followed by another 106 average in a 6-0 semi-final whitewash of current league leader Jonny Clayton before the clinical 6-2 final.
Bunting has faced public criticism this season and had his place in the tournament questioned after failing to win a game in the first three weeks. He said he had come off social media, had hypnotherapy on the day of the event and that last year’s run of "losing seven or eight on the bounce" gave him experience. "I do believe I am one of the best players in the world - I deserve to be in the Premier League, " he said. He added the win "ranks up as one of the best wins of my career. "
Premier League Darts Table
The night-four results altered standings: Bunting’s unbeaten run through the knockout stage of the evening — quarter-final, semi-final and final — vaulted him onto the scoresheet after a slow start to the campaign. His string of performances, including the two 106-plus averages, contrasts with his earlier weeks without a victory and underlines the immediate points swing reflected on the premier league darts table.
Van Veen: first-time contender making finals but not yet winning
Gian van Veen, playing in the Premier League for the first time, has reached three finals in four weeks but again fell short at the final hurdle. He beat Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock 6-2 in the quarter-finals to set up the final with Bunting, where he was defeated 6-2.
Van Veen’s run of finals marks a strong tournament debut but, as the results show, he remains unable to capture the night’s title so far.
Rock’s nine-darter and statistics from a tough debut
Home debutant Josh Rock delighted the Belfast crowd by hitting the first nine-darter of this year’s tournament, an achievement that also carries the prize of a set of 18-carat gold darts for a nine-darter in the Premier League. Still, Rock lost 6-2 to Van Veen in the quarter-finals, marking a fourth successive 6-2 defeat in his debut Premier League campaign.
Known as one of the biggest scorers on tour, the 24-year-old has struggled to replicate that form in the league: he has averaged 92. 33 across the four weeks and has a checkout percentage of 29. 63% (eight from 27). "My body is in overdrive. I'm shaking like a leaf. I've never played in the Premier League, never mind a nine-darter in Belfast, " Rock said after his nine-darter.
Littler’s early exit and other quarter-final facts
World number one Luke Littler lost 6-3 to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals, a defeat that leaves him with only one win in four weeks of the Premier League. Defending champion Luke Humphries exited in the quarter-finals after his 6-4 loss to Bunting, who then swept Clayton 6-0 in the semi-finals.
The Premier League continues on its weekly schedule through the spring, with events every Thursday all the way through until the finale at The O2 in London on May 28.
