Premier League Darts Table: Bunting wins Night Four in Belfast as Rock lands a nine-darter
Stephen Bunting beat Gian van Veen 6-2 to win Night Four in Belfast, a result that will reshuffle the premier league darts table as the tournament moves on to its next rounds. The 40-year-old delivered a run of high averages and forward momentum after a difficult start to the campaign.
Bunting’s run to the title
Rank-outsider Stephen Bunting recorded a 6-4 quarter-final win over defending champion Luke Humphries, registering his highest Premier League average (106. 63) in that match. He followed with a 6-0 semi-final whitewash of current league leader Jonny Clayton, posting another 106 average, and closed the night with a clinical 6-2 victory over Gian van Veen in the final.
Bunting’s form, history and methods
The 40-year-old is sixth in the PDC's order of merit and said he believes he belongs in the event after a spell of poor results: last year he took nine weeks to register a point, his first involvement since being a challenger in 2020. He has described losing "seven or eight on the bounce" last year as a learning experience, has come off social media because of criticism, and underwent hypnotherapy on the morning of the Belfast night. He went from zero to five points overall with the 6-2 success in the final.
Rock’s nine-darter and the gold darts
Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock, 24, hit the first nine-darter of this year’s tournament in front of the home faithful but lost 6-2 to Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals. That nine-darter was the 20th in the history of the Premier League, and players are awarded a set of 18-carat gold darts for hitting a nine-darter in the competition. Despite the landmark finish, the 6-2 defeat was Rock’s fourth successive loss by that score in his debut Premier League campaign.
Statistics that matter for Rock
Known as one of the biggest scorers on tour, Rock has averaged 92. 33 across the four weeks and has a checkout percentage of 29. 63% (eight from 27). The nine-darter gave him an indelible memory and drew loud praise from the Belfast crowd.
Van Veen and Littler: finals, near-misses and early exits
Gian van Veen, playing in the tournament for the first time, has reached three finals in four weeks but is still struggling to get over the line. World number one Luke Littler was beaten 6-3 by Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals and has won only one game in four weeks, extending his run of early exits in the event.
Premier League Darts Table implications
The premier league darts table will reflect Bunting’s push after Night Four in Belfast: his string of strong performances and the five points gained from the night will alter the standings moving into the coming weeks. Fixtures, results and the table for Premier League Darts 2026 are being updated as the tournament proceeds.
The tournament continues with events on Thursdays and builds toward the finale at The O2 in London on May 28.
