Stephen Bunting wins night four in Belfast as Josh Rock hits nine-darter
Stephen Bunting beat Gian van Veen to win night four of the Premier League in Belfast, and josh rock produced the competition’s first nine-darter of the year even as he bowed out in the quarter-finals — a night that reshuffled headlines and confirmed some troubling form lines.
Bunting backs up talk with a 6-2 final
The 40-year-old Stephen Bunting, sixth in the PDC order of merit, defeated Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final to claim night four in Belfast. Bunting had been under scrutiny after failing to win a game in the first three weeks, and his victory handed Van Veen another final defeat of the season.
Scoring spikes: 106. 63 and a 6-0 semi
Bunting posted his highest Premier League average, 106. 63, in a 6-4 quarter-final win over defending champion Luke Humphries and followed it with a 106 average in a 6-0 semi-final whitewash of Jonny Clayton. He said he had withdrawn from social media amid criticism, had hypnotherapy on the day, and called the night one of the best wins of his career.
Josh Rock’s nine-darter and the home reaction
Josh Rock, the Northern Ireland debutant, produced the tournament’s first nine-darter of the year — the 20th nine-darter in Premier League history — to rapturous home applause, an effort that normally earns an 18-carat gold dart award. Despite that finish, josh rock lost 6-2 to Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals.
Rock’s debut campaign: bright moments, worrying numbers
The 24-year-old Rock has lost 6-2 four times in his debut Premier League campaign and, while known as one of the tour’s biggest scorers, he averaged 92. 33 across the four weeks and recorded a checkout percentage of 29. 63% (eight from 27). Bunting said the nine-dart hero "can be world champion, " praising the memory Rock now has from Belfast.
Littler exits early as form problems deepen
World number one Luke Littler lost 6-3 to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals, a result that left him with only one win in four weeks of the league. 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 in those title matches.
For Bunting, the night ended with a clear statement: after a slow start to his Premier League campaign and a season in which he took nine weeks to register a point following his return as a challenger in 2020, he produced a string of high averages and a clinical final to silence many critics.
The Premier League continues on a weekly Thursday schedule through to the finale at The O2 in London on May 28.
