Bullet by name and today, bullet by nature, Stephen Bunting was firing on all cylinders yesterday afternoon in Leicester, claiming his first Players Championship title of the year with a 8-5 win over Jermaine Wattimena in the final.
Before we get into how breathtakingly brilliant the Liverpudlian was, let’s give credit where it’s due. Wattimena certainly deserves a nod, reaching only his third Players Championship final – and his first since 2020. It’s fair to say the Dutchman is one of the best players on the circuit without a PDC title to his name – arguably top of that list.
But in a showdown booming with heavy artillery, it was the Bullet who shot down the Machine Gun. You can’t have one without the other when going into battle, and both men played their part in a high-octane climax to day two at the Mattioli Arena.
Whatever Bunting had for breakfast clearly did the trick. The former Lakeside Champion smashed in ton-plus averages in every match – bar one, and that wasn’t far off.
Willie Borland, Ian White, and Ritchie Edhouse were early victims for the Premier League star, with his lowest average in those matches heading towards 102. Another Scot, Alan Soutar, was next on the Scouser’s receiving end – Bunting upping it again to douse the firefighter’s flames.
The next two contests were a little edgy, with both ending with shoot-out deciders. First, Czech World Cup star Karel Sedlacek pushed him all the way in a fascinating match that went with throw throughout – until the decider. ‘Evil Charlie‘ will be disappointed not to have continued the pattern.
Then came Bunting’s good mate Chizzy, ultimately on the receiving end in another thriller. That one also see-sawed throughout, but it was the red-shirted former Masters champ who, with the darts, dramatically nicked it against his buddy in his trademark bright yellow.
The final looked like it might be over in a muzzle flash. The St Helens man raced into a 6-1 lead, leaving Wattimena – who was playing well himself – wondering what had hit him.
But the Dutchman dug deep, clawing back to 7-5. It wasn’t enough though, as Bunting stepped up, in the thirteenth leg, with exactly four visits to the board to finish in style.
A couple of shout-outs for other star performers. Cam Crabtree enjoyed just his third run to a quarter-final and impressed again – he can thank Dave Chisnall for not going any further. And fresh from World Cup duty with Denmark, Benjamin Reus also had a handy jaunt to the last eight.
With the top three on the planet swerving Leicester – Littler and Van Gerwen on holiday, and who knows what Cool Hand is up to (probably a well-earned rest) – there was room for others to step up, and many did.
Few events remain before the World Matchplay line-up is set. Ryan Joyce must be sweating when he once again fell at the first hurdle – knocked flying off his horse by a rampant Callan Rydz. But those just below him in the hunt – Bully Boy, the Polish Eagle, and Madhouse – couldn’t put much of a dent in the gap.
That said, it should be an interesting run in, with former world champ Michael Smith now right up Joyce’s backside – closing the gap slightly to £3,325. A nice place to be, in one sense of the phrase.
—–Ends—-
Images: PDC
