It was Danish delight for Stephen Bunting as he claimed the Mr Vegas Nordic Masters title, defeating Rob Cross 8–4 in the final.
Appearing in his third consecutive World Series final, The Bullet repeated his Bahrain success from earlier this year, coming through a strong field in Copenhagen to once again be the last man standing. Bunting seems to have a fondness for trophies with the word Masters in them. He’s already got a few from his BDO days, added the PDC version in Milton Keynes last year, and now boasts both the Bahrain and Nordic titles in 2025 alone.
But before he could lift the trophy, he had to deal with a couple of multiple PDC major winners – starting with Jonny Clayton, in a match that saw Bunting blast his way into the semi-finals with some heavy-scoring artillery.
A mouthwatering clash in The Forum opened the night, pitting two Liverpool fans – and two of the most popular blokes on the circuit – against each other. Even their shirts matched, with Target and Red Dragon kitting them out in snazzy red and black.
Speaking of red, Bunting was lethal on the coloured bits in the twenty segment, hammering in five maximums and finding tops with his trademark accuracy. It didn’t all go his way, though. After opening with a majestic 146 checkout, Clayton responded with three legs on the bounce. That appeared to light a fire under Bunting, who promptly rattled off the next five legs, limiting the Welshman to just a single dart at a double.
That win set up a semi-final with Nathan Aspinall, and Bunting made it three finals from three World Series events this year – though he very nearly threw it away. Leading 6–1 and seemingly cruising, The Bullet had one hand on the win and the other loading up for a victory dance. But just as he lined up to dish out the kind of thrashing usually reserved for Nathan’s beloved Manchester United these days, he fell. Not literally – he just missed a few doubles.
When it comes to escapology, Houdini may well have had a Nathan Aspinall tattoo. The gritty Stockport slinger clawed back into the match as Bunting spurned another six match darts. Eventually, though, the Scouser staggered over a finish line he looked ready to sprint past ten minutes earlier.
For Cross, his road to the final seemed equally perilous, though he made light work of Chris Dobey in the quarters. After walking out to Beatles anthem Hey Jude, it was more of a Help! performance from Hollywood as he made a bad start – but unfortunately didn’t make it better. Cross, clinical as ever, didn’t need to be flashy – he didn’t even hit a 180 – but didn’t need to.
Rob’s semi-final against Gerwyn Price came after watching the Welshman post a breathtaking 108.26 average to knock out world number one Luke Humphries. Thankfully, The Iceman cooled off just in time. It was a back-and-forth affair, with Cross holding a 4–2 lead at the break. The pair exchanged blows, notching nine 180s between them, but it was the Kent thrower who found that extra gear to book a second final appearance of the season.
That set up a rematch of the Dutch Darts Masters final, with Bunting keen to avenge that defeat – and he did so in style. The opening six legs went with throw, but at 3–3, Bunting seized the initiative. In a blink, it was 7–3, mirroring his dominant burst against Clayton. This time, he made no mistake – there was no late drama, no Aspinall-like escape route. Just a job finished, cleanly and precisely.
Bunting says – through the medium of song – that he is titanium. That may be true, but in Copenhagen, he proved once again that he’s also pretty handy with another precious metal: tungsten.
Quarter Finals
Stephen Bunting 6–3 Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall 6–3 Luke Littler
Rob Cross 6–0 Chris Dobey
Gerwyn Price 6–3 Luke Humphries
Semi-Finals
Stephen Bunting 7–5 Nathan Aspinall
Rob Cross 7–4 Gerwyn Price
Final
Stephen Bunting 8–4 Rob Cross
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC/Simon O’Connor
