The Merseyside thrower Survives Major Fright while 'The Royal Bengal' Secures A Landmark for India.
Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to progress into the second round of the world darts championship on Sunday.
'The Bullet', who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Rollercoaster Encounter
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, averaging an incredible 119.4 en route to powering through the first set. He looked in total control after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
Nevertheless, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to square the match. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Alexandra Palace you go through all the emotions,” Bunting told Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be a challenge and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to come through that one.”
Kumar Makes Groundbreaking Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the pioneering Indian at the championship. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling contest.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his prior first-round appearances, implied this breakthrough could have “paved the way to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“I’m lost for words at this moment. I’m overwhelmed, I’m happy,” Kumar expressed. “Dream big, anything is achievable. This vision motivated me ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade down the line if you have eight people in the world championship walking on to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Further First-Round Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an impressive start, averaging 91.62 in a one-sided 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another debutant, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
