The Merseyside thrower Endures Significant Fright as 'The Royal Bengal' Makes A Landmark for Indian Darts.
Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to move into the second round of the world darts championship on the opening weekend.
The Merseysider, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a final-set shootout by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.
An Eventful Match
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the first set. He looked in total control after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.
Yet, his momentum stalled, and he won just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting steadied himself in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the emotions,” Bunting told Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to come through that one.”
Kumar Creates Groundbreaking Victory
Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the initial victor from India at the championship. He defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round matches, suggested this breakthrough could have “created a pathway to a billion” darts players from his homeland.
“I don’t know at this moment. I’m emotional, I’m happy,” Kumar expressed. “Dream big, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He concluded with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, ten years from now if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, you know who started it.”
Further Opening Day Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing 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 first-timer, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
