A “very emotional” Stephen Bunting paid tribute to his adoring fans after guiding Josh Rock to the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts, admitting the support gives him an advantage over the competition.
On a shock-filled Tuesday night, with previous winners Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith both eliminated, Bunting survived back-to-back penalty shoot-outs against the Rock to win 5-2 in front of a raucous Wolverhampton crowd.
“Listen to this crowd,” Bunting said. sky sports later. “How can you not win in front of them? It’s ridiculous.”
Bunting has become one of the best known and most popular players in darts and the captaincy helped him get over the line on Tuesday and could give him a boost going forward in the tournament.
“As soon as I got on stage tonight, I could hear them singing, ‘Let’s go Bunting mental,’” he said.
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Michael van Gerwen was knocked out in a decisive leg by Ryan Joyce.
“Honestly, I’m so emotional. I’m an emotional person so I had to watch myself not to cry. I even had to tell Mark Webster, ‘Don’t say anything, so I cry on Sky’.” again!’
“The crowds are special, I have my own fans wherever I play now. They talk about having a 12th man in football, but it’s even more important when a player gets on stage, it’s only you.” A person who can achieve results.
“Sometimes when things are going bad, a few cheers from the crowd can get you right back on your feet. That’s what happened tonight. I got the crowd going.”
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Michael Smith hit a stunning no-look 180 against Mike De Decker at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts despite falling down three legs.
The Grand Slam of Darts appears to be completely out in the open after the exits of Smith and Van Gerwen confirmed there were no previous winners in the round of 16. The standards are very high, but Bunting is confident.
He added, “I’m so happy to have made it through the Group of Death, and who knows how far I can go.” “With this fan base behind me, we can only go up, and that’s where we’re going.”
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Luke Littler came agonizingly close to a nine-darter at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.
Bunting feels ‘dangerous’ ahead of Anderson’s collision
Bunting will face Gary Anderson, who has won all three of his group matches, in the next round on Thursday night as he looks to build on his newfound confidence after winning the Masters earlier this year.
“I think the most important thing is faith,” he said. Sky Sports’ Emma Paton and Mark Webster talk about their transformation.
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Gary Anderson got off to an impressive start to the night, checking out an impressive 140 degrees.
“Now I believe that if I show up, I can win the game. Walking up here has given me confidence again. That’s what makes me dangerous and that’s going to continue.”
“My game is in a good place. I love playing on TV. I love playing in front of these huge crowds. I hope it continues for a long time. I think it will be a few more years.”
What’s next?
The tournament continues on Wednesday 13 November with the last 16 taking place. It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from 7pm.
Luke Littler will face Mike De Decker while Dimitri Van den Bergh will now face Jermaine Wattimena in the knockout stages. Ryan Joyce faces Gian van Veen and Gary Anderson faces Stephen Bunting.
James Wade takes on Cameron Menzies, Danny Noppert takes on Mickey Mansell, Martin Lukeman takes on Ross Smith and Ritchie Edhouse takes on Rob Cross.
Live Grand Slam of Darts
Wednesday, November 13th, 7pm
