The Merseyside thrower Weathers Huge Fright as Nitin Kumar Makes History for India.
Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to move into the next stage of the world darts championship on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
An Eventful Encounter
Bunting began in blistering fashion, averaging an incredible 119.4 to power through the opening set. Victory seemed assured after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
Yet, his momentum stalled, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting steadied himself in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before taking it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the emotions,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to get away with that one.”
Kumar Creates Historic Win
Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the pioneering Indian at the championship. He defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The veteran player, who had been defeated in all four of his previous first-round matches, remarked this landmark win could have “created a pathway to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“Words fail me right now. I’m overwhelmed, I’m delighted,” Kumar expressed. “Dream big, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He added with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, a decade in the future if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, don’t blame me.”
Additional Opening Day Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 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 other newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.
