Stephen Bunting up and running in Premier League after emphatic victory in Belfast

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bunting-stephen/xANKMtPG/"]Bunting[/a] arrived in Northern Ireland without a point to his name, but left with the Night 4 trophy after beating [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/humphries-luke/n34VOAWo/"]Luke Humphries[/a] 6-4, dismantling [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/clayton-jonny/tx0y2xRD/"]Jonny Clayton[/a] 6-0 and then sweeping aside [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-veen-gian/jgT1AT29/"]Gian van Veen[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/bunting-s-xANKMtPG/van-veen-g-jgT1AT29/summary/stats/?mid=CvwPKdXQ"]6-2 in the final[/a].[/p][p]Van Veen began the final with the throw, but Bunting repeatedly found the key trebles and kept his opponent at arm's length, turning a lively atmosphere into something closer to a singalong in his favour.[/p][embed guid="c93f4773-3999-494d-9e99-6e6834d89072" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2027153243977998815" social-type="twitter" /][p]By the time he cleaned up the last leg, the storyline had flipped completely: a player widely discussed as vulnerable after three barren weeks had delivered the night's most complete set of performances.[/p][h2]'I deserve to be here'[/h2][p][b]"Everyone was writing me off before the tournament," [/b]Bunting told [i]Sky Sports[/i] after the victory.[/p][p][b]"People were saying I shouldn't be in it, but I know how hard I work.[/b][/p][p][b]"These are the nights I play for, and the crowd pulled me through. I have to juggle family life. I have a lovely family at home.[/b][/p][p][b]"I have come off social media, have a great team around me and I am not looking at the negatives. I had hypnotherapy this morning. [/b][/p][p][b]"I believe I am one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in the Premier League."[/b][/p][embed guid="f9ab0583-d4c5-46dc-b30f-7c9ba284137e" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2027152884132134943" social-type="twitter" /][p]Against Humphries, Bunting punished profligacy on the outer ring, taking out 143 for a crucial break and landing a nerveless 123 on the bull to swing the match.[/p][p]While Humphries missed nine darts at double, Bunting missed just once in his first six attempts and averaged comfortably north of 100, producing one of his sharpest Premier League displays in recent memory.[/p][p]If that was clinical, the semi-final bordered on brutal. Bunting averaged just shy of 109 in the 6-0 whitewash of Clayton, striking at better than 70 percent on his doubles and firing in a 123 checkout on the bull alongside a string of heavy scoring visits.[/p][p]Clayton, who had beaten Littler earlier in the evening, was held to scraps as Bunting dominated both the treble 20 bed and the finishing exchanges.[/p][p]The final against Van Veen was more measured but no less controlled. Bunting opened with three straight 140s to apply immediate pressure and produced a majestic 168 to set up a two-dart finish as he surged into a multi-leg lead.[/p][embed guid="0d92d3b7-41eb-475f-9951-9d034e6a7fe0" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2027151220113072387" social-type="twitter" /][p]Van Veen threatened with a 123 and a 170 attempt of his own across the match, but Bunting's timing on tops and double 16 kept the Dutchman at arm's length. The 6-2 scoreline reflected a contest in which Bunting consistently won the key visits.[/p][h2]Rock hits nine-darter[/h2][p]If Bunting owned the results, Rock owned the moment. In his home debut, the Northern Irishman produced a nine-darter against Van Veen in the quarter-finals, detonating the arena even as the match itself slipped away in a 6-2 loss. [/p][embed guid="702dbc09-e637-463a-ac49-b5c9e80b523d" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2027127753502302652" social-type="twitter" /][p]Rock hit perfection while trailing 5-1, a reminder that darts can be cruel in the arithmetic and generous in the memories.[/p][p]Van Veen, though, kept his head amid the noise. After surviving Rock's surge, the Dutchman later beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/price-gerwyn/8dDDoW0B/"]Gerwyn Price[/a] 6-5 in a deciding-leg semi-final to reach the final, only for Bunting to halt him.[/p][h2]Littler's struggles continue[/h2][p]Earlier, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/littler-luke/0URN6Xks/"]Littler's[/a] troubles deepened. The reigning world champion and world number one was beaten 6-3 by Clayton in the opening quarter-final, a second straight Premier League defeat to the Welshman.[/p][p]Lit by Belfast's edge and his own misfiring doubles, Littler showed flashes, but not fluency, and the tournament's early pattern remained uncomfortable: one match win in four nights.[/p][embed guid="2c6fd47f-bf48-438a-83fe-0d7c88a8f875" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2027105835176939782" social-type="twitter" /][p]Clayton's win briefly kept his own momentum rolling, but it did not last. Bunting's semi-final whitewash was the night's most one-sided scoreline, a ruthless swing from early-season frustration to sudden authority.[/p][p]The results leave Clayton top of the pile after four nights on 11 points, with Van Veen and Van Gerwen trailing on nine and eight respectively.[/p][p]Rock sits rooted at the bottom with no points, while Littler and Humphries sit just above him.[/p][p]The Premier League continues next Thursday, March 5th, at Cardiff's Utilita Arena.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/darts/world/premier-league/results/"]Follow the Premier League with Flashscore[/a][/h2]