Stephen Bunting’s week of dreams has showed no signs of slowing down.
The 39-year-old is into the third round of the International Darts Open in Germany following a 6-4 victory over Darius Labanauskas.
Bunting’s week just keeps on getting better and betterGettyBunting, who averaged an impressive 104.91, had to come back from 4-2 down to beat the Lithuanian.
Perhaps Bunting knew the comeback was more than on when he reduced the deficit to 4-3 after he hit the big fish and sent the crowd at the SACHSENarena into raptures.
A 26.7 per cent checkout rate from Labanauskas didn’t help his case as Bunting completed victory with double eight.
Bunting now has a third round clash against Cameron Menzies to look forward to as he chases the £30,000 prize for victory.
However, it turns out Bunting’s win over Labanauskas has meant more than just a passage into the third round in Germany.
It has also helped Bunting leapfrog Rob Cross into fourth in the world rankings.
Cross is not in the field at the International Darts Open, meaning there was nothing for him to gain.
The one-time world champion has £559,500 in prize money in the order of merit.
A second round win for Bunting ensured he would have £561,000 in the bank and that’s exactly what transpired.
However, Bunting won’t be able to progress any higher than fourth as he can only end the tournament with £587,00 in total prize money.
PDCBunting’s win over Labanauskas proved to be worth more than a spot in the next round[/caption]It would leave him well shy of world No. 3 Michael van Gerwen, who has £757,2500 in prize money to his name.
Bunting’s progression to number four in the world comes hot on the heels of his groundbreaking Premier League victory in Berlin.
The fan favourite had not won a single match in this year’s iteration of the tournament.
But Bunting finally got off the mark when he romped to a 6-2 win over Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals.
The win over Aspinall also marked Bunting’s first Premier League win in a decade.
‘The Bullet’ backed up his win with a 6-2 victory over Luke Humphries in the semi-finals to book a spot in the final against Gerwyn Price.
Bunting is finally in the Premier League winner’s circleGettyBunting would not be overawed by the occasion as he prevailed 6-5 over the Welshman in a thriller and cut an immensely relieved figure in his post-match interview.
“Don’t get me wrong, there have been times through the Premier League where I’ve thought: ‘Could I finish on zero points?’
“But to get off the mark tonight and to win a night is such a special feeling.
“I felt so good in the practice room, I hit a nine-darter early on. I had a good run in Leicester the other day [in the Players Championship] which gave me a lot of confidence.
“This is going to give me huge confidence and I can’t wait to finish the campaign. I’ve really enjoyed it, even though I’ve not won a game until tonight.
“We all want to be in the Premier League, it’s the place to be and I want to be in it for many years to come.”
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