Darts fan favourite Stephen Bunting had to deal with some sour grapes after an impressive comeback at the European Darts Tour.
The Bullet was taking on world No.25 Daryl Gurney in Leverkusen and looked on course for an early exit in round three, twice being broken by his rival.
Bunting put on a show in the last 16 and his rival wasn’t happyGetty Gurney’s anger prompted a similar response from viewersPDCYet the Liverpudlian staged a late show from 5-4 down to win the final two legs, sealing the deal with an impressive 11-dart clincher.
One person was not impressed, though, and that was Gurney.
As Bunting turned to shake hands with the northern Irishman, he got what he wanted, but not much more as a seething Gurney walked straight on not making eye contact.
Bunting looked slightly surprised as he gave his rival a pat on the back after avoiding a shock exit.
Viewers were certainly surprised too, with one fan commenting on a PDC clip of the winning moment saying: “Gurney being his usual magnanimous self. What a baby.”
While another added: “Get a grip Gurney, acting like a child at the end of the game. Have a bit of class.”
Bunting didn’t seem too bothered though, as he’d booked a spot in the quarter-finals and final session.
“What an effort from The Bullet,” the commentator said. “An 11-darter to win it, taking the last two legs of the match when the top ranked player at the tournament was in real danger.”
Disappointingly for Bunting, that was as far as he got as he was then knocked out in the quarters 6-5 by Dutchman Wessel Nijman.
Nijman then exited at the semis, losing 7-6 to eventual winner and world No.6 Nathan Aspinall.
Bunting and Gurney didn’t exchange words in a frosty moment on stagePDC The night then became about AspinallGettyAspinall won his second European Tour title of the year – more than any player managed in all of 2024 – with an 8-6 win over Damon Heta in the stadium next to Bayer Leverkusen’s BayArena.
The Stockport star has been on the rise for a while now, but did have to deal with some disappointment, losing to eventual champion Luke Humphries in the semi-finals of the Premier League Darts finale at the O2 just days earlier.
Delighted with his instant return to form, he said: “To bounce back after the defeat on Thursday night, to come here and win this tournament, shows where my game’s at at the moment.
“I don’t make games easy but in the semi-final and final I played fantastic.
“Credit to Damon – I thought that final was absolutely fantastic, it was a great game of darts, nip and tuck.
“He beat me in Rosmalen in a ProTour final, so it’s one-one in finals! The support I’ve had this weekend has been phenomenal.
European Darts Open final session
Quarter-FinalsDamon Heta 6-5 Matt CampbellJonny Clayton 6-3 Cameron MenziesNathan Aspinall 6-5 Chris DobeyWessel Nijman 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Semi-FinalsDamon Heta 7-3 Jonny ClaytonNathan Aspinall 7-6 Wessel Nijman
FinalNathan Aspinall 8-6 Damon Heta
“I’ve been through rubbish but I’m getting back there. If you want something you have to fight, to believe you can do it.
“When things are not going your way, you have to keep fighting, believing that you can get back to your best.
“That’s what I do, week-in and week-out, and the last few weeks have been pretty good.”
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