Stephen Bunting has written an emotional statement to his fans where he revealed he is feeling the pressure to perform after losing his Premier League of Darts match on Thursday night. The 39-year-old took on Chris Dobey hoping to break his duck after seven weeks of action without a victory, with his opponent also struggling for form. Both players appeared to be crippled by nerves on the night, exchanging misses when the chance was there to grab the game by the scruff of its neck.
Dobey averaged 90.27 on the night, far from the usual figures needed to win, but it was enough for him to register a comfortable 6-2 win over Bunting. Sky Sports commentator Rod Studd didn’t hold back his opinion on the pair, describing the encounter as “like watching two blokes try to push custard uphill with a fork.” And ‘The Bullet’ explained why he experienced difficulties on the night in Cardiff in a heartfelt social media post.
“Absolutely gutted. So sorry to all who support me. Practiced so well tonight and unfortunately it just didn’t happen on the stage,” Bunting wrote in a post on his X account.
“I’ll keep giving it my all guys and keep believing. I’m making myself so nervous because I care and want to perform to my best instead of just relaxing and letting it happen. See you all next week. I’ll work hard and make sure I’ll improve. X.”
Studd’s co-commentator, Mark Webster rubbed salt in the wound as the Sky Sports pundit said: “There have been positives from some of his defeats, when he knew he played well against good opponents. He’ll struggle to find positives here.”
If there is any consolation for Bunting, it’s that he started the year off in fine form, claiming the Bahrain Darts Masters title and followed that performance with a final apearance at the Dutch Masters event. But his performances in the Premier League has left him way off the pace and he is now rooted to the bottom of the standings.
The Liverpudlian is now five points adrift of Dobey and a long way off fighting for a play-off place with nine nights of action remaining.
He will get a chance to end his dismal form in the Premier League and finally put some points on the board when he takes on Nathan Aspinall in Newcastle next week.
