Stephen Bunting speaks out on why he cried moments before World Darts Championship match | Other | Sport

Stephen Bunting has admitted to getting emotional just before his World Darts Championship showdown with Madars Razma.

‘The Bullet’ averaged over a ton and hit six maximums against his Latvian opponent, who he has seen plenty of this season. “I’m over the moon to get a win on that stage over one of my good friends,” said Bunting. “We’re together a lot on the Pro Tour so it was really difficult for me to find the fight, to be honest.”

The 39-year-old is a fan favourite, and his ‘Titanium’ walk-on music has whipped up the crowd before his matches at this year’s tournament. Bunting has revealed that he even got choked up before taking to the stage to face Razma.

He said in his post-match press conference: “When you listen to that crowd tonight… we did the walk-on and then did a second chorus into the walk-on. I was crying during the walk-on it was that emotional.

“Maybe I need to rein it in a tiny bit and not get so invested in the walk-on, but it is a special place to play, here in the Ally Pally. To get a win, it’s special.

“When you’re up there and you’ve got thousands shouting your name, you know your opponent is hearing that and maybe it’s affecting them. I rode the crest of that wave and kept on. I’m so happy the Bunting bandwagon goes on.”

Bunting, ranked eighth in the world, is on a roll at the Alexandra Palace. The Liverpool-born thrower comfortably beat Kai Gotthardt in his opening match, and is on course to challenge his previous-best finish at the worlds, which he managed in 2021 by reaching the semi-finals.

To make the quarters he will have to get past Luke Woodhouse on Monday. ‘Woody’ pulled off a significant upset in his third-round clash by dispatching ninth seed Damon Heta, who crashed out of the tournament despite hitting a nine-darter.

Bunting has won his last eight head-to-head meetings with Woodhouse, although they have never met at the World Darts Championship. “Luke is a great player,” he said.

“I’ve played him quite a few times and I’ve got quite a good record [against him] I believe. But this is the biggest stage of them all, so what’s gone is gone. It’s all about the future and I’ll make sure I’m 100 per cent at my best.”