Stephen Bunting admits his return to the Premier League has been an emotional one and he will keep cherishing every moment of being part of darts’ biggest roadshow.
‘The Bullet’ has had an army of fans for a long while, his social media presence and walk on to Sia’s ‘Titanium’ growing his following exponentially.
This rise in stardom has correlated with Bunting playing the best darts of his career for the last 18 months, which has moved him up to world No 5 and earned him his call-up to the Premier League for the first time in 10 years.
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His return to the elite competition came last week in Belfast and, during his walk-on, Bunting teared up at the brilliant welcome he received from the crowd, although he went on to lose the match 6-4 to Rob Cross.
The 39-year-old says he was blown away by the crowd’s reaction to his arrival, but now that he has got that first walk-on out of the way, he is ready to “cherish” each week the tournament has to offer.
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“It was very emotional. I expected it to be good but I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was,” Bunting said.
“Just the whole crowd all supporting me and getting behind me. It welled me up when I got on stage and the tears started flowing.
“It has been a 10-year journey to get back into the Premier League, so there was a lot of emotions running high anyway and it just spilled over a bit.
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“The nerves were still there in the game and unfortunately I didn’t get a win.
“Obviously the first week there was no expectations and it was just getting back into the big venues with big crowds and getting used to that again.
“Now that I have had that monkey off my back, I am just really looking forward to the next few weeks.”
Heading into Night Two in Glasgow, live on Sky Sports on Thursday, Bunting faces the prospect of playing Michael van Gerwen in his quarter-final clash.
Van Gerwen was part of an all-time classic Premier League match when he beat Luke Littler 6-5 in Belfast and the St Helens man is raring to show why he is one of the worlds best against the three-time world champion.
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“I am massively looking forward to it. To be honest, I am looking forward to every single week that I play Premier League now,” Bunting added.
“I have got to cherish these moments, they are big moments in my career.
“Obviously MVG is a massive player. He wasn’t there in Wigan [at the Players Championship] this week so he will be well rested.
“I am just raring to go, to get on the stage, and hear the ‘Bunting Army’ roaring me on.
“The emotions were there the first week. I am sure I will still be a bit emotional with the walk-on and stuff but I am used to that now and looking forward to pushing on and playing my darts.
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“Beating Michael in the Masters was a massive part of my career. It was one of the best wins of my career to date and I cherish playing these big players.
“My game is in a great place at the minute so to put my game up against the best players in the world is great for me and I feel like I am one of the best players in the world at the minute.
“So I have just got to keep doing what I am doing, keep my feet on the floor, keep the emotions in check, and just look forward to the game.
“I am sure the rest will take care of itself.”
Watch the second night of Premier League Darts 2025 this Thursday from 7pm in Glasgow on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
