The Merseyside thrower Survives Major Fright as 'The Royal Bengal' Makes A Landmark for Indian Darts.
The tournament's fourth seed edged through a tense battle to move into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
'The Bullet', who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was forced all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Rollercoaster Battle
Bunting made a flying start, averaging an incredible 119.4 to power through the first set. The win appeared certain after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
Yet, his momentum stalled, and he won just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting regained his composure in the final set, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the feelings,” Bunting stated on broadcasters. “I knew Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never gave in. I am lucky to get away with that one.”
Kumar Makes Historic Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the initial victor from India at the championship. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.
The veteran player, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round appearances, implied this landmark win could have “created a pathway to a billion” darts players from India.
“Words fail me at this moment. I’m emotional, I’m happy,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is achievable. This vision motivated me ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He added with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade from now if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Further Opening Day Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a one-sided 3-0 win over Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another debutant, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a clear 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.
