'The Bullet' Endures Significant Test as The Indian pioneer Creates History for Indian Darts.
Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to progress into the next stage of the world darts championship on Sunday.
Bunting, who reached beaten semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
An Eventful Match
Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 en route to powering through the opening set. Victory seemed assured after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
However, his momentum stalled, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting found his rhythm in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before taking it 4-2.
“When you are playing at Alexandra Palace you go through all the emotions,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to get away with that one.”
Kumar Makes Landmark Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the first Indian winner at the event. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round appearances, suggested this breakthrough could have “paved the way to a billion” darts players from India.
“Words fail me today. I’m ecstatic, I’m happy,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is achievable. This was my dream ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He added with a humorous warning: “I’m sorry, a decade down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, you know who started it.”
Additional First-Round Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an strong 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, ended the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a clear 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player 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.
