'The Bullet' Weathers Huge Test while Nitin Kumar Makes A Landmark for India.
Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to progress into the second round of the world darts championship on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who reached 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 the iconic Ally Pally venue.
A Turbulent Match
Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 as he powered through the first set. The win appeared certain after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
However, his form dipped, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting steadied himself in the final set, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Alexandra Palace you experience all the feelings,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to come through that one.”
Kumar Makes Historic Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be 'The Royal Bengal', who made history by becoming the initial victor from India at the tournament. He defeated the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling contest.
The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his previous first-round matches, suggested this landmark win could have “opened the floodgates to a billion potential” darts players from India.
“Words fail me at this moment. I’m ecstatic, I’m happy,” Kumar expressed. “Dream big, anything is possible. This vision motivated me ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He added with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship walking on to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Other First-Round Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another first-timer, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
