Stephen Bunting crashes out of Grand Slam of Darts after shedding all three video games
Darts star Stephen Bunting has become the first major victim of the Grand Slam of Darts after he crashed out of the tournament in the group stage
Stephen Bunting has crashed out of the Grand Slam of Darts in the group stage.
The World No.4 had a torrid run, losing all three of his group games and bowing out before the knockout rounds. The Bullet was frustrated by the pace of Alexis Toylo in his opening game.
“I knew how slow he could be – but I didn’t expect him to be that slow, to be honest,” the St Helens thrower said after the game.
“It’s so difficult when you’re up there on that stage trying not to let your mind wander. I got really bored up there, to be honest. It’s not the greatest thing to do.
“I’m an experienced player, and I’m playing really well at the moment. Hopefully I can play my real game – and there are no shenanigans this time.”
However, it would go from bad to worse for Bunting – and he would lose his remaining two games against Martin Schindler and Luke Woodhouse.
In all three games, Bunting had darts to win, but was unable to find the outer-ring.
“Stephen Bunting has lost last leg deciders against Alexis Toylo, Martin Schindler and now Luke Woodhouse, missing match darts in all three games. Craziness,” one fan posted on social media.
“At this point even OGC Nice would beat Bunting,” a second joked. As a third shared: “Bunting has been awful.”
“Bunting playing his way out of the Premier League,” a fourth shared. And another added: “Three 5-4 defeats for Stephen Bunting you wouldn’t fathom it…”
Speaking to Daily Star Sport earlier this Autumn, he admitted he wants to lift a televised major this season: “I’ve been really consistent this year – up to world No.4, playing some of my best darts.
“I’ve had a few wins on the European Tour and the Pro Tour, so I know my game’s good. The consistency is there.
“Obviously, it’d be great to win a TV major, but I’ll just keep taking it one game at a time, one dart at a time, and see where we go!”
