The Merseyside thrower Survives Huge Fright as Nitin Kumar Creates History for India.
Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to move into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on the opening weekend.
'The Bullet', who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Rollercoaster Encounter
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the first set. Victory seemed assured after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
Nevertheless, his momentum stalled, and he won just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the feelings,” Bunting explained to broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be a challenge and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to get away with that one.”
Kumar Secures Historic Win
Bunting's next opponent will be 'The Royal Bengal', who made history by becoming the initial victor from India at the event. He defeated 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 breakthrough could have “opened the floodgates to a billion” darts players from his homeland.
“I don’t know today. I’m overwhelmed, I’m happy,” said Kumar. “If you dream it, anything is achievable. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a humorous warning: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, you know who started it.”
Additional Opening Day Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an impressive start, averaging 91.62 in a dominant 3-0 win over Belgium's 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 clear 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he eased past 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.
