"Actually going for the title this year rather than just turning up": Stephen Bunting sets lofty World Darts Championship goal

Stephen Bunting convincingly booked his place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Dortmund on Saturday afternoon. The Englishman was far too strong for Kim Huybrechts, winning 10-3, and appears to be rediscovering his form after a difficult period. After the match, 'The Bullet' spoke to DartsNews.com about his renewed confidence, his new darts and his ambitions for the coming months.

Bunting was visibly pleased with his performance against the Belgian. His scoring power and finishing, in particular, gave him plenty of encouragement. "Yeah, I felt great. I felt really good. I had a good night's sleep last night. Coming to the venue, obviously, it's always difficult when it's so early. I didn't get to the venue until just after 10 o'clock this morning, so to get over the line and play the way I did, I was happy with the performance, with the doubles."

His new darts have played an important role in his resurgence, according to Bunting. The Englishman is now playing with 21-gram darts and is particularly enthusiastic about the change.

"I'm happy with the 21g, so I need to speak to Target now and tell them to make me 21g, not 23g."

The victory marks Bunting's first televised quarter-final since last year's World Matchplay.

"Yeah, I always believe I belong, but obviously, when you're searching for wins and searching for confidence, it becomes a long and lonely road, doesn't it?

"You see everyone playing well and pulling away from you, and it's difficult to take. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I've worked really hard to get myself back to where I need to be. There's still a long way to go.

"I still believe these darts are the darts for me, and they can take me to new heights. I feel more consistent with them. Obviously, the more I play with them, the better I'm going to get, and I can't wait to carry on."

According to the Englishman, his dip in form was primarily down to a lack of confidence. "I think just confidence. I think, obviously, you lose games that you possibly shouldn't. I rarely had a good Premier League campaign. I thought I'd kick on after the Premier League, and obviously, the World Series wasn't to be for me last year, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

"You're playing in a sport where everyone is equally as good as yourself, and there are some other players who are just living in a different world, to be fair."

Bunting is therefore trying to concentrate on his own performances and the people around him. "I'll keep plodding. I'll keep trying to do things right. I'll keep myself to myself. I've got a lovely family. I've got great management, great sponsors, and they're keeping me focused on the goals ahead."

Bunting has been working intensively on his finishing in recent weeks. He received help from Harrison Leigh, a close friend whom he also looks after on the Development Tour. "I literally had Harrison Leigh, one of my really close friends, who I look after on the Development Tour. He was practising with me. We had three solid days of just finishing, and you can see the way I'm playing, finishing-wise. I don't know how many ton-plus finishes, three or four, maybe five, but yeah, I feel confident when I'm on a finish. I feel like it can go."

The switch to different equipment has also helped him. Bunting is particularly pleased with the grip of his new barrels and his move to a K-Flex system. "Just the grip on them. They feel amazing every time I put them in my hand.

"I always wanted to go to a K-Flex. I was having a problem with the stem and the flight coming out. With a K-Flex, that alleviates that problem. And, yeah, I just feel so comfortable and so confident on the practice board. I feel like I'm playing even better. So it's only a matter of time before I take the practice game onto the main stage and then, yeah, we'll all be smiling."

Bunting hopes the improved equipment will give him the extra edge he needs to compete for the biggest prizes again. "Yeah, I think you're always looking to better yourself, hence the change of equipment, trying to find that extra 1%, maybe 2%, in my game that can improve. And that's all it takes.

"Sometimes it's the width of a wire that can change a game. The width of a wire thrown for a double can win you thousands of pounds instead of you going home and feeling upset."

His unusual throwing stance also came up during the interview. Bunting spent years standing noticeably far to the right of the oche and previously played with darts weighing just 12 grams. "I think you just feel comfortable on the oche. My dad, when I was young, he put the dartboard up between the doorframe. He put it up slightly to the left, so I always had to stand to the right to throw. It just stuck from an early age. I've always done that."

Asked whether he might ever change his throwing style again, Bunting joked: "Who knows? I've changed from 12g to 18g to 23g to 21g. Maybe I'll start throwing left-handed."

Although his victory over Huybrechts represents an important step forward, Bunting does not want to focus too heavily on a single good result. He stressed that consistency will be essential if he is to challenge for the biggest titles again.

"I'm really happy, like I said, with the performance there. But it's not about just one performance. It's about making sure I'm consistent throughout the whole tournament. That's my aim now for the rest of 2026, going into 2027."

A potential return to the Premier League and qualification for the Grand Slam of Darts are also among his ambitions. However, he is trying to keep those targets in the background for now. "Not really. You've got to put them to the back of your mind.

"Listen, the Premier League, the World Championship and everything else come with great performances now. You get your confidence from playing in tournaments like this, getting certain wins. The 160 the other night was a massive confidence booster, and that showed in the performance today, especially with the doubles."

The World Darts Championship is particularly high on his list of priorities. "I want to finish this season in great form, playing in the World Championship, and actually going for the title this year rather than just turning up."

For Bunting, the formula for returning to his best is straightforward: keep winning, build confidence and trust his new equipment. "Winning breeds confidence, and confidence breeds great results and great performances."