Stephen Bunting caused a resounding surprise in early February by winning the Masters, which was his first major title at the PDC. His start to the Pro Tour season, however, became one to quickly forget.
Leading up to the Masters, Bunting was already struggling with the flu, and that did not appear to be resolved during the first two Players Championship tournaments of the season.
Bunting lost 6-4 to Dom Taylor on Monday in the first round of Players Championship 1 with an average of over 94. At Players Championship 2, the second round was the finish line. He defeated Josh Payne 6-3, before 'The Bullet' had to acknowledge his superiority to Martin Lukeman (6-4) despite an average of nearly 98.
"Naturally, I'm not overly happy with the results although I didn't play too badly," said Bunting.
"Not going to blame illness on things but obviously it's easier to play when you feel 100%.
"I'll get myself fit and hopefully be much better for Leicester next week."
As the curtain raised for this year's Pro Tour events, Stephen was unfortunately reaching out to close the blinds. High off the back of his maiden PDC TV crown yet low due to a nasty chest infection, this particular trip to Wigan can be filed away in the forgettable cabinet.…
