“He celebrated like he’d won the game” – James Hurrell stuns Stephen Bunting during dramatic World Darts Championship thriller

James Hurrell experienced without doubt the greatest night of his darting career at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday evening. The Englishman produced one of the standout shocks of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship by knocking fourth seed Stephen Bunting out of the tournament. It was not just the result itself that impressed, but the manner of it, with Hurrell playing with control, belief and a 98 average compared to Bunting’s 91, underlining that this was no fluke.

“Amazing. Absolutely amazing,” Hurrell said afterwards. “It’s the biggest win of my career, so yeah, all good.” There was no exaggeration in that assessment. In only his second World Championship appearance, Hurrell has now reached the fourth round and finds himself in the last 16 of the world.

While much of the darts world framed the result as a major upset, Hurrell himself saw it very differently. “Yeah, I knew where my game was coming into the match,” he said. “I just need to sort my doubles out a bit. But yeah, I’m confident. I’m not going anywhere.”

He was equally dismissive of the idea that reaching the fourth round was beyond expectation. “Yeah, 100 percent. Family life is good at home, everything’s good. It all helps.” That sense of balance and stability away from the stage appears to be a key factor in his current form. Hurrell looks relaxed, confident and completely convinced in his own ability, something that was evident throughout the match.

Despite the dramatic 4–3 scoreline, Hurrell felt the contest itself told a different story. “Yeah, probably. I should have won 4–0, to be fair,” he said. “It’s just hard work on the doubles. I keep saying it about my game, but yeah, I should have won 4–0.”

Bunting threw everything at him, producing several spectacular finishes, including checkouts over 100 at crucial moments. Hurrell, however, was never shaken. “Not really,” he said when asked if he feared it might not be his night. “I was expecting him to take those shots out. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I just told myself to concentrate. I’ve got a different mindset nowadays.”

That mental shift has been as important as any technical improvement. Asked what had changed in the last six or seven weeks, Hurrell laughed. “You tell me.” When it was put to him that he looks calmer and more confident, his response was blunt: “You’ve answered your own question.”

That composure held firm in the decisive moments. “Relaxed. Not nervous at all,” he said of the closing stages. “I was just thinking, ‘Come on, Mush, let’s get out, let’s go.’” Far from surprising him, that feeling felt natural. “Yeah. I’ve got no nerves. I’m just so confident in my game.”

That calm approach was clear again when Bunting struck back late on with more big finishes. Instead of frustration, Hurrell felt clarity. “I knew he was going to take them out. It was a weird feeling,” he explained. “I just forgot about them. The leg’s gone. Start the next one. One treble at a time.”

He was also acutely aware of his opponent’s emotional reactions on stage. “Yeah, I worked off it. He celebrated like he’d won the game,” Hurrell said. Rather than ignoring it, he drew strength from it. “There was definitely something there when he won a leg. When he gave it big to his family and friends, I was quite happy with that.” Asked what effect it had on him, his answer was clear. “It gave me more confidence. I was putting him under pressure.” Did he sense vulnerability? “One hundred percent. One hundred percent.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Hurrell feels more comfortable on the vast stage of Alexandra Palace than in more intimate settings. His verdict on Lakeside was blunt. “Absolutely nothing,” he said when asked what experience he could take from his previous run there. “I hate that stage. I find it terrible.”

The reason, he explained, is simple. “At Lakeside, everyone’s right behind you, watching every dart. Here, half of them aren’t even watching me.” Does that ease the pressure? “One hundred percent.”

All of this is made even more striking by how recently Hurrell secured his place on tour, earning his PDC Tour Card in January 2024. Reflecting on the journey so far, his enthusiasm was unmistakable. “Amazing. The best. There’s no better job than this.”

Next up, Hurrell will face either Martin Schindler or Ryan Searle for a place in the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship. Does that concern him? Not in the slightest. “I’ve just beaten the number four in the world,” he said. “So I’m not bothered.”

One thing is clear. James Hurrell is no passing presence in this tournament. With his form, belief and unfiltered confidence, he has emerged as a genuine danger. As he put it himself, in typically direct fashion: “Just watch the games. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.”