“I don’t think any sane player would ever do that” – Raymond Smith seals stunning Stephen Bunting upset with outrageous bull finish

Raymond Smith stunned Stephen Bunting 6-2 at the 2026 New Zealand Darts Masters, averaging just shy of 100, converting 86% of his doubles and sealing the upset with a spectacular 124 checkout on the bull.

The Australian became the second Oceanic representative to knock out a PDC star in Auckland after Adam Leek’s earlier victory over Ross Smith, but Smith’s route through was far more emphatic.

Smith took out 92 for an 11-dart break before following it with a 180 to seize the early advantage against the former major champion.

Bunting recovered to level at 2-2, finding the bull himself for an 84 checkout, but Smith quickly regained control. When Bunting missed double 18 for a 121 finish and then struggled to clean up the leg, Smith punished him with a 90 checkout completed on the bull to move 4-2 ahead.

Smith moved within one leg of victory before saving his most eye-catching moment for last. With 124 remaining, he again went for the bull and found the centre of the board to complete a convincing 6-2 win.

Asked about the route afterwards, Smith laughed at his own decision-making. “I don’t think any sane player would ever do that,” he joked. “But that’s the way I play, that’s the way I’ve been taught to play, that’s the way I go.”

“Yeah, it feels pretty awesome,” he said. “Just quietly, eight years since I last played on the PDC stage, so yeah, pretty stoked.”

Smith has produced major PDC upsets before, most notably beating Michael Smith on the World Series and reaching the last 16 of the World Championship. His return to the stage in Auckland came amid another strong spell on the Australian circuit.

Smith believes the increasingly competitive ADA Tour, DPNZ Tour and ANZ Premier League are now feeding directly into results on bigger stages. “You’ve got to step up, you’ve got to do the job time after time, and I think now it’s just transferring over to the world stage,” he said.

“I did an interview with one of the guys in the UK where I said, if I average 90 in a tournament, I win every tournament,” he explained. “Now I’m averaging 95 and losing in, like, a last 32. The game is just going mental in Australia and New Zealand.”

Smith will now face fellow Australian Adam Leek in the quarter-finals after Leek’s dramatic comeback victory over Ross Smith earlier in the session.

The pair have never previously met, and their all-Australian quarter-final guarantees an Australian semi-finalist at the New Zealand Darts Masters.