"I was more worried about the family getting a parking space than I was about my game" - Stephen Bunting keeps his cool following dramatic opening Grand Slam match

Stephen Bunting almost blew his opening match at the Grand Slam of Darts against the ANZ Premier League champion Raymond Smith. He eventually took one of his match winning opportunities in a 5-4 win.

Bunting reacted to the match in his press conference. "I made it difficult for myself, but obviously I know how good Raymond can be," he said. "That bull finish he hit was a kick in the solar plexus, to be honest, and I needed to regroup. The 180 was massive in that last leg, and I just dug deep."

The former Masters champion did brilliantly to come back into the match after trailing 2-0, winning four legs on the spin before missing five match darts as Smith forced a decider. He took control and at the eighth time of asking got the job done.

"I'm really happy with the equipment, and I feel like I'm playing towards the upper end of how good I know I can be," he said. "I don't know what the stats were, but it felt like a really good game, apart from those missed doubles. I'm really happy, and obviously best-of-nine can be so difficult. It's a quick format, but I'm happy to get over the line."

With Cameron Menzies also in the group, it was paramount for Buting to get an early win on the board to keep his qualification hopes in his hands.

"Well, like I said to you, I'm playing well and my confidence is good. Coming into any group, whether it's this tournament or the World Championship, I want to finish the back end of the season on a really positive note.

"I'm playing to the best of my ability and, like I said, I don't know what the stats were, but it felt like a good performance. Raymond brings his own difficulties, though. He's going to make it difficult for anyone, that's for sure, so I'm happy to get over the line."

Despite his calibre, Bunting failed to get into the Grand Slam of Darts via the traditional route of winning an event or reaching a major final. He relied on the qualifier, but he was starting to find some form and comfortably advanced into the major event.

He described that process. "I've already used the word: dig deep. When our backs are against the wall, I seem to find my best stuff. Thankfully, I've kept myself on the board and kept myself busy. I'm feeling great with the new darts, and they seem to be going where I want them to, so that's always a bonus. I can relax now. I've got a day off tomorrow, and then we can go again on Monday."

He spoke on his mindset heading into what seemed like a very tricky day of darts, navigated expertly. "I knew everyone was looking at me. I tried to take that pressure off by winning one of the Pro Tours. I had a really good few days at the Pro Tours and played some really good stuff. I think that really helped going into the qualifiers, to be honest.

"Then Danny Noppert goes out on the board next to you, Damon Heta goes out, and you start doubting yourself. You're thinking, 'Please don't be one of those players who's going to get beaten.' Yeah, I managed to find my best stuff: two 101 averages and a 107 average when I really needed it, against Callan [Rydz], who played fantastic darts. Thankfully, I was able to find that, and we're here."

He only narrowly qualified for the European Championship, but his form since then has been so much better with an underwhelming 2026 campaign. Bunting is looking to turn his fortunes around.

"I think even with the European Championship, the week before I wasn't in it. I had a really tough draw and had to beat Cammy Menzies as well," he commented. I played well and ended up getting to the quarter-finals or semi-finals, whatever it was. That helped me get into the European Championship. I felt like I had a good European campaign, and then going into the Pro Tours, I felt like I played really well. I feel consistent. I've only been using these darts for less than a month, so the way I feel with them now, in that short space of time, is only building my confidence."

The likes of Damon Heta and Danny Noppert failed to make it into the event through the qualifiers, with Bunting describing it as 'cut-throat.' "I was hoping it was going to change, to be honest, to get me in. But those qualifiers are cut-throat," he said.

"Obviously, we do the same with the European Tour. If you're not ranked high enough, then you've got to qualify for the European events. Thankfully, I've played well enough to get myself here. I played great in the qualifiers, and if that's the way the PDC feels the criteria needs to be, then so be it. They're the bosses at the end of the day. I'm thankful I got through those qualifiers, but in the same context, I could easily have lost there. So, I'm in the tournament, I've won a game now, I can relax tomorrow, and we go again on Monday."

They previously clashed at the New Zealand Darts Masters, with the Aussie winning 6-2. Bunting got his revenge in Wolverhampton.

"Obviously, it was disappointing to lose to him out in Australia or New Zealand, wherever it was. I said in my interviews beforehand that was his back garden, and this is my back garden now.

"There's a lot of travel involved when you go over there, and you try to play your best, but for whatever reason I wasn't able to. Well, I can't say that, because I did play a full game against him and he played exceptionally well. He's a great player, and there's always a lot of travel involved at that time of year. I was able to take advantage of that today."

It turned out that he was really composed before hand. "Like you said, I feel really comfortable and confident with my equipment. I felt calm and composed in the back room, and I wasn't stressing too much."

There were other things on his mind. "I was more worried about the family getting a parking space than I was about my game, to be honest. These guys know how difficult it is to park here, so I've taken that nightmare out of the situation now. I've got a day off tomorrow. I'm going to make sure Mark takes me for a nice Mulligan's Quarter Sunday dinner, and then we go again on Monday."