"Really thought about walking away from the sport" - Stephen Bunting reflects on rollercoaster decade between Premier League Darts appearances
PDC
Stephen Bunting has already made an excellent start to the 2025 season. After a semi-final at the Ally Pally, 'The Bullet' won the Bahrain Darts Masters and reached the final at the Dutch Darts Masters. The 39-year-old Englishman therefore is full of confidence ahead of his Premier League Darts return. In Belfast tonight, he will take on Rob Cross in the quarter-finals on Night One.
For Bunting, this marks a return to the full Premier League Darts season for the first time since 2015. Over the last decade, a lot has changed for Bunting, but he's probably never been a better player and as such, feels ready to make a mark this time around. "To be back on the biggest stages playing against the best players in the world, it really is a privilege," explains the current world number five. "The fanbase I've built up over the last few years is incredible, and I definitely think I'm a more complete player now. I'm far more confident compared to when I last played in the Premier League; there's so many positives to take into the tournament, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Follow the Premier League Darts 2025 via our LIVESCORE!
As mentioned, for Bunting it has been a bit of a rollercoaster rider in the decade between Premier League Darts appearances. "I did fall out of love with it when my form wasn't good and things weren't going right," admits the former Lakeside champion. "There is peaks and troughs in everyone's career. To pick myself up from where I was, in the doldrums and really thought about walking away from the sport, to where I am now - world number five, the way I'm playing with confidence - it's all positive. It's all a big deal to me and I'm enjoying the ride."
One of the big reasons for Bunting's rise back up the darting rankings is his recent work with a sports psychologist. "I believe that has been a massive help to get where I am today," he explains. "I've worked really hard over the past few years to push my profile and push myself back into the top 10 in the world. It was always important to me to play in the Premier League. If I had never have played in it again I could have said I gave it a good go, but now I'm relishing each and every week I'm going to be playing in the Premier League."
Despite having a young family at home, Bunting also isn't fazed by the prospect of the Premier League making him travel all around Europe every week. "You always hear people moaning about travelling and stuff, but if you're at home you're not earning money," he adds. "There are only eight of us so you're really privileged to be part of that, so if that means walking to the end of the earth to play in the Premier League, it's so important to me to be in that. I want to be in this as a regular for years to come and want to have a long career. To get the best out of it I need to be as dedicated as I can be."
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Draw - 2025 PDC Challenge Tour tournament 8
Popular news
Latest comments
- Beau also skipped Players Championships 7 & 8 next week, and PC 3 & 4 four weeks ago. If she next chooses to miss the Women's Series and PC 13 & 14 in mid-April then we can make a fair guess as to her reason.Scoobedybop13-03-2025
- I've commented before,Phil should let us all remember how great he was,and leave your darts in the drawer. Another humiliation will tarnish everything,you couldn't even beat old blokes who you would have beaten before the game started !!rick6712-03-2025
- I've commented before,Phil should let us all remember how great he was,and leave your darts in the drawer. Another humiliation will tarnish everything,you couldn't even beat old blokes who you would have beaten before the game started !!rick6712-03-2025
- Aspinall was a no-show: Carl Sneyd steps in from the Challenge Tour.Scoobedybop11-03-2025
- Likewise, I have always been a fan of Mervyn and with this worry on his mind, it explains why his form and ranking plummeted. It is really sad to hear this, often chatted to Mervyn and Tracey during the Lakeside days, both are lovely people. It does seem naive not acknowledging the fact it was earnings, surely there must be others in the same situation. I really hope the Kings can get through this....would a go fund me be permittedrichieburnettrocks11-03-2025
- I always like Merv,but he does he seems slightly naive with his comments. I wish you all the best, hope you can get sorted,and try and get back to a decent game,a bit of money.....and get rid of the dogs,if that's your main concern,I believe your priorities may be slightly wrongrick6710-03-2025
- What’s with the dogs element to this story, trying to pull at the heart strings? Just goes to show that being a good dart player does not equate to being that bright. Seriously, ‘I thought you didn’t have to pay tax on winnings’ , your a pro dart player and its your line of work, your not playing the lottery or placing a bet. I think it was Phil Taylor who said you should put a third to one side of all winnings into a bank account, obviously Merv was wearing his earplugs at the time.Mysstree10-03-2025
- The thing is... the folks who "humiliated" Taylor in the Seniors Events never really achieved anything in the important events - like Taylor did. Taylor had/has nothing to prove... and beating Taylor after he had retired is of zero value. Taylor in his prime would have made easy work of all of them. Cheers.MrYnyslas197107-03-2025
- Taylor was humiliated in the seniors events,so he really has nothing to lose by playing littler. I think he should put his darts away,and let us remember what a great player he wasrick6706-03-2025
- actually, since you're asking... yes. yes i do.colt06-03-2025