Scheduling nightmare for PDC as Stephen Bunting and Ryan Joyce play out tie-break thriller with less than an hour until evening session

A small gap now between sessions with Stephen Bunting setting up a mouth watering showdown with Luke Humphries in the Last 16 of the 2024 World Matchplay after victory over Ryan Joyce in a 12-10 win for 'The Bullet'.

The PDC will be sweating with the next session set to start in just under an hour. They made the decision to bring it forward due to the England game and this was seemingly not forward enough with the evening session set for a 4:30pm start. Bunting v Joyce playing out a thriller won't exactly help with that as they will have to keep fingers crossed about the entertainment later finishing before 8.

It was a 15-dart start for Bunting as he pinned double 16 for 1-0. Joyce levelled the clash at 1-1 pinning double eight and they continued their holds with Joyce hitting 52 with Bunting sat on 82 waiting primed.

Bunting set his stall out with a 114 checkout for 3-2 and he managed to consolidate with a 69 checkout for 4-2. But Joyce came back with an 80 checkout after Bunting could not hit 112. 'The Bullet' aimed to keep him at arms length with a 42 checkout on double 16 before hitting the same target for 6-3. Misses aplenty though saw Joyce pick his pocket and go 6-4 down instead of 7-3 as Bunting was left frustrated.

But on return, he surged clear at 7-4 and went two away at 8-5. He hit a 60 checkout for a 17-darter and handed the call back to Joyce to hold or he'd go one away. Bunting though hit a 130 to hit first only for Joyce to hit a 180. Albeit he was on a bogey number so 'The Bullet' with a last dart bullseye was first to a finish.

Joyce got a last dart treble off 100 to leave 63 and Bunting could not get a shot at the huge checkout allowing 'Relentless' back to add the moniker of pressure with a 63 checkout for 8-6. A 167 checkout from Joyce saw him suddenly level up at 8-8 out of nowhere.

Bunting though sent the crowd wild with an epic 164 checkout on the bull to make it 2-2 on the ton plus stakes. A 43 checkout made it 9-9 with Bunting being sent to a tie-break.

Joyce missed 100 for a 10-9 and a break and Bunting went 10-9 up himself. Bunting did not get the match dart from 100 and Joyce made it 10-10. But Bunting edged ahead again and sealed it with a 71 checkout.