Stephen Bunting stays optimistic despite Grand Prix elimination: "I’m still very confident of adding another title or maybe two to my name before the year is out"

Stephen Bunting caused a surprise in the first round of the World Grand Prix with a win over World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall, but 'The Bullet' was eliminated by Martin Schindler on Wednesday night.

Trailing 2-1, Bunting managed to force a fifth set with a fine 70 finish. The Englishman then missed five arrows to win the first leg of the fifth set. Those misses proved fatal, allowing Schindler to advance to the quarterfinals.

“Naturally after getting off to such a positive start, I’m gutted to lose that one," Bunting reflected on his own website about his duel against the German. "I’ve seen the stats and my average of 92.02 was almost four points higher than Martin’s. But the crucial difference is he finished legs the better and in darts, that’s the statistic which counts."

Despite a disappointing end to the World Grand Prix, Bunting remains positive about his form. “I still believe that my game is on the up since switching to these new 18g darts. On another day, I could have won this then who knows. All credit to Martin and I wish him the best for the rest of the week. I’ll take a days break then hit the practice board and be ready for the upcoming European event in Hildesheim. I’m still very confident of adding another title or maybe two to my name before the year is out.”