“That dartitis might even help him in a strange way - it unsettles the opponent" - Vincent van der Voort sees clear reason for Nathan Aspinall's resurgence

The last two nights of Premier League Darts action delivered surprise victories, with Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall taking the spoils in Berlin and Manchester respectively. Neither player had made much of an impact earlier in the campaign - particularly Bunting - but both managed to turn things around in style.

For Bunting, the 2024 Premier League had been nothing short of a nightmare. “The Bullet” had lost in the quarter-finals on all eight of his previous appearances. He arrived in Berlin low on confidence, with little to suggest that a breakthrough was coming. But in the German capital, he finally broke his duck, edging out Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the final to put his first points on the board.

While the victory was a welcome moment for Bunting, not everyone was impressed by the entire package. In the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast, former pro Vincent van der Voort expressed his disapproval of Bunting’s repeated walk-on antics.

“That’s becoming a bit of a thing now,” Van der Voort said. “It’s what the PDC wants—the walk-on becoming more and more of a spectacle. But when it happens three times in one evening, and again on Sunday… it gets a bit much. Phew.”

“It’s the same every time,” he continued. “The whole routine. Hands behind the ears, pointing to himself…”

On Night Ten in Manchester, it was Aspinall’s turn to shine. He took the nightly win—something that surprised Van der Voort.

“All of a sudden, he’s getting these kinds of results again. Really impressive. He’s pulling it off, even though you can see he’s still wrestling with himself out there,” Van der Voort said. “That dartitis might even help him in a strange way - it unsettles the opponent, and all he has to do is focus on dealing with it himself.”

“Very impressive. Everyone’s been talking about him, but to come out and perform like that—fair play to him.”