"The crowd were unbelievable" - Fan favourite Stephen Bunting roars back from the brink to keep hopes of Masters glory alive

Stephen Bunting survived a thriller in the opening round of the Masters. 'The Bullet' survived a missed match dart from Ross Smith to eventually prevail 6-5.

"I had to dig very deep there," admitted the former Lakeside champion post-match. "I know how dangerous Ross is. He's a really good friend of mine and I feel really sorry for him there, but I'm really happy with the win."

Bunting had an excellent 2023, posting consitently high averages. Nevertheless, he believes more is still to come. "This year I think I need to win a few titles," he assesses. "Last year I had a good year, but I didn't win anything. So let's start winning!"

A win at the Masters would be the perfect start. If that's to happen though, Bunting will have to be grateful to the crowd in attendance. "The crowd were unbelievable again when I walked on to the stage. I wanted to put a great performance in and thankfully I got over the line," he reflects with a smile. "I was down and out. Hopefully the crowd can go Bunting mental again tomorrow."