"The World Championships is a massive goal... I have the game in me" - Stephen Bunting's ambition not dampened by difficult few months
PDC
Stephen Bunting started the new year with a bang. After reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, he went on to win the Bahrain Darts Masters and also made it to the final of the Dutch Darts Masters. Since then, however, things have taken a downturn for the 39-year-old Englishman, who has now lost seven straight matches in the Premier League Darts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bunting, however, remains wildly ambitious. "The World Championships is a massive goal for me to win. I’m not getting any younger, so I would love to win it as soon as I can. I have the game in me," says the former Lakeside champion on his YouTube channel. “I want to get into the top five in the world and try and pick up some more majors on the way. Also, to consolidate my Pro Tour and European form."
Read also
Bunting also does not immediately start doubting after a few lesser performances, he has learned from his experiences early in his career. "There has been a lot of ups and downs along the way. Obviously, it has been well documented I have seen sports psychologists and hypnotherapists," he says. “I still see a hypnotherapist now for my sleep and for really helping thinking positive all the time. I like to keep on top of the hypnotherapy once a week. Just the sleep more than anything because the tour can be very tiring. So if I can keep on top of my sleep, I can wake up, feel fresh and ready."
"Even when I was under the weather at the World Masters I still felt really good, calm and collected," Bunting continues. “Which is something I never did when I was younger.”
Stephen Bunting in action
Bunting finally broke through in 2014 when he became world champion with the BDO at the Lakeside. "The BDO we used to be more jokey and family. Whereas now in the PDC we are playing for that much money it’s a lot more serious," he compares.
"Daryl Fitton, when I was on the tour, always looked after me. I went to Malaysia for the World Youth and I was with the likes of Martin Adams and Andy Fordham who really looked after me," recalls Bunting of his BDO days. "Just making me feel welcome into the England squad. They helped me settle in, and I ended up winning the World Youth title.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Looking ahead, Bunting remains optimistic that he will reach new heights this year. "Reaching the semi-finals of the Worlds and to play Luke Littler was an unbelievable feeling. I had some really good performances there. At the Masters, I had a good run to the quarters and played well. But it was always going to be difficult to defend my title," The Bullet assesses. “Winning the Bahrain Masters was a great feeling. To beat Gerwyn Price in the final and Luke Humphries in the semi-final, I had a really good run. It’s given me a lot of confidence heading into the rest of the season. At the Dutch Masters, losing out in the final to Rob Cross but along the way beating Luke Littler kept my spirits and confidence really high.”
🗣️“The World Championships is a massive goal for me to win. I want to get into the top five in the World and pick up more majors.”
— Oche180 (@Oche180) March 20, 2025
🎯Stephen Bunting on his youth career, BDO tenure, present and future goals.
💻Full story: https://t.co/esJuX1RNkV
📸@taylanningpix | #Darts pic.twitter.com/o9OWDPL5Ta
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026