“There's a lot of demons inside here" - Stephen Bunting lifts huge weight off shoulders as European Championship quest kept alive
PDC
Once on the brink, Stephen Bunting has confirmed his once precarious chance of
going to the European Championship. ‘The Bullet’ took down an already qualified
Cameron Menzies 6-2 at the Dutch Darts Championship to leave secure him a position in the European Championship.
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The former Masters champion came into this match with a
whole heap of pressure on his shoulders. His European Tour form in 2026 has
been dreadful by his standards, reaching just one quarter-final in Poland from 12
appearances.
He desperately needed a win against Menzies to relieve the
pressure and almost guarantee him a spot in Dortmund. An 82 checkout got him on
the board before a doubling disaster by Menzies allowed him to seal the first
break of the match.
It would get better as he sprinted into a 4-1 advantage and
looked good to see it out. A staggering 150 checkout by ‘Cammy’ showed what
class he had on the oche, if sporadic at times, but that double break was soon
restored as Bunting moved one from the win. Tops was pinned at the first time of
asking, and with that a huge sigh of relief.
BUNTING WINS A CRUCIAL GAME! Stephen Bunting books his place in Dortmund and sends Kim Huybrechts out of the qualifying spots, as he beats Cameron Menzies 6-2! 📺 https://t.co/Dogi6ykEH5 #ET15 https://t.co/RRHeWSHaGx
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 17, 2026
Nerves coming into weekend abolished with relieving win
The win put him at £38,000, surpassing Karel Sedlacek to
move into 31st, and thanks to Sebastian Bialecki and Michael Smith losing was goo enough to get him a spot in Dortmund. He kept his cool and produced a winning performance
at the right time. A 92.7 average was not at his best, but a 60% checkout rate was
important en route to victory. Menzies, who averaged just over 80, did not pose
the threat he could have.
Bunting has not had an easy time on the oche as of late, but
he was gleaming in delight with that result, with a bold move ahead of the
tournament paying dividends. “There's a lot of demons inside here, obviously,
going to the new darts,” he said after the victory. “People doubt me, but I
know what these do on the practice board. I know how good I can be.
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This has been a crucial time period for him, with him feeling
the effects of it beforehand. “For the last few weeks, I have been nervous,” he
admitted. “Obviously, needing to win is a lot more difficult than coming here
and expecting to win. But, yeah, thankfully, we had a wonderful crowd tonight.
Thank you very much for all turning up, and hopefully this pushes me on to
Dortmund next week.”
There were a number of storylines that could have led from
this, and Bunting was closely watching the action over the past couple of days
to see how his rivals were performing.
Read also
“Of course I was. I had seven different darts shirts on
yesterday,” he joked. “No, you can never cheer against all your friends, and
what will be, will be. If I didn't get into Dortmund, then it's not about this
week; it's about the season as a whole. I'm just glad that I dug deep there. I
found crucial finishes at the right time. Obviously, Cammy was off; he had a
lot of bounce-outs as well, which helped.”
Dortmund may be off his mind, but there is still a
tournament to win. “I'm happy that I won that game. On to tomorrow now, and
obviously I need to play better tomorrow to win.”
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Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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