"Whistling when people are throwing must stop" - Stephen Bunting demands more respect from rowdy Euro Tour crowd in Germany

Stephen Bunting has secured his place in the last 16 of the International Darts Open in impressive fashion. ‘The Bullet’ had to come from 4-2 down in the second round to eventually claim a 6-4 victory over Darius Labanauskas. This afternoon, he’ll face Cameron Menzies in the next round.

With a 170 checkout and an average of nearly 105, Bunting managed to pull off the win. However, it was far from easy against a strong Labanauskas, who also posted an average over 100. Bunting had the crowd on his side in Riesa, but afterwards he was also critical of the frequent whistling during the match whilst his opponent was throwing.

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“Can we just have a few things right. We are all here to enjoy the darts and have a good time. Whistling when people are throwing must stop," demanded Bunting in his post-match interview on stage afterwards. “I know you are all here to support me. But come on, Darius played a fantastic game there. We need to give him all the support he can get. He has come a long way. We are all here trying to earn our money. He did not deserve that from the minority."

Stephen Bunting in action

“Darius is a fantastic player and really good friend of mine," Bunting continued. “I feel so disappointed for him and I was just lucky to win. It’s just a few idiots in the crowd. I love playing in Germany and it was an honour to win the Premier League night here the other day. Generally the crowds in Germany are so good and hopefully I can pick up one of these European Tours.”

As mentioned Bunting will now take on Cameron Menzies, who was too strong for James Wade in the previous round 6-5. “I’m walking around with a bit of a swagger and confidence. I have a tough game ahead of me but I am looking forward to it,”  concludes the Englishman. 

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