Stephen Bunting CRASHES OUT of World Darts Championship: Fourth seed suffers shock defeat at Ally Pally
Stephen Bunting has been knocked out of the World Darts Championship after suffering a shock defeat by James Hurrell at Alexandra Palace.
Fan favourite Bunting, the world No 4, was beaten 4-3 by Hurrell in a thrilling third-round clash to become the highest seed to crash out of the tournament so far.
Hurrell crucially broke the Bunting throw in the deciding seventh set before closing out a famous victory to reach the last 16 and guarantee a minimum £60,000 payday.
The unseeded Englishman won the opener before Bunting hit back with two sets in a row, secured with huge checkouts of 161 and 121.
Hurrell continued the topsy-turvy nature of the contest to go 3-2 in front before Bunting, a semi-finalist last year, took it to a decider by winning the sixth.
Hurrell had a chance to throw for a place in the next round after going 2-1 ahead in legs in the seventh set and took it in style, checking out 100 on double 20 to seal a superb win to the disappointment of the majority of a boisterous Ally Pally crowd.
Stephen Bunting is out of the World Darts Championship after losing to James Hurrell
Bunting, one of the most popular players on tour, joins the likes of Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith in exiting the tournament.
Six of the top 16 have failed to reach the fourth round, with Danny Noppert, James Wade, Chris Dobey and Ross Smith also out.
Hurrell’s reward is a meeting in the next round with either 13th seed Martin Schindler or 20th seed Ryan Searle.
Bunting had been visibly emotional as he recounted the extent of the social media abuse he had received in the wake of referring to himself as ‘the people’s champion’ after his victory against Sebastian Bialecki in round one.
‘I’m Stephen Bunting,’ he said. ‘I’m the People’s Champion. I believe I’ve got the best fan base in that. I’ve got the best social media in darts.’
But social media commenters were quick to pounce on his statement and a torrent of backlash ensued, with Bunting opening up on the toll it had taken on his wellbeing after his second-round defeat of Nitin Kumar.
‘I never ever shy away from my fans. I’ll stand by it, I still think I’ve got the biggest fanbase in darts,’ Bunting said.
‘I’m lucky, you saw it tonight, how loud was that crowd… the walk-on was exceptional, they got behind me every single leg. Even at times when I’d salvage 45 or 59, they were always there behind me and that’s so important for a person.
Hurrell secured one of the biggest wins of his career to book his place in the fourth round
‘When you’re stood up on that stage it’s a lonely place, and if things don’t go right you can look at your family, look at your manager or sponsors, but it’s down to you.’
Bunting then had to pause to collect himself, as he appeared to tear up before discussing the limits of the online hate he found himself the focus of.
‘I’ve had some stick over social media. I made a comment in the media saying I was the people’s champion,’ he continued. ‘That was literally a comment from what Sky have said, what PDC have said. It wasn’t me saying I’m the People’s Champion.
‘I was just talking about what was said. I’ve had a lot of stick about that. Listen, I’m not the people’s champion. I turn up. I’ll try my best to win any game. I’ll give 110 per cent.’
