Stephen Bunting electrified the Winter Gardens crowd in Blackpool with a breathtaking nine-dart finish during his 10-7 victory over James Wade at the Betfred World Matchplay. The moment of perfection came in the 12th leg, sending fans into a frenzy and cementing his place in the tournament's history.
Bunting's Brilliance Lights Up Blackpool
The St Helens thrower produced darting magic when he needed it most, landing back-to-back 180s before sealing the perfect leg with a sublime 141 checkout (treble 20, treble 19, double 12). This marked only the 11th nine-darter in World Matchplay history and the first since 2022.
"When that last dart went in, the noise was incredible," Bunting said afterwards. "To do it here in Blackpool, where the atmosphere is always special, makes it even more memorable."
Anderson and Humphries Progress
Elsewhere on a thrilling night of arrows, Gary Anderson showed his class with a 10-4 demolition of Ricky Evans. The Scottish veteran averaged 101.86 and hit six 180s in a dominant display.
World number one Luke Humphries survived a scare against German debutant Ricardo Pietreczko before prevailing 10-7. "I had to dig deep there," admitted Humphries. "Ricardo pushed me all the way."
Quarter-Final Line-Up Takes Shape
The results set up fascinating quarter-final clashes:
- Stephen Bunting vs. Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Gary Anderson vs. Luke Humphries
With the tournament heating up, darts fans can expect more fireworks as the world's best players battle for the £200,000 top prize at one of the sport's most iconic venues.
