Stephen Bunting has just made it to three consecutive finals at this week’s Players Championship held in Wigan, but was unfortunate to lose all three!
This week, Wigan hosted three Players Championship events with PC24, PC25 and PC26 all taking place.
Now, the Players Championship is a floor event with no crowds.
128 player field, first to 6 legs for the first few rounds, first to 7 for the latter and first to 8 for the finals with the finalists playing 7 games in total over the day.
It’s quick pace and you’d think with no crowds it would be easy but many players say that the format is actually one of the hardest to compete in.
A low ranked player can have a few good legs and easily knock out a top 16 player in the first few rounds, that’s actually a common occurrence.
Alan Soutar, currently ranked 42nd in the Order of Merit summed up the Players Championship earlier this year. He said:
“I don’t think some people understand how hard it is in the PDC.
“I can play darts, I’ve played darts for 30 years but this is tough.”
These comments came after Soutar won the PC11.
So, we’ve confirmed it’s a tough competition.
Well, this week Stephen Bunting registered an unbelievable run making it to three consecutive finals winning 18 games out of a possible 21.
That’s extraordinary consistency in a format where there’s not much room for error. We need to give him his credit for that performance 👏
Unfortunately he’s also had the WORST result by losing all three finals!
At PC24 he lost 8-5 to Wessel Nijman, at PC25 he lost 8-3 to Chris Dobey and then today he lost 8-7 to the last person he would have wanted to lose against…
SEE MORE NEWS ON DECENT DARTS
👉 “The might just be comfortable in their own little league” – Fallon Sherrock on women’s darts
👉 Adrian Lewis on the “ONLY WAY” he’ll make a return to professional darts
Humphries Beats Bunting Ahead of Their World Grand Prix Clash Next Week
HUMPHRIES WINS PC26! 🏆
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 3, 2024
It's a first Players Championship title for Luke Humphries this year, as he narrowly beats Stephen Bunting 8-7, securing the win with back-to-back legs late on.
📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8 | #PC26 pic.twitter.com/Gbd48KdPSq
Bunting lost 8-7 to Luke Humphries in the PC26 final this evening and that will not be the result Bunting would have wanted for a few reasons.
Firstly, getting to a Players Championship final is not easy, the best players get punished in this short format just by having a few bad legs.
So to make it to three consecutively and then lose them all must be morale destroying. There would be the self-belief from getting there in the first place but to keep falling at the last hurdle…
Secondly, Stephen Bunting faces Luke Humphries in the first round of the World Grand Prix next week.
That was already the toughest draw you can have against the World Number 1, World Champion and reigning World Grand Prix champion 🤯
Bunting having two consecutive finals at PC24 & PC25 would have had good confidence and motivation going into next week but to lose PC26 against Humphries of all people!
We even put a post out yesterday saying Humphries wouldn’t like seeing this form from Bunting going into the Grand Prix but we take that book because Cool Hand won’t be bothered at all now.
We are definitely looking forward to this matchup now though considering this was such a close contest.
➡️ Read next: Gary Anderson registers RIDICULOUS stats at PC24