BUNTING BLASTS CROWD ‘IDIOT’ AFTER HECKLING DRAMA

STEPHEN BUNTING insists there is “no place” in the sport for spectators who deliberately try to put players off.

The Bullet finished fifth in the Premier League table and pocketed the £10,000 top prize after securing his second Nightly win of the season with a 6-3 victory over Luke Humphries. 

But his 6-3 semi-final triumph over Gerwyn Price was briefly overshadowed by an incident in the crowd after a fan repeatedly whistled during play at the Sheffield Arena. 

Price quickly spotted the culprit and refused to continue until the matter had been dealt with by security. 

World No10 Bunting fully backed the Welshman’s reaction and made it clear the players were right to take a stand against hecklers. 

He said: “I think obviously Gezzy pointed it out.  

“He actually seen the guy who was doing it. And it wasn’t just against me, it was against Gezzy as well. 

“He was just an idiot in the crowd who wanted to disrupt the game and yeah, I was totally with Gezzy on that. 

“Gezzy said to me, ‘Don’t start until we’re ready.’ And yeah, I agree with him. I think it’s a great way to point someone out like that. 

“I know he gets a couple of minutes of fame, but yeah, there’s no place for people like that in our sport. 

“Cheer as much as you want, shout as much as you want, but to boo and to whistle is unacceptable in my opinion and Gezzy’s opinion and yeah, people like that shouldn’t be allowed in here.”

Bunting averaged 102.22 in an impressive 6-3 win over Jonny Clayton in his opening match. 

Prior to this campaign, Bunting had finished bottom of the table in both his previous appearances in 2015 and 2025, leading some fans to question his inclusion in this season’s line-up.

The former Masters champion admits he was determined to make a statement and prove his doubters wrong over his selection. 

He added: “I felt great all night. This crowd is unbelievable, thank you very much. I have really enjoyed myself a lot more than last year. 

“I just have a lot more confidence and belief. I am going into Riesa now on top of the world. I played some fantastic darts and I am so proud of myself. 

“I was a bit hard on myself. I feel like I played a great tournament. I am up to fifth. I am so happy with that. 

“People wrote me off and said I shouldn’t be in it and I finished fifth. Two nightly wins — I am so proud of myself. 

“I dug deep tonight. There was a bit of pressure off and it didn’t matter what happened. 

“But I wanted to make a statement and put it out there — I want to be in the Premier League for years to come. 

“The only thing that has kept me out of the top four is my finishing. I am much better than that. 

“I go home and I beat myself some nights even if I average 105 and lose. Me and Josh Rock have butted heads and said lets go out with a bang. 

“It is our leaving party.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.