BUNTING INSISTS “NO MALICE”
09/03/2025 By Phil Lanning
By Phil Lanning
STEPHEN BUNTING insisted there was “no malice” in his game after being confronted by an angry Jermaine Wattimena.
The Bullet and Machine Gun were involved in verbals following their Belgian Darts Open clash on Saturday.
Wattimena started well but then Bunting came back strongly to win 6-3, taking six legs on the bounce.
The win was a welcome relief for the Liverpool fan after five successive Premier League defeats.
But after Bunting wrapped up the victory he went over to shake Wattimena’s hand, but the Dutchman failed to turn round and acknowledge his opponent.
After seeing the officials, Wattimena then went over to the former Lakeside World Champion and waved a warning finger.
Bunting said: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Jermaine and I didn’t expect that at the end of the game. I tried my best to win and I thought it was just a normal game.
“He picked up on something. I don’t know what it was but I’ll have a word with him backstage.
“There was no malice in my game. You’ve known me for many years and I’m not that sort of player to play mind games on people.”
