BUNTING REVEALS SHOE SWITCH SPARKED PREMIER LEAGUE SURGE
10/03/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
STEPHEN BUNTING revealed a change of SHOES helped fire his Premier League resurgence.
‘The Bullet’ is known for wearing spiky kicks at the oche but admitted his previous pair were actually too big.
World No.7 Bunting went a size smaller and instantly saw the difference, storming to victory on Night Four of the major tournament in Belfast after losing in the opening three weeks.
Bunting joked he had unknowingly been stomping around in oversized trainers for the past year.
He told the Double Tops podcast: “Yeah size 11, My feet are shrinking.
“I think I bought the wrong size when I first bought them and I’ve been walking around like PC Plod for 12 months.
“So, yeah, happy that I’ve got shoes that fit me now and they’ve paid off. So I might treat myself to another pair.”
Bunting currently sits seventh in the Premier League table and narrowly lost 6-5 to Gerwyn Price in Cardiff last week after missing match darts.
The St Helens thrower says advice from former footballer John Terry to be more aggressive on the oche has helped turn around his fortunes.
He added: “I think he is right. I think I do need to get a bit more angry. I showed a bit of emotion when I was hitting the doubles and the big finishes, I was giving it the fist pump and stuff.
“I think he gave me a kick up the bottom, to be honest. It really did help me pull me through.
“From being on zero points, I’m now on five points. It’s a massive confidence boost, and it’s a great confidence builder going forward for the rest of the season.
“I think it means the world to me. I’m super proud that I’m part of this Premier League. Some people doubted that I should be in it.
“I think that was just a bit of emotion. I’ve proved to everyone, the critics and everything, that, I do belong in it.
“Sometimes things don’t go right, but I’ve got another trophy here to tell me that, yeah, I do belong.”
Bunting returns to Premier League action this Thursday and faces Josh Rock in Nottingham.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
