Stephen Bunting was left fighting back tears during his post-match press conference after booking his place in the third round of the World Darts Championship.
The Englishman produced a commanding display on Saturday, sweeping past India’s Nitin Kumar with a 3–0 victory and dropping just two legs in a dominant performance. Bunting averaged an impressive 94.11 and impressed on the doubles, landing finishes of 118, 107 and a 132 checkout on the bull, converting 53 per cent of his chances.
The win followed his dramatic first-round success against Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki, which he edged 3–2 at Alexandra Palace. In the immediate aftermath of that gruelling match, Bunting described himself as “the people’s champion,” a comment that quickly sparked a backlash online.
“I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the people’s champion,” he had said at the time, adding that he believed he had the strongest fan base and social media following in the sport.
Those remarks drew criticism from sections of the darts community, and Bunting admitted the reaction affected him in the lead-up to his clash with Kumar. Speaking after his latest victory, the 40-year-old became visibly emotional as he addressed the criticism.
“I look at social media and I’ve had some stick,” Bunting said. “I made a comment in the media saying I was the people’s champion, but that was literally based on what Sky and the Professional Darts Corporation had said — it wasn’t me claiming it myself.
“I was just repeating what had been said, and yeah, I’ve had a lot of stick for it. Listen, I’m not the people’s champion. I turn up, I try my best to win every game, and I give 110 per cent.”
Bunting went on to admit that spending too much time online had taken its toll.
“The fans have been unbelievable. I feel their presence and I feel the support online, but sometimes you can look too much at social media and there’s been quite a few negatives,” he said. “I’ve had quite a few emails as well, but I need to rise above that. People online can be fickle — there’s a lot of negativity.”
Despite the criticism, Bunting stressed how much the support inside Alexandra Palace still means to him.
“You see the crowd in there tonight — they’re proper darts fans. They know what I’m about,” he added. “I like to give back to the fans through my YouTube, TikTok and everything I do. If they see me in a pub, Tesco or a shopping centre, I’ll always give them time.
“They’re so important and they’ve been a massive part of my career. I never shy away from my fans, and I’ll stand by that. I still think I’ve got one of the biggest fan bases in darts, and I’m very lucky — you saw that tonight.”
