Stephen Bunting during his semi-final clash. (Image: Getty)
has been accused of acting “weird” during his semi-final defeat to Luke Littler. The fan favourite was no match for the eventual champion at Ally Pally, failing to recover from going 4-0 down .
Despite the pressure of the occasion, there was a friendly atmosphere on stage with the two players regularly fist bumping and congratulating each other on checkouts.
And when Bunting, 39, did win his only set, he laughed ironically and jokingly urged the crowd to offer more applause.
The opening set had been a tight one with Littler taking it 3-2 before surging ahead. But the lack of aggression from Bunting didn’t impress Dave Chisnall, himself a semi-finalist at the tournament in 2021.
“The one big disappointment of the semi-finals was my pal Steven Bunting,” he said. “He was phenomenal in the first set, but will have been gutted to lose it 3-2, despite the high averages.”
Taking aim at Bunting’s behaviour later in the match, he added: “I’m not one for gamesmanship and you won’t hear me slagging folk off, but I did think the fist bumps after every set was a bit weird.”
Order your souvenir 48-page publication celebrating Luke Littler’s historic World Championship win now. Buy now on !
Littler celebrates beating Bunting. (Image: Getty)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
There was no such rapport in the final as the teenage sensation took on . But the contest proved almost as one sided, with Littler again searing into a 4-0 lead before winning 7-3 to seal his first world title.
“It was noticeable that Michael was having none of it in the final,” he added. “He missed too many doubles in the final, but he’ll be back. There aren’t too many folk a three-time world champion in their 30s.”
Despite his final-four exit, Bunting’s performance was enough to for the first time since 2015. It followed him landing his first televised major title last year, winning the Masters in February by beating Van Gerwen in the final.
Don’t miss…
Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts
Luke Littler is heading to the latter stages of the WDC, and you can emulate the 17-year-old with a set of his Target G1 Swiss Point darts for £99.95. You can also upgrade to the gold Prodigy darts for £129.95.
There is also a more affordable Loadout 90% Tungsten darts for £45.90. If you need something to throw them at, Amazon has reduced the Luke Littler Cabinet & Dartboard Set to £59.99.
World No.6, ‘Chizzy’ however, wasn’t recalled, but said he understood the decision given his performances in the major events in 2024. And while he was pleased to see Bunting back involved, he did question two of the players allowed to keep their place.
“It’s good to see Chris Dobey and Steven Bunting rewarded with a spot,” he continued. “It seems like something of a changing of the guard with no Michael Smith and no Peter Wright, whilst Nathan Aspinall and can both feel a bit lucky in my opinion to be involved this year.”