Stephen Bunting scraped through his World Masters match against William Borland (Image: X.com/ITV Sport)
admitted that his gameplan fell apart at the World Masters after scraping past William Borland in his opening match.
The 39-year-old came into the tournament as the reigning champion, but he fell 2-0 behind in the best-of-three contest – leaving him on the verge of a surprise early exit.
Bunting rallied, however, to seal victory in the first round of the tournament as he saw off his Scottish opponent on Thursday night in Milton Keynes.
The world No. 5 admitted he felt the pressure of being the reigning champion after surviving a major scare and was relieved to come through in one piece.
“Obviously I’m really happy to get over the line but I’ve never experienced that,” Bunting told ITV Sport. “Coming back into the tournament as a reigning champion, all eyes on me and I tried a bit too hard, I think.
“But 54 per cent on my doubles, 95 average… not too shabby. I think William played really well, very happy under pressure and shaking me off. The best-of-three format is always going to be difficult, I’m so happy getting over the line.”
Bunting went in to the match as one of the favourites to win the tournament, but he was powerless to stop Borland in the opening two legs as he averaged over 100.
And the Fazackerly-born player only had words of praise for his opponent Borland, 28, despite saying he had planned to ‘smash’ him.
Stephen Bunting turned the game on its head after falling behind to William Borland (Image: Getty)
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“I felt like he was playing well, my plan was to win the darts and smash him out of the way,” Bunting added. “Listen, he’s a quality operator I’ve known him for a long time, he’s hit a nine-darter at the Worlds, he’s a capable opponent.
“Thankfully I was able to find something there and the crowd was unbelievable. I got over the line and I can have a rest tomorrow, I’ll make sure I’m ready for Saturday.”
Borland admitted he would be leaving with mixed emotions after putting on a spirited display, saying: “I’m happy and I’m gutted. I’m very gutted because I put my all into that, but as I said the other day when I qualified, everybody thought I went missing.
“That’s what I can do when I’m on it and, unfortunately, I was second best, but there’s a lot more to come from me.”
William Borland and Stephen Bunting shake hands after their thrilling match (Image: Getty)
Bunting will face Peter Wright in the next round and he vowed to ensure there is no repeat of his scare by focusing on honing his throwing skills before the game.
“I know what Peter can do so I’m going into that game with no stone unturned. I’ll make sure on the practice board tomorrow and make sure I’m ready,” he said.
“I’ve got a great record over the last few times we’ve played. But it’s all about the future, the next game.
“I’ve got to make sure the best Stephen Bunting turns up and I’ve got a good chance.”