Stephen Bunting facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stephen Bunting |
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Bunting at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | "The Bullet” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 April 1985 Liverpool, England |
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| Home town | St Helens, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Darts information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing darts since | 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Darts | 18g Target Stephen Bunting G5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laterality | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Walk-on music | "Titanium" by David Guetta featuring Sia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BDO | 2002–2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PDC | 2014– (Tour Card: 2014–) |
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| Current world ranking | 18  (8 July 2021) |
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| BDO majors – best performances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Ch'ship | Winner (1): 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Masters | Winner (2): 2012, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Darts Trophy | Last 32: 2003, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finder Masters | Winner (1): 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PDC premier events – best performances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Ch'ship | Semi Final: 2021, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Quarter Final: 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Semi Final: 2014, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam | Semi Final: 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League | 8th: 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Ch'ship | Quarter Final: 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Open | Semi Final: 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Ch'ship Finals | Quarter Final: 2018, 2019, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters | Winner (1): 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Finals | Quarter Final: 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournament wins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Players Championships
UK Open Regionals/Qualifiers
World Series of Darts
Youth Events
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Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is a professional darts player from England. He is known as "The Bullet" and plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is currently ranked among the top five players in the world. Stephen Bunting won the BDO World Championship in 2014.
He has won five big titles in the PDC, including the PDC Masters in 2024 and the 2025 Bahrain Darts Masters. Before joining the PDC, he won the World Masters twice and the Finder Masters in 2012. He has also reached the semi-finals of the PDC World Championship and the World Grand Prix twice.
Contents
Stephen Bunting's Darts Journey
Starting Out in Darts
Stephen Bunting started playing darts at a young age. He won the British Teenage Open and the World Youth Masters in 2001. In 2002, he also won the WDF Europe Youth Cup.
He first played in the BDO World Darts Championship in 2004 when he was 18. He won his first match but lost in the second round. In 2005, he played again but lost in the first round.
In 2008, Stephen won the Lytham St Annes Open. He also joined the England darts team again. Later that year, he won his first major BDO title, the Northern Ireland Open.
He played in the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship but lost in the first round. In 2009, he won the Winmau British Classic. He beat Scott Waites in the final.
Stephen played in the 2010 BDO World Darts Championship and won his first match. The next year, at the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, he reached the quarter-finals. He played very well in his first-round match, getting a high score average.
In September 2011, he reached the quarter-finals of the Winmau World Masters. He also won the England Classic for the second time. In October 2011, Stephen won his first European event, the Tops of Ghent tournament in Belgium.
Becoming a World Champion
In October 2012, Stephen Bunting won his biggest title yet, the Winmau World Masters. He was the top player in the tournament and beat Tony O'Shea in the final. In December, he won the Zuiderduin Masters. By the end of 2012, he was ranked number one in the BDO and WDF.
At the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship, he played well but was surprisingly beaten in the second round. After this, he won several other tournaments. These included the Isle of Man tournament, the Mariflex Open, the Welsh Open, and the England Open. In July, he won the England Masters title.
Stephen successfully defended his World Masters title in 2013. He was only the fourth player ever to win it twice in a row. He also made history by winning the title without losing a single set. He beat James Wilson 7-0 in the final.
In 2014, Stephen Bunting entered the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship as the top player. He played incredibly well throughout the tournament. He beat Rick Hofstra in the quarter-finals and Robbie Green in the semi-finals. In the final, he faced Alan Norris and won 7-4, becoming the BDO World Champion!
Joining the PDC and Major Success
After winning the BDO World Championship, Stephen Bunting decided to join the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in January 2014. This was a big step in his career.
He quickly showed his talent in the PDC. He won his first PDC title at a UK Open Qualifier event. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2014 German Darts Masters. He made it to his second PDC final at a Players Championship event, beating top player Michael van Gerwen along the way.
Stephen made his debut in the World Matchplay and beat Peter Wright. He also played in the Sydney Darts Masters and reached the final.
In October 2014, he reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix. He also had a great performance at the European Championship, beating Phil Taylor. He continued to reach quarter-finals in major events like the Grand Slam of Darts.
2015: A Strong Start in the PDC World Championship
In his first PDC World Championship, Stephen Bunting played amazingly. He reached the quarter-finals, where he had a very close match against Raymond van Barneveld. He lost 5-4 in a deciding set. After the match, he was very emotional because he had played so well.
Because of his strong performance, he was chosen to play in the 2015 Premier League Darts. He had some tough matches but managed to stay in the league. He also reached the semi-finals of the UK Open.
2016-2020: Ups and Downs
In 2016, Stephen continued to play well. He won his second PDC title at a Players Championship event, beating Michael van Gerwen. He reached the semi-finals of the European Darts Open.
The next few years had some challenges. He lost early in the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. In 2019, he started to find his form again. He reached two ranking finals and the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Matchplay and the 2019 Players Championship Finals.
In 2020, he reached the last 16 of the World Championship. He was also chosen to be a 'challenger' in the Premier League. Later that year, he had to withdraw from a tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
2021-2023: Reaching Semi-Finals
Stephen Bunting started 2021 by reaching the semi-finals of the 2021 World Championship. He beat several strong players before losing to the eventual champion, Gerwyn Price. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2021 World Grand Prix, again losing to Price.
In the 2022 World Championship, he lost in the second round. In the 2023 World Championship, he had a great run, reaching the quarter-finals. He also made it to the semi-finals of the 2023 Grand Slam of Darts.
2024: A Major Title Win
At the 2024 World Championship, Stephen reached the fourth round. He played very well, winning two matches without losing a single set.
A big moment came at the Masters tournament. Stephen reached his first ever PDC major final! He beat the reigning world champion Luke Humphries and then Peter Wright. In the semi-final, he won easily against Nathan Aspinall. In the final, he defeated Michael van Gerwen 11-7 to win his first major PDC title! He played incredibly well throughout the tournament.
He also reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 UK Open. On the Pro Tour, he had a very strong year, reaching six Players Championship finals.
2025: More Success
At the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, Stephen Bunting reached the semi-finals again. He played well to get there, but lost to Luke Littler. After this great performance, he was chosen to be part of the main Premier League line-up for the first time since 2015.
He also won his first World Series title at the 2025 Bahrain Darts Masters, beating Gerwyn Price in the final.
Stephen Bunting's Life Outside Darts
Stephen Bunting used to use the song "Surfin' Bird" as his entrance music. This was a funny way to acknowledge that some people think he looks like Peter Griffin from the TV show Family Guy.
He is a big fan of two sports teams: Liverpool Football Club and St Helens R.F.C. (rugby). He is married to Keila and they have two sons, Tobias (born in 2012) and Theo (born in 2024).
Stephen is also very popular on social media, especially TikTok. His fans often chant "Let's go Bunting Mental" during his matches, which shows how much they support him!
Stephen Bunting's Major Final Matches
BDO Major Finals: 5 (4 Wins, 1 Runner-up)
| Legend |
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| World Championship (1–0) |
| World Masters (2–0) |
| Zuiderduin Masters (1–1) |
| Result | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2012 | World Masters |  Tony O'Shea |
7–4 (sets) |
| Winner | 2. | 2012 | Zuiderduin Masters | Alan Norris |
5–0 (sets) |
| Winner | 3. | 2013 | World Masters | James Wilson |
7–0 (sets) |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2013 | Zuiderduin Masters | James Wilson |
1–5 (sets) |
| Winner | 4. | 2014 | BDO World Darts Championship | Alan Norris |
7–4 (sets) |
WDF Major Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)
| Result | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2013 | World Cup Singles |  Wesley Harms |
6–7 (sets) |
PDC Major Finals: 1 (1 Win)
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (1–0) |
| Result | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2024 | The Masters | Michael van Gerwen |
11–7 (legs) |
PDC World Series Finals: 2 (1 Win, 1 Runner-up)
| Result | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2014 | Sydney Darts Masters | Phil Taylor |
3–11 (legs) |
| Winner | 1. | 2025 | Bahrain Darts Masters | Gerwyn Price |
8–4 (legs) |
World Championship Results
BDO World Championship
- 2004: Second round (lost to Ted Hankey 0–3)
- 2005: First round (lost to John Henderson 0–3)
- 2009: First round (lost to Gary Robson 1–3)
- 2010: Second round (lost to Tony O'Shea 0–4)
- 2011: Quarter-finals (lost to Dean Winstanley 1–5)
- 2013: Second round (lost to Darryl Fitton 2–4)
- 2014: Winner (beat Alan Norris 7–4)
PDC World Championship
- 2015: Quarter-finals (lost to Raymond van Barneveld 4–5)
- 2016: Second round (lost to Raymond van Barneveld 3–4)
- 2017: First round (lost to Darren Webster 2–3)
- 2018: First round (lost to Dimitri Van den Bergh 1–3)
- 2019: Second round (lost to Luke Humphries 1–3)
- 2020: Fourth round (lost to Michael van Gerwen 0–4)
- 2021: Semi-finals (lost to Gerwyn Price 4–6)
- 2022: Second round (lost to Ross Smith 2–3)
- 2023: Quarter-finals (lost to Michael Smith 3–5)
- 2024: Fourth round (lost to Michael van Gerwen 0–4)
- 2025: Semi-finals (lost to Luke Littler 1–6)
Images for kids
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Stephen Bunting performing the "Bird Dance" in 2014
