Stephen Bunting’s route to the O2 has narrowed dramatically, but the Englishman is not ready to accept that his Premier League Darts play-off hopes are over. With only two league nights remaining, Bunting sits seventh in the table on 13 points, six behind Luke Humphries in fourth and five behind Michael van Gerwen in fifth. The equation is now severe, but not impossible. Bunting needs a major return in Birmingham tonight and another in the final league night to have any realistic chance of forcing his way into the top four for the first time in his career.
That challenge begins at the Utilita Arena, where Bunting faces Humphries in the quarter-finals of Night 15. It is the kind of draw that could either end the chase outright or drag him back into the conversation. “I’m always raring to go when it comes to the Premier League,” Bunting told the PDC, with his campaign now entering must-win territory. For Bunting, the draw at least gives him a direct shot at the player currently holding the final play-off place. Humphries moved into the top four after reaching the final in Leeds last week, where he was beaten 6-5 by Luke Littler in another dramatic conclusion to a night that reshaped the table. Bunting, meanwhile, remains outside the qualification places despite showing signs of life in recent weeks.
He knows there is no room left for slow starts. “I know what I need to do - I need to have two really good nights now, so let’s hope this is the start of something big,” he said. That is the size of the task. A quarter-final win alone will not be enough. Bunting needs deep runs, and probably at least one nightly victory, to have a chance of overturning the deficit across Birmingham and the final league night. The schedule has been relentless, but Bunting insists he still has enough left for one final push. “It’s been a long season already, but I feel fresh, I feel ready and I’m just looking forward to the night to be honest.”
That freshness will have to translate quickly on stage. Humphries is not only a direct rival in the table, but also arrives with renewed momentum after his Leeds final run. Behind him, Van Gerwen remains just one point outside the top four, while Gerwyn Price is still third on 21 points and faces Van Gerwen in another huge quarter-final. At the top, Littler and Jonny Clayton are already qualified, with Littler leading the table on 39 points after making Premier League history in Leeds by winning the night through three straight deciding-leg victories. For Bunting, the maths is far less comfortable. But the opportunity is clear. Beat Humphries, put points on the board, and the race stays alive for at least one more night. Lose in Birmingham, and his dream of a first Premier League play-off appearance may finally be gone.
