Rank-outsider Stephen Bunting produced a brilliant display to win Premier League Night Four in Belfast as Josh Rock hit a nine-darter and Luke Littler suffered another early exit.
Bunting beat defending champion Luke Humphries 6-4 in the quarters, thrashed Jonny Clayton 6-0 in the semi-final and then defeated Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final to claim the weekly win. The Bullet went from zero points to five overall, averaging 106.63 against Humphries and 106.09 when whitewashing Clayton.
Night Four results — SSE Arena, Belfast
Quarter-finals
– Jonny Clayton 6-3 Luke Littler
– Stephen Bunting 6-4 Luke Humphries
– Gerwyn Price 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
– Gian van Veen 6-2 Josh Rock
Semi-finals
– Stephen Bunting 6-0 Jonny Clayton
– Gian van Veen 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Final
– Stephen Bunting 6-2 Gian van Veen
Bunting on the win: “Last year — losing seven or eight games on the bounce — really helped me. When you are playing in the Premier League, you are facing the best of the best. I am overjoyed by this win… I have come off social media, have a great team around me and I am not looking at the negatives. I had hypnotherapy this morning. I believe I am one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in the Premier League.”
Bunting’s night
– 6-4 vs Humphries (106.63)
– 6-0 vs Clayton (106.09)
– 6-2 vs Van Veen (97.15)
Littler’s struggles continued as Jonny Clayton beat him 6-3 in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old from Warrington has just one win in this year’s Premier League and sits seventh after four nights; Conway-style finishing woes (3/13 on doubles against Clayton) cost him. Laura Turner noted there’s still time for Littler to turn it around but said his form isn’t clicking.
Price and van Gerwen
Gerwyn Price produced a strong fightback to beat Michael van Gerwen in a last-leg decider, posting another 100+ average and closing the match with two 22-dart legs. Van Veen reached his third Premier League final of the season by edging Price 6-5 in the semi with a 105.22 average and a monster 160 checkout.
Rock’s nine-darter
Josh Rock, despite remaining bottom of the table and without a point on his debut, produced a moment of perfection — a nine-darter in the quarter-final against Van Veen. Rock’s perfect eighth leg brought the crowd to their feet, and he earned a £30,000 custom-made set of 18ct solid gold darts for the feat. He described the moment as “a dream come true” and said he was shaking afterwards. Van Veen, however, still beat Rock 6-2, hitting three ton-plus checkouts in the win.
Commentary
Wayne Mardle praised Rock’s achievement but warned that a nine-darter doesn’t hide broader problems: “To regain composure and do what he did was incredible — but he needs to play miles better than that.”
Humphries’ form
Humphries averaged 102+ in five of six games across the four nights but has only two wins so far. His high scoring hasn’t consistently translated into victories, with finishing letting him down at times.
Looking ahead — Night Five (Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Thursday March 5)
Quarter-finals
– Michael van Gerwen vs Luke Humphries
– Gian van Veen vs Jonny Clayton
– Gerwyn Price vs Stephen Bunting
– Luke Littler vs Josh Rock
Price and Clayton will be among the headline acts in Cardiff, while Littler — who hit a nine-darter in Cardiff a year ago — faces Rock. Luke Humphries will be defending his Premier League title this season; the tournament continues weekly on Sky Sports.