Stephen Bunting hailed his BetMGM Premier League triumph in Belfast as one of the best wins of his career, after igniting his campaign with a trio of brilliant displays on Thursday evening. Bunting opened his 2026 account in style at the SSE Arena, defeating Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gian van Veen to catapult himself […]
Stephen Bunting hailed his BetMGM Premier League triumph in Belfast as one of the best wins of his career, after igniting his campaign with a trio of brilliant displays on Thursday evening.
Bunting opened his 2026 account in style at the SSE Arena, defeating Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton and Gian van Veen to catapult himself up to fifth in the Premier League table.
The Liverpudlian came into Night Four without a point to his name following a run of three consecutive quarter-final exits, but he was inspired from start to finish in the Northern Irish capital.
Bunting kicked off the evening with a personal-best Premier League average of 106.63 in his 6-4 success against reigning champion Humphries, who also averaged north of 106 in a quality contest.
The former Masters champion then produced another 106+ average to whitewash league leader Clayton, converting 66% of his attempts at double to set up a showdown against Van Veen.
Van Veen ran out a 6-3 winner when the pair met on Night Three in Glasgow, but Bunting avenged that result with another clinical performance, sealing the nightly title with a resounding 6-2 victory.
“I’m overjoyed to be honest, this has got to rank up there with one of the best wins of my career,” reflected Bunting, who conceded just six legs throughout the night.
“It’s been a bit emotional, to get my first win of the campaign and then go on to win the night, but I felt like I played really well.
“When you’re playing against the best players in the world you know you need to perform at your best, and luckily I was able to produce those two 106 averages.
“The atmosphere was just amazing. We talked about how good it was here last year, but this has surpassed it.
“This will live in my memory for a long, long time.
“From the moment I stepped foot on to the stage for my first match, through to the moment I hit the winning double in the final, the fans were all behind me.”
Bunting’s struggles in last year’s Premier League were well-documented, as he suffered eight straight defeats before opening his account on Night Nine in Berlin.
However, the 40-year-old banished any prospect of a repeat in Belfast, which he hopes will provide the catalyst in his bid to progress to Finals Night.
“I learnt a lot from last year. It took me a long while to get that first win, and I’m happy I’ve got that monkey off my back now,” Bunting added.
“I still believe I’m one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in this Premier League; this goes a long way to say why I should be here.
“I know the form is there. I know how good I can be, and thankfully this was my night.”
“One good night brings massive confidence, and we push on to Cardiff next week; I’m really looking forward to that one!”
