Taylor Lanning/PDC

Stephen Bunting’s incredible stat: Seven wins, seven nationalities at Players Championship 25

Originally posted on Dartsnews.com | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Stephen Bunting picked up his second Players Championship title of the season in Milton Keynes — but it was the way he did it that caught the eye. Across his seven victories on the day, The Bullet faced opponents from seven different countries, dispatching them all to take the PC25 crown.

It all began with a scare. In round one Bunting was pushed all the way by Italy’s Michele Turetta, scraping through 6–5. From there the Liverpudlian set about building momentum, sweeping past Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde 6–2 and England’s Ritchie Edhouse 6–3 to reach the last 16.

That’s where the averages started to climb. Against Dutch-Norwegian youngster Cor Dekker, Bunting produced a 106.21 average in a 6–2 win. He followed it up with another ton-plus performance, easing past Dutchman Wessel Nijman 6–1 in the quarter-finals.

The semi-final brought yet another nationality to the list, as Ireland’s William O’Connor forced Bunting into a deciding leg thriller. Bunting’s composure held, and his 7–6 win set up a final showdown with Wales’ Jonny Clayton. A composed 8–6 victory gave him the title — and completed a run of opponents from Italy, Belgium, England, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland and Wales.

Five of seven matches a 100+ average

Remarkably, five of those seven wins came with averages over the 100 mark, underlining how well Bunting is scoring at present. Added to his World Series triumphs in Bahrain and the Nordics earlier this year, plus another Players Championship success back in the spring, it’s becoming a season to remember for the former Lakeside champion.

The ProTour now takes a short break before returning in Hildesheim on 9 September for PC26. Bunting, already qualified for the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam (12–14 September), will sit out today’s qualifier in Milton Keynes with his place long since secured.

En route to winning Players Championship #25 Stephen Bunting has beaten players from 7 different countries.

Jonny Clayton
William O’Connor
Wessel Nijman
Cor Dekker
Ritchie Edhouse
Mario Vandenbogaerde
Michele Turetta
— TheRedBit (@TheRedBit180) August 26, 2025