Exclusive Stephen Bunting Interview

Stephen Bunting

Nickname: The Bullet

Born: 9th April 1985

Hometown: St Helens, Merseyside, England

Darts: Target Bullet Darts 12 Grams

Major Title Wins: BDO World Championship 2014

Current PDC Ranking: 19

Declan McCormick: Hello Stephen, firstly thanks for giving up your time to answer a few questions. You have been playing well since joining The PDC at the beginning of 2014. Have you got any targets on where you would like to be in the Order of Merit come the end of the year?

Stephen Bunting: I want to be ranked as high as possible, my target is to break into the top 16 by the end of the year and I believe that is very achievable. 

Declan: You have recently changed back to your old set up that helped you win the BDO World Championship. Do you feel you can win a major in the PDC with these darts?

Stephen: I believe so. The target Gen 2 darts are amazing but I felt I was not as consistent and my confidence was not as high with them. I won the lakeside with the darts I am throwing now so there is a lot of confidence with those ones. I believe these darts will help me win many majors. 

Declan: The World Series was a great event that is spreading the word of darts around the globe. How did find the experience?

Stephen: It was amazing. Playing in countries I could never have dreamed of going to was surreal. The atmosphere in all the World Series events was epic and I can't wait for the finals in Glasgow. 

Declan: You have enjoyed many memorable moments during your career, including winning the BDO World Championship, but what is your proudest achievement to date?

Stephen: My proudest achievement has to be winning the lakeside. I had several attempts to try and win the title and fortunate for me I eventually won it. I must say being involved in the premier league and the experience that came with that has to be a close second. 

Declan: St Helens has produced a lot of top darts players over the years including yourself and Dave Chisnall. Is there a reason why so many from St Helens become professional?

Stephen: I don't think so. There is a lot of great players in St. Helens but just like Stoke. St Helens isn't the biggest town but there is a great darting interest and a lot of pub teams in the town. I think there must be something in the water. 

Declan: Finally, if you could pick any player to be your doubles partner who would it be?

Stephen: I would have to say Dave Chisnall. He is a close friend and also one of the best dart players in the world.

Exclusive Simon Whitlock Interview

Simon Whitlock

Nickname: The Wizard
Born: 3rd March 1969
Nationality: Australian
Darts Weight: 22 Grams
Major Title Wins: 2012 European Championship
Best World Championship Finish: Runner-Up
Current PDC Ranking: 11



Declan McCormick: Hello Simon, thanks for giving up your time to answer a few of these questions. Your form has been good this year, do you feel like you are returning to your excellent best that we all saw when you moved to the UK?

Simon Whitlock: I think I could’ve done better this year but I’m getting there. I have changed a few things with my set up and I always knew that it might be a case of taking a step back before I can move forward. I feel like I’m on that upward curve now though and I’m looking forward to the rest of the seasons.

Declan: We are approaching the final string of tournaments in a busy few months leading up to the World Championships, what targets have you set for the remainder of 2015?

Simon: I haven’t really set any specific targets in terms of results this year. I just want to keep improving and get back to where I was a couple of years ago and I believe that if I keep doing what I’m doing then I can be even better.

Declan: You have changed your darts on several ocassions over the past few years, are you confident in your current setup and do you plan on keeping it the same for the foreseeable future?

Simon: I knew I had to make a change and I will be sticking by it. I just need to keep playing to get used to the new set up so I plan to keep it as it is as I know I can play a lot better with more practice.

Declan: The World Series was a fantastic event to watch and it is putting darts on a global map. How does it feel to play in front of your home fans who see you as their darting hero?

Simon: I really enjoyed playing in the World Series. It is always great to go back to Australia. The game there is in good shape and is getting even better. I always get a good reception in most places luckily, but I always get goosebumps in my walk-ons in Australia.

Declan: You have had some memorable experiences since you burst onto the PDC scene in 2010 most notably being runner up in the World Championships when being unseeded and registering a 9-darter in the Premier League, but what has been your proudest moment so far?

Simon: I think the nine-darter in the Premier League has to be up there and I am proud to have reached the World Championship final but my proudest moment is definitely winning the European Championship in 2012. Not that many players win majors in the modern age of darts with so many good players around so I’m so pleased to have achieved that.

Declan: Thanks for your time Simon and good luck for the rest of the year.

Red Dragon Inferno 24 Gram Darts Review

After 2 years of using my beloved Robert Thornton darts, I have finally found a dart that is worthy enough to take their place, the Red Dragon Inferno 24 Gram. It is approaching a big day in my short/non existent career so far, this Friday 18th September 2015, I will be participating in my first ever competitive match down in the local pub and I will be armed with the highest quality of tungsten about. It is testament to these darts that I will be using them on my début despite only picking them up for the first time 2 weeks ago, a decision that wasn't easy but I am confident that it's the right one.

Some basic information about the Inferno Darts:
Weight- 24 Grams
Tungsten- 90% Tungsten alloy
Dimensions- 6.5mm x 50.8mm
Thread- 2BA
Weight Distribution- Centre
Barrel Profile- Parallel
Front Profile- Round
Grip Type- Dual grooves
Grip Zone- Full length

What you get:
Darts- x3 Darts per set
Flights- x1 Set Hardcore Black Standard
             x1 Set Hardcore Orange Standard
Shafts- x1 Set aluminium medium orange Red Dragon printed
Wallet- x1 Leather Red Dragon Wallet

First of all, I'm no Gok Wan, but the black and orange throughout these darts works a treat and it certainly caught my eye whilst scrolling through Red Dragon's new 2015 range and 2 days after placing my order they were in my hand and they didn't disappoint. The orange stems and flights along with the barrel will make sure that you have the nicest looking darts down at the pub.

The dual grooves grip on the Inferno darts remind me of both World Champion Gary Anderson and 'The Machine' James Wade's darts, the only difference being that they are finished off with PDV black effect surface finish, giving them that extra bit of grip that may prove the difference between scoring 85 or 100. I would rate the grip at about 3/5 (1= smooth, 5= aggressive) which I think is just about right, enough to avoid slips and not so much that it catches on your fingers upon release. For the first time ever, I have kept the original stems that are provided with the darts as the extra length seems to work, but it is up to the individual to decide whether to change the stem size.

The Inferno's are ideal for any player that is looking for a long and thin dart at a very reasonable price. The grip intensity is perfect thanks to the black coating and the sleek look has completely won me over. The Thornton darts have been put away in a safe place, maybe not forever, but for the foreseeable future and I will keep you all updated about my upcoming match via my Twitter account, fingers crossed that the Infernos can do the trick!

Perth Masters Preview

The World Series 8 have arrived in Australia for the annual Perth Masters event and they are joined by some Aussie challengers who won't let them have it all their own way.

The draw has thrown up some interesting first round matches including Raymond van Barneveld vs Simon Whitlock and Stephen Bunting vs Kyle Anderson, but it is the 2nd round that is more appealing with a potential Adrian Lewis vs Gary Anderson match-up along with other potential epic encounters. Below I will provide some predictions of the first round matches and the overall winner:

Stephen Bunting vs Kyle Anderson

The first round match that immediately caught my eye was Stephen Bunting vs Kyle Anderson. I think 'The Bullet' was very unlucky with this draw as I see Anderson as the best of the Australian challengers. His rise in the PDC over the past 18 months has been incredible, and if you have read my blog recently you would know that I am a big fan of his. His qualification for the World Matchplay in July was a great achievement in itself, but to nearly get the better of eventual finalist James Wade in the first round was very impressive. He lost the match 10-7 with a 99 average, but that doesn't tell half of the story as he had 'The Machine's' back against the ropes at 7-7 but lost his way for the last 3 legs, a good performance no the less. Then Wade went on to make the final beating World Matchplay specialist Phil Taylor along the way so this just shows just how well both Anderson and Wade were playing.
Stephen Bunting is also another player who has been progressing well since he joined the PDC and has justified his invites to events in the past year with a good performance in the Premier League along with a run to the Final of the Sydney Masters last year, so he will have good memories of playing in Australia. The World Matchplay didn't go as planned for 'The Bullet' as he lost 10-6 to Ian White but he was not disgraced with a 101.62 average and he would probably get the title of most unlucky first round loser. His form has been a bit patchy lately, but when he pulls it together in the big matches he can beat anyone which he has shown in the past with wins against Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis and James Wade along with many more in the last past 9 months.

The best of 11 legs format shouldn't trouble either player as both have played this length of match for the majority of their careers. They have met 5 times in the past with 'The Bullet' winning 4 of the matches, although interestingly the last 4 meetings between the pair has went to a last leg decider. This could be another very tight match but due to his inconsistency lately I think Bunting could be the first seeded casualty of the weekend with Anderson marching onto the 2nd round.

Match Prediction: Kyle Anderson 6-5 Stephen Bunting

Raymond van Barneveld vs Simon Whitlock

Things just don't seem to be going Barney's way. He hasn't been at his best lately, most notably during a 10-7 loss to Andy Hamilton at the World Matchplay where the big Dutchman averaged a measly 89.8. He would have been hoping for a nice draw here to virtually guarantee a 2nd round match against one of the big guns to hopefully give him a confidence boost, but sadly it hasn't worked out that way. He has drawn World Number 10 Simon Whitlock, who recently broke his year long TV Major duck by beating the fancied Jelle Klaasen in the first round of the World Matchplay, not exactly good timing for Mr Barneveld but perfect for 'The Wizard' returning to his home country. This is another hard match to call, I would love to say van Barneveld should progress, but in my opinion Simon Whitlock will be really up for this and will want to win a match on home soil and to avoid letting the crowd down, who will no doubt be singing their lungs out for their fellow countryman which could only enhance his chances. The form book goes completely out the window, but due to home advantage and confidence I will be swaying towards 'The Wizard'.

Simon Whitlock 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld


Outright Winner

The usual suspects have obvious claims. World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen is fresh off the back of World Matchplay glory, Phil Taylor is the defending champion of the Perth Masters and of course World Champion Gary Anderson is the man on form, but despite these challengers, my prediction for the player to be victorious overall is World Number 4 Peter Wright. He has drawn Paul Nicholson who is slowly dropping down the rankings and hasn't found any form at all in the last 12 months, so that should be relatively routine for 'Snakebite' if he were to win then it would most likely set up a 2nd round clash with James Wade, a tough task, but one I think the Scotsman can win due to his recent form being so good. He had a great week in Blackpool where he reached the Semi Finals losing to eventual winner and World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen but he beat Kim Huybrechts, Andrew Gilding and Gerwen Price very nicely along the way. He is due to win a big tournament soon, he can't keep playing this well without winning something and think his time is now.
I am also going to give Kyle Anderson a shout. He has been so impressive recently that I could see him having a good run soon, although if he wins his 1st round match he will most likely be facing defending champion Phil Taylor in the 2nd round, an almost impossible task, but with the crowd firmly on his side you never know what can happen.

Prediction: Peter Wright
                  Kyle Anderson each way

Gerwyn Price 24 Gram Darts Review

With my game not improving as much as I would like, I thought it was time to acquire a lighter set of darts to see if it would make a difference to my overall average. I searched online for the best 24 gram darts I could find (2 grams lighter than my usual arrows) and I stumbled upon a set of Gerwyn Price's darts. With 'The Iceman' being fresh off the back of a great World Matchplay run where he reached the Quarter Finals beating both Michael Smith and Adrian Lewis along the way, I thought 'why not' and went ahead with this set. Here is what I thought of them:

What You Get:
- x3 darts per set ( 24 grams)
- x1 set of White Hardcore Extra Thick Flights
- x1 set of Team Red Dragon Poly Metronic Standard Flights
- x1 set of aluminium short Razor Edge blue & silver
- x1 set of aluminium medium black Red Dragon laser etched
- x1 Leather Red Dragon wallet
- 1 year Guarantee Card

Darts Specification
- 85% Tungsten Alloy
- Dimensions: 6.8mm x 50.8mm
- Thread: 2BA


Red Dragon's efficiency was evident as usual with the darts arriving to my door in 2 working days and it was straight to the practice board. After just a few minutes of throwing I knew something wasn't right and I quickly worked out that the extra short stems were the problem, but a quick change to the longer set provided in the wallet corrected this instantly. The set up of short stems clearly works for Gerwyn himself, so its down to the individual's style of throw to determine which would suit them better but it's definitely worth experimenting with.

When I first saw the darts, I was impressed with how good they looked. They didn't exactly catch my eye during The World Matchplay on television, but when they are actually in your hand they really are spectacular looking darts and the grip towards the back of the barrel has a nice zig-zag design, which resembles ice, a clever touch from Red Dragon.

Behind the ice design towards the back of the barrel, there are two rings of sharp grip and another 4 of these rings towards the front, this is the reason Red Dragon give the darts a grip rating of 4 (1=Smooth and 5=Aggressive), just perfect in my opinion .The darts are weighted towards the centre of the dart and rounded at the front and the surface is finished off with a polished look.

I decided then to put these darts to the test. I played 5 legs of darts with my standard darts (Robert Thornton's 26 Grams) then 5 legs with my new sets of tungsten. After the first session I managed a relatively normal 51 average with 5/16 checkout rate. The second session where I used the Gerwyn Price darts produced a 54 average and exactly the same checkout rate 5/16, not a massive improvement but definitely a step in the right direction. This evidence was enough to encourage me to use them more and I have now been practising with these arrows for the last week.

Overall I think the Gerwyn Price darts are very nice without too many complex details which means that it wouldn't be a risk to buy these darts. They have improved my game slowly, but slow progress is better than no progress so I would recommend them to anyone looking for a new dart.

World Matchplay Quarter Finals Preview (Friday 24th July)

Phil Taylor vs Dave Chisnall

Phil Taylor has triumphed at the World Matchplay 15 times since its inaugural edition back in 1994. and 'The Power' has also lifted the trophy for the past 7 years on the bounce, the last time he lost was way back in 2007 against Terry Jenkins, only the sixth time he has lost on the Blackpool stage.
Taylor started the tournament 2nd favourite only behind World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen who is chasing his first ever World Matchplay title. 'The Power' began this campaign with an impressive 10-4 win over John Henderson then he followed this performance up with a 13-6 win over Andy Hamilton with an average of 99.37, a typical early round display from Taylor and you can be assured he will rise his standard for the upcoming rounds.

Dave Chisnall looked a bit out of sorts in his latest match against young star Keegan Brown, we know that 'Chizzy' is always liable to snatch a few of his darts during his matches, but on this occasion his arm seemed very tight and there was more snatching going on than usual. He still managed to squeeze through that match 13-11 with a 96 average, but I would think that the St Helens man will have fixed this problem when he plays the 16 time World Champion.

This match has 180s written all over it. 'Chizzy' is a maximum scoring machine and Phil Taylor is...well...Phil Taylor. There is also a good chance that there will be some 2 treble checkouts and it wouldn't surprise me if we seen a 170 checkout from these two top players.

The pair know each other very well as they have met 25 times in the past but its Phil Taylor who leads this particular statistic 18-7. The last time they met was back in May during a Pro Tour event in Barnsley and Chizzy won this bout 6-5.

Taylor is a deserved favourite for this match due to his nack for winnning over a long format which requires an extreme amount of concentration over a prolonged period of tme but, Chisnall will push him all the way. I honestly can't see Taylor wiping the floor of 'Chizzy' and don't be surprised if the unthinkable happens, Taylor losing.

Match Prediction: Phil Taylor 16-13 Dave Chisnall
                          Phil Taylor over 7.5 180s

James Wade vs Mensur Suljovic 

First things first, I am a Suljovic fan. He has beat every person on the tour before and is quite possibly, along with Justin Pipe, the most frustrating player in the world to play against. He has a slow throw which is bad enough, but he also loves letting his feelings be known with a slow walk to the board while throwing his arms about and most annoying thing is how long he takes before a double to compose himself, but I love it! Known as 'The Gentle', Mensur gives the best players about such a hard time, not to mention his double 14 hitting is very good. He doesn't allow them to walk up to the oche, reel of 6 legs, then walk off, he makes them really work for their wins. His form of late has been good, in 2015 he has reached 6 Quarter Finals and reached a Semi Final on the Pro Tour, but the most impressive form has been that of the past week. His first round match was against Terry Jenkins where he averaged just shy of 90 and despite this low average, he was able to get the job done against an experienced veteran. The 2nd round seen him up against the World Champion and triple-crown chasing Gary Anderson. Nobody gave the Austrian a chance, but he pulled off the biggest upset of recent times by winning 13-9 with a 95 average to progress.

James Wade, the last man to win this event that isn't Phil Taylor, can be described in one word. Efficient. It sums up his game perfectly and is why he is nicknamed 'The Machine' as he gets the job done without many 180s or much jumping around the stage. He is quite possibly the best player in the world at checking out anything between 100 and 130 and his double 20 and double 10 hitting is impeccable. His first round match was against Australian Kyle Anderson where Wade was looking a bit shaky at times, but that was due to the brilliance of Anderson. It took a 103 average to win the match 10-7 and set up a 2nd round match with Brendan Dolan which he won comfortably 13-8.

Wade showed that he is capable of dealing with slow and awkward players when he beat Dolan in the last round and to be honest, Wade isn't the quickest player either. He is very methodical with his play and doesn't rely on rhythm so Sujovic's style shouldn't annoy 'The Machine' at all, but on the other hand, I could see Mensur's being rattled by some big checkouts by Wade and this could effect his game. I don't expect a walkover, but with regret, I must say that I think this is the end of the road for Mensur Suljovic.

Match Prediction: James Wade 16-9 Mensur Suljovic
                           Under 10.5 match 180s
                           Wade Highest Checkout over 125.5

World Matchplay Quarter Final Predictions (Thursday 23rd July)

Michael van Gerwen vs Ian White

Prior to this years World Matchplay Ian 'Diamond' White has been on fine form in Pro Tour events on the floor. This year he has reached 3 Finals, 3 Semi-Finals and 2 Quarter Finals, considering that each of these floor events contain 128 of the World's finest players, this is an incredible achievement and because of this he has shot up the PDC Order of Merit and is now ranked number 9 in the world.
The World Matchplay draw wasn't very nice to White as he drew former BDO World Champion and rising star Stephen Bunting. This was anticipated as being one of the closest matches of the first round, although 'Diamond' White came through the match pretty comfortably 10-6 with a 103 average and 38% on the checkouts setting up a second round tie with Simon Whitlock. The Australian Whitlock demolished an under-par Jelle Klaasen in the first round and looked like he was back to his best form although Ian White wasn't about to lie down and let Simon walk over him into the Quarters. White averaged 97 in a 13-9 win and showed tenacity and calmness when he came back from a break of throw down to win rather comfortably.

MvG needs no introduction, he is World Number 1, former World Champion and on ridiculous form this year. Since the turn of the year, the Dutchman has won 12 events and reached numerous Finals and Semi-Finals beating all the the top players in the progress. He is deservedly the favourite to lift the trophy in Blackpool on Sunday.
Up until this round, van Gerwen has had it all his own way and has only dropped 6 legs in the first 2 rounds and in the 2nd round he clocked the 4th highest average in World Matchplay history when he averaged 110.93 against a rattled Jamie Lewis, although, he was so far ahead in this match that there was no pressure on him and could have contributed to the power scoring. If someone gives MvG a tough match, I don't think we will be seeing averages as high as that.

Van Gerwen leads the head-to-head between the pair 7-2 and has won the last 6 on the bounce. The last time these 2 met was at Blackpool nearly exactly a year ago, 'Mighty Mike' won that 13-4.

This years edition of the World Matchplay has thrown up numerous shock results, but I cant see this one leaving your jaw on the floor. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure that Ian White will give the World Number 1 a good game, but the Dutchman should continue the pursuit of his first Matchplay title into the Semi-Finals.

My Prediction for the match: MvG 16-9 White
                                          Over 15.5 180s


Peter Wright vs Gerwyn Price

If this match was in the first round you would not hesitate in saying Peter Wright would win hands down, but after recent events I don't think it will be as easy. 'Snakebite' Wright was the most impressive first round winner when he beat Kim Huybrechts 10-5 with a 108 average despite yet another change of darts. He can't seem to find the perfect dart but when he finds his range, he is up there with the best players in the world. His 2nd round match against Andrew Gilding wasn't so impressive. He started very slowly as did Gilding but eventually he picked his game up and won 13-7 with a 95 average, but the Scotsman clearly looked annoyed with his performance throughout the match. This shows how high the standard he sets for himself is, he averages 95 and wins comfortably, yet he is still not satisfied.

Gerwyn Price won his first round match against an out of sorts Michael Smith, who many people expected to have a long run this week, and he done it in good style. This is his debut year in the World Matchplay and he claimed he didn't know if he could win under a long format on the big stage, but he seems to be thriving off it. Price then pulled off undoubtedly the biggest shock of the tournament so far when he beat number 4 seed Adrian Lewis 13-10 in the 2nd round with an outstanding performance and an average of 97.88. The Welshman made a switch between playing rugby to darts and it is proving to be a successful one, this could be due to him having a sportsman's attitude, hardwork and dedication. He also possesses a lot of bottle when it comes to finishing matches off and not panicking when it's not going his way, he has the potential to be a real star of the future.

The pair have met on only 1 occasion and that was in the World Championship first round back in December where Peter Wright won 3-0, but I am sure Price will give him a hard match this time round. In my opinion, Price's legs total will be in double figures and he will give 'Snakebite' Wright a fright.

Prediction: Peter Wright 16-13 Gerwyn Price
                Gerwyn Price +3.5 legs