Merseyside darts star Stephen Bunting will clash with league leader Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals of Night 12 of the BetMGM Premier League.
The Professional Darts Corporation has arrived in Liverpool and will begin at 19:10 tomorrow (Thursday April 23rd) at the M&S Bank Arena.
A chase for the play-offs
Bunting received a lot of criticism from fans following his inconsistent form since the beginning of the season.
Some fans have questioned his inclusion in the Premier League this year.
But following a difficult start to the season, Bunting found form and silenced fans by winning Night 4 in Belfast where he beat Clayton 6-0 in the semi-finals.
He currently sits seventh in the league table with 11 points, five points off the play-offs and three points off Josh Rock who sits bottom.
A trophy on home-soil means Bunting will have to beat league leader Jonny Clayton, an opponent he’s fallen to twice in their last three head-to-heads in the Premier League this year.
A win for Bunting could see him face either Gian Van Veen or Gerwyn Price in the semis before a potential match-up with Luke Littler in the final.
Littler’s “controversial” season so far
The classic “clash of titans” is set between Merseyside’s own and world number one Littler and world number two Luke Humphries.
Despite three nights won, Littler’s season has been full of up and downs with fans questioning his attitude following a clash on stage with Gian Van Veen.
Warrington-based “The Nuke” has exited the quarter-finals twice in the last three weeks, losing 6-5 to Gian Van Veen in Night 9 and 6-4 to Bunting in Night 10.
But he bounced back from a difficult few weeks by reaching the final in Rotterdam last week, where he fell short 6-4 to Clayton.
Clayton praised Littler’s attitude as he told Sky Sports that Littler wasn’t fazed by the boos in Rotterdam.
He said: “He’s got everything that every other player wishes for. He’s got that attitude, he’s got the throw, he’s got the mentality.
“He’s got everything.
“What a player and to beat him, I’ve done my job.”
Bunting needs to pick up points if he hopes to make it to the play-offs at the O2 in London while a strong performance from Littler could see him dethrone Clayton to go top of the table.
(Featured image under agreed Alamy Licence)
