Photo: Mike Glover/UK Darts Magazine
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Qualifier 2
Qualifier 3
Stephen Bunting had fallen victim to Michael van
Gerwen in the last 128 when he made his PDC debut
in Qualifier 1, but it didn’t take the St Helens-based
thrower long to find his feet after making the switch.
Indeed the BDO World Champion claimed victory in
only his second tournament.
Phil Taylor built on his success from Qualifier 2 as he
went on to secure a first tournament victory with
his new Target darts. The Power wrapped up a 6-2
final victory over Adrian Lewis with the second of
two nine-darters that he produced on the day, whilst
Dave Pallett also landed a perfect leg, taking the
tally to six for the weekend.
Bunting has now secured his spot in the UK Open
thanks to the £10,000 in prize money that he claimed
after landing a 161 checkout to defeat Andrew
Gilding in the deciding leg of a tense final.
The Winmau World Master also claimed victory over
Steve Beaton, Terry Jenkins and Paul Nicholson on
his route to the final, no doubt the first of many for
a player who is one of the most high profile to make
the switch in recent years.
The day was a much better one for Phil Taylor, who )