Quarter Finals
Stephen Bunting continued his run of not dropping a set as he overcame
Remco van Eijden 3-0 with an impressive average that was in the high
90s. ‘The Bullet’ was showing no signs of pressure as his title defence
picked up pace, and he left his opponent struggling for shots at double
with an impressive display of scoring.
James Wilson ensured that it would be the top two seeds in the final
as he overcame former finalist Robbie Green 6-3. The match was level
at 3-3 during the early stages, but it was Wilson who found top gear,
kicking on to claim the last three sets, preventing Green from reaching
a second major final in the process.
Final
Darryl Fitton too produced an impressive display as he ended the
excellent run of qualifier Danny Noppert with a 3-1 victory to set up
a semi-final clash with Bunting, meanwhile Robbie Green produced an
impressive 3-1 victory over current World Champion Scott Waites to
book his place in the semi-finals.
From the outset Bunting had the better of the final, he landed a string
of 100+ finishes and found himself 5-0 up with a near 100 average.
Wilson never gave in however and it took even more great finishing from
Bunting to prevent the Yorkshireman from securing a set, the highlight
of his performance being a 132 checkout with bull, bull double sixteen.
The semi-final line-up was completed by James Wilson, although the
second seed found his match tough going, in the end needing a deciding
set to overcome former Lakeside semi-finalist Jan Dekker.
The 7-0 victory ensured that Bunting retained his crown without
dropping a set, the first man ever to win the World Masters in such a
fashion.
Semi-Finals
Stephen
Bunting’s
flawless
performance continued into the semifinals, with a much longer format
many would have expected him to at
least drop a few sets, but it wasn’t to
be for his opponent Darryl Fitton, who
had some chances but in the end was
unable to even claim a solitary set as
Bunting ran out a 6-0 winner.
Bunting also becomes only the fourth man to retain the title after Martin
Adams, Bob Anderson and five-time World Champion Eric Bristow.
First Round
Wesley Harms 3-0 David Neads
Ross Montgomery 3-1 Mark Layton
Stephen Bunting 3-0 John Michael
Scott Waites 3-1 Pip Blackwell
Remco van Eijden 3-1 Ron Meulenkamp
Andy Chalmers 3-1 Tony O’Shea
Glen Durrant 3-1 Daniel Larsson
Robbie Green 3-1 Rick Hofstra
Dennis Nilsson 3-2 Martin Atkins
Jan Dekker 3-2 Tony Eccles
Danny Noppert 3-0 Jeff