Stephen Bunting has opened up on the overwhelming emotions that consumed him after winning the BDO World Championship at Lakeside in 2014, describing the moment as the realisation of a lifetime dream. In his book 'Bulletproof', the Englishman, then 28, detailed the raw scenes that followed his 7-4 victory over Alan Norris in the final.
“I’ve just watched it back. I’m sat here crying my eyes out,” Bunting wrote. “I’d just achieved my lifetime dream. I’d won the BDO World Championship at the Lakeside.” The Liverpudlian recalled how even the smell of fish and chips being served at the back of the venue transports him back to that life-changing night.
Despite the disappointment, Norris embraced his friend and compatriot on stage. “My opponent, Alan Norris, came in for a hug. It was a big hug and we were sweating all over each other. He slapped my back. We were genuine mates and he was in my ear, congratulating me,” Bunting recounted. Even when Norris ruffled his hair, Bunting could not force a smile, admitting: “It was everything I’d ever wanted since I first threw a dart as a young boy. Not the sweaty hug from Alan. Winning the Lakeside.”
After the winning leg, Bunting’s darts lay scattered – one on the floor, another in single 11, and the third perfectly in double 16. He was then guided to the front of the stage to face hundreds of ecstatic fans. “I gave the crowd a double thumbs up, an applause and then I took one of the biggest inhales of breath I’ve ever taken,” he said. “I bent down, giving it the, ‘I’m not worthy’ bow. I still don’t know if I am. I’m just a bloke from Liverpool who likes to throw an arrow.”
The emotions intensified during his BBC interview, with tears streaming down his face. Presenter Rob Walker pointed out the great champions who had graced the same stage, and Bunting broke down again thinking of his baby son Toby and his father, who had stayed in a campervan all week to watch every match. “Rob Walker, the bugger, brought up my dad... I squeezed out, ‘I love you too’ to my dad, and now I was really gone. Crying like a baby. The tears of a champion,” Bunting recalled. Eventually, he composed himself to lift the trophy, declaring: “I’d achieved everything I had ever dreamed of. I was still in my twenties. I still felt like a kid. How could I ever top this?”
