Stephen Bunting has confirmed his once precarious chance of going to the European Championship, taking down an already qualified Cameron Menzies 6-2 at the Dutch Darts Championship to secure his position in Dortmund. 'The Bullet' came into the match with a whole heap of pressure on his shoulders, and he delivered when it mattered most.
The former Masters champion's European Tour form in 2026 has been dreadful by his own standards, reaching just one quarter-final in Poland from 12 appearances. He desperately needed a win against Menzies to relieve the pressure and almost guarantee him a spot in Dortmund. An 82 checkout got him on the board before a doubling disaster by Menzies allowed him to seal the first break of the match. It would get better as he sprinted into a 4-1 advantage, and although a staggering 150 checkout by 'Cammy' showed the class he had on the oche — if sporadic at times — that double break was soon restored as Bunting moved one from the win. Tops was pinned at the first time of asking, and with that came a huge sigh of relief.
The win put Bunting at £38,000, surpassing Karel Sedlacek to move into 31st, and with Sebastian Bialecki and Michael Smith losing, it was good enough to get him a spot in Dortmund. He kept his cool and produced a winning performance at the right time. A 92.7 average was not at his best, but a 60% checkout rate was important en route to victory. Menzies, who averaged just over 80, did not pose the threat he could have.
Bunting was gleaming in delight with the result, with a bold move ahead of the tournament paying dividends. "There's a lot of demons inside here, obviously, going to the new darts," he said after the victory. "People doubt me, but I know what these do on the practice board. I know how good I can be." He admitted the pressure had weighed heavily on him: "For the last few weeks, I have been nervous. Obviously, needing to win is a lot more difficult than coming here and expecting to win. But, yeah, thankfully, we had a wonderful crowd tonight. Thank you very much for all turning up, and hopefully this pushes me on to Dortmund next week."
Bunting also revealed he had been closely watching the action over the past couple of days to see how his rivals were performing. "Of course I was. I had seven different darts shirts on yesterday," he joked. "No, you can never cheer against all your friends, and what will be, will be. If I didn't get into Dortmund, then it's not about this week; it's about the season as a whole. I'm just glad that I dug deep there. I found crucial finishes at the right time. Obviously, Cammy was off; he had a lot of bounce-outs as well, which helped." Dortmund may now be off his mind, but there is still a tournament to win. "I'm happy that I won that game. On to tomorrow now, and obviously I need to play better tomorrow to win."
