STEPHEN BUNTING is ready to take on a vital role at Ally Pally next month – acting as the practice partner for both LUKES!

The Bullet, 39, has reached the heights of world darts, a milestone he achieved nearly 11 years ago at Lakeside.

Stephen Bunting is the practice partner for Luke Littler and Luke Humphries

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Stephen Bunting is the practice partner for Luke Littler and Luke HumphriesCredit: Alamy
The two are the favourites to win the World Darts Championship at Ally Pally

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The two are the favourites to win the World Darts Championship at Ally PallyCredit: Alamy

Since moving to the PDC, Bunting hasn’t returned to his prior level of success, but his triumph at the Masters in February has greatly enhanced his confidence and financial situation.

Bunting, a resident of St Helens, hopes to become the fifth player to win both the BDO and PDC world titles.

To prepare for his forthcoming tournament, he plans to hold training sessions with Cheshire-based world No.1 Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, who hails from Warrington.

The two Lukes may potentially meet in the semi-finals of the Worlds, following their exciting final clash last year, which garnered a live audience of 4.8 million on Sky Sports.

Nonetheless, Bunting might change the expected matchups, as he could potentially face Humphries in the quarter-finals and then Littler in the semis.

He commented: “Luke (Humphries) and I talked about practicing together a few months ago.
“The timing is perfect as we’re in close proximity.

“I definitely see us having two or three practice sessions leading up to the Worlds. That should prepare me well.

“Practicing with the top player in the world is ideally suited for me.

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“We also spoke with Luke (Littler). We have a good relationship with his team. I hold a lot of respect for Luke. He’s brought a fresh outlook to the darts world.

“He’s the current topic of conversation. We had a short discussion at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton. Luke has truly broken through the barriers in darts.”

‘Very emotional’ Stephen Bunting tells Sky Sports presenter not to make him cry on live TV after reaching knockout stages

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Bunting – who welcomed his second son just NINE months after his £65,000 Masters victory – approaches the tournament as the No.8 seed in the 96-player field.

His opening match will be against either proud Scotsman Alan Soutar or German qualifier Kai Gotthardt, but he finds himself in the same quarter as Humphries.

The passionate Liverpool supporter expressed: “My performances on TV this year haven’t been outstanding, aside from the Masters win.

“I faced Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson early in major tournaments, and the Grand Slam draw was particularly challenging. So, the draws haven’t been in my favor.

“It would be great to have a successful streak and advance into the deeper matches.

“I thrive in set-play, which is where I’ve claimed most of my titles.

“I’ve had some encouraging runs at Ally Pally in recent years. I feel very confident and eagerly await the event.”

+ Stephen Bunting was sharing this in connection with Darts Free Bets. For additional information, visit free.bets.com/darts/

List of all-time Darts World Champions

BELOW is a list of Darts world champions by year.

The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.

This implies that Raymond van Barneveld is listed only once, despite winning four BDO titles, and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO championships are featured.

  • 1994 – Dennis Priestley
  • 1995 – Phil Taylor
  • 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
  • 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
  • 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
  • 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
  • 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
  • 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
  • 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
  • 2003 – John Part
  • 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
  • 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
  • 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
  • 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
  • 2008 – John Part (2)
  • 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
  • 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
  • 2011 – Adrian Lewis
  • 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
  • 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
  • 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
  • 2015 – Gary Anderson
  • 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
  • 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
  • 2018 – Rob Cross
  • 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
  • 2020 – Peter Wright
  • 2021 – Gerwyn Price
  • 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
  • 2023 – Michael Smith
  • 2024 – Luke Humphries

Most World Titles

  • 14 – Phil Taylor
  • 3 – Michael van Gerwen
  • 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
  • 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries