Stephen Bunting recorded the third nine-dart finish of his career at the Players Championship 11; Adam Hunt also achieved a perfect leg on a night where Alan Soutar won his first PDC title; Darts is back on Sky Sports from June 27 with the World Cup in Frankfurt
Tuesday 11 June 2024 23:35, UK
Stephen Bunting hit a superb nine-dart finish in a stellar performance at the Players Championship 11 in Germany on Tuesday.
The world number 16 produced one of the performances of the day in his opening round win against Robbie Knops, averaging 107.89 and landing a nine-darter in leg two of the contest. Bunting started the second leg with two 180 scores, and rounded it off with a 141 finish.
It was Bunting's third nine-darter on the PDC Tour, after hitting one at a Euro Tour qualifying tournament in 2018 and then at a Players Championship event in 2021, and it helped to carry him to a 6-4 victory
Adam Hunt also achieved a nine-dart finish against a Belgian opponent, firing in a perfect leg of his own in a losing cause against Kim Huybrechts.
Alan Soutar secured his maiden PDC ranking title with a deciding-leg success against Daryl Gurney in Tuesday's Players Championship 11 decider.
Soutar - a firefighter by trade - produced a series of blistering displays in Hildesheim to pocket the £15,000 top prize and become the 11th different winner in as many Players Championship events in 2024.
Following a promising start to his PDC career, Soutar endured a miserable 2023 campaign which left him facing a battle to preserve his Tour Card status over the coming months.
However, the popular Scot reaffirmed his credentials with a landmark victory at Halle 39, crashing in a nerveless 11-darter to deny Gurney in a dramatic last-leg shoot-out in a day where his average never wavered below 93 across the entirety of Tuesday's packed day of play.
"To win a ProTour in this room against 127 other players that I respect so much, it's unbelievable," reflected an ecstatic Soutar.
"This is possibly the best thing I've done in darts, apart from winning the World Cup with Scotland in the WDF system.
"Last year was a disaster for me and I've been in danger of losing my Tour Card, so to produce the darts I have all day, I'm absolutely delighted."
The World Cup of Darts will take place from June 27-30 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.
Wales' Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they'll be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.
Luke Humphries and Michael Smith are in line to represent England but Luke Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked. 'The Nuke' is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.
Fans are able to stream the entire action on NOW TV through their mobile device or table.
Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage - Opening Matches
Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)
Group Stage - Second Matches
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage - Final Matches
Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4
Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
All matches will be played in a doubles format
