Josh Rock's Premier League Debut and Bunting's Praise
Stephen Bunting, the Belfast Premier League winner, has expressed confidence in Northern Ireland's Josh Rock, who achieved a nine-dart finish during the Premier League, stating that Rock has the potential to become a world champion in the future.
Bunting secured victory over Dutch player Gian Van Veen in the final of the fourth night of this year's Premier League series. Despite Bunting's win, much attention was drawn to Rock, a County Antrim native, who delivered a perfect leg in a quarter-final match, although he was defeated in front of his home crowd.
While Bunting earned his first points of the campaign with this success, Rock remains at the bottom of the table among the elite eight competitors, yet to claim any points.
"Josh is such a fantastic player, I've been practicing with him over the past few weeks, and his time will come," Bunting said during the post-event media conference.
"He is one of the best players in the world. People need to get off his back. He was up against the ropes tonight and he pulled out a nine-darter, from nowhere. That shows how good he is.
"I honestly believe that if he knuckles down and keeps doing what he's doing it'll only be a matter of time before he wins a world championship."
At 24 years old, Rock's consistent performances throughout the season have elevated him in the world rankings and earned him his first Premier League appearance this year.
"His averages, his scoring, his finishing, he's got the whole package, and he's such a young lad as well, so grounded, works really hard, he's got a lovely family," added Bunting, a former BDO world champion.
"He'll definitely not finish this Premier League with no points anyhow, I can guarantee that.
"He's a fantastic player, he's a great friend of mine, and I wish him nothing but success."
'Special feeling' as Rock hits Belfast nine-darter
Bunting silences critics with win in Belfast
'Happy to have the monkey off my back'
Stephen Bunting celebrated on the SSE Arena stage after securing his first victory in the 2025 Premier League season, ending a nine-week wait for points.
The Liverpudlian defeated Luke Humphries 6-4 in the quarter-finals in Belfast, followed by a 6-0 whitewash against Night Three winner Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals, and ultimately overcame Gian Van Veen 6-2 in the final.
"I took a lot of experience out of last year when it took me a long time to get that first win. I'm happy to have the monkey off my back now.
"I felt like I was playing really well. The first two games obviously went the way I wanted them to go and then to just get over the line, it doesn't matter about the performance in the final.
"It took that pressure off [beating Luke Humphries in the quarter-final]. I knew the form was there, and how good I can be. I knew it was going to turn, it was just a matter of when."
The 40-year-old also praised the atmosphere created by the crowd at Belfast's SSE Arena.
"What an atmosphere it was from the moment I set foot on stage for my first match through to hitting the winning double in the final, they [the crowd] were right behind me.
"This is going to live in my memory for a long time. I can't just go out and play darts without that crowd behind me.
"It's a special feeling and this is what we live for. I still feel I've quite a few good years ahead of me. I'm still only 40 so let's see where that takes me."
