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Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to move into the second round of the prestigious tournament on the opening weekend.

The Merseysider, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a final-set shootout by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.

An Eventful Match

Bunting made a flying start, averaging an incredible 119.4 en route to powering through the opening set. The win appeared certain after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.

However, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he won just one leg over the next two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting found his rhythm in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before taking it 4-2.

“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the feelings,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to get away with that one.”

Kumar Secures Landmark Victory

Bunting's next opponent will be 'The Royal Bengal', who achieved a first by becoming the first Indian winner at the event. He defeated the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling contest.

The veteran player, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round appearances, suggested this landmark win could have “opened the floodgates to a billion” darts players from India.

“I don’t know right now. I’m overwhelmed, I’m delighted,” Kumar stated. “If you dream it, anything is possible. This was my dream ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He added with a humorous prediction: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, don’t blame me.”

Additional First-Round Results

• Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
• Jonny Tata: Another debutant, from New Zealand, ended the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
• Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 scoreline.
• Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
• Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.