MOV-TING MOMENT
‘Very emotional’ Stephen Bunting tells Sky Sports host not to make him cry on live TV after reaching knockout stages
Bunting faces a huge task in the next round as he prepares to come up against a two-time world champion
STEPHEN BUNTING admitted the crowd made him "emotional" as he booked his spot in the Grand Slam of Darts knockout stages.
The 39-year-old beat Josh Rock 5-2 to seal second place in Group H as he averaged an impressive 106.66.
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Bunting, who reached the semi-finals of the Wolverhampton tournament last year, is a fan-favourite among avid darts fans.
His win over Rock was a popular one inside the Aldersley Leisure Village as he moves on to face two-time world champion Gary Anderson.
And The Bullet revealed after the match that he had to tell pundit Mark Webster not to make him cry live on air.
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Speaking to , Bunting said: "Listen to this crowd. How can you not win in front of them? It's unbelievable.
"As soon as I got out on stage tonight you could hear them singing, 'Let's go Bunting mental'.
"It's very emotional to be honest, I'm an emotional guy so I had to check myself back to make sure I wouldn't cry.
"I even had to say to Mark Webster: 'Don't say anything so I cry on Sky again!'
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"The crowd is exceptional, and wherever I'm playing now I've got my own sets of fans.
"They talk about it in football having a 12th man, and it's even more important for a player up on the stage. It's only you who can bring the performance out.
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"Sometimes when things aren't going well a couple of cheers from the crowd can gee you right up and that's what happened tonight, I raised off the crowd."
Bunting's Masters victory earlier this year has given him a new-found confidence heading into the biggest tournaments.
And while he will face Scottish legend Anderson next in the Grand Slam of Darts, the Liverpool-born cult hero has no fear.
On how he has changed since his Masters win, Bunting said: "I think the main thing is belief.
"I believe that when I turn up now, I can win games. I'm walking up here and I'm confident again. That makes me dangerous and long may that continue.
"My game's in a great place. I love playing on the TV. I love playing in front of these great crowds, and, long may it continue. I think I've got quite a few years ahead of me."
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