Bunting Bounces Back to Claim Players Championship 25 Title

Stephen Bunting produced a superb display to capture his fifth title of 2025 on Tuesday, edging past Jonny Clayton 8-6 in the Players Championship 25 final at Arena MK in Milton Keynes.

Bunting, beaten by Jeffrey de Graaf in Monday’s Players Championship 24 decider, went one better 24 hours later to seal his ninth PDC career crown. The 40-year-old, who had suffered defeat in seven of his previous eight Players Championship finals since the start of 2024, set the record straight with a blistering campaign that saw him average 102.94 across the day.

“I’ve played exceptionally this week,” said Bunting, who also averaged 103.3 in Monday’s run to the final. “I was disappointed not to win yesterday, but to reach two finals and get one title over the line, I’m really happy with that.

“This is the point in the season where everyone wants to be hitting top form. I’m over the moon with how I’ve played over the last two days. I know I need to keep working hard or I’ll get left behind, but right now I’m happy with where my game is heading.”

Path to glory

Bunting’s route to the title began with a nervy 6-5 win over Michele Turetta, but he quickly found his rhythm. In round two he delivered the performance of the day, averaging 111.66 in a 6-2 demolition of Mario Vandenbogaerde.

He maintained that standard with victories over Ritchie Edhouse, Cor Dekker and Wessel Nijman before overcoming William O’Connor 7-6 in a tense semi-final. That set up a showdown with Clayton, who has been one of the ProTour’s most consistent performers in 2025.

The final saw Bunting storm into a 5-1 advantage, punishing a sluggish start from Clayton. The Welshman clawed back three legs in a row to close the gap, but Bunting restored control with a brilliant ten-darter to make it 6-4.

Clayton threatened another comeback in the closing stages, but missed crucial opportunities to level at both 6-6 and 7-7. Bunting held his nerve, sealing victory to claim his fourth Players Championship crown of the season.

Clayton’s fine run continues

Despite falling short, Clayton left Milton Keynes with plenty of positives after another strong showing. The world number six averaged over 100 in three of his matches, opening with a 103 average against Tom Bissell before firing in 110 and 106 in standout wins over Krzysztof Ratajski and Alan Soutar.

He rode his luck in the semi-finals, surviving a match dart against Martin Schindler before nailing a 76 finish to book his place in the final.

Schindler and O’Connor impress

Schindler continued his impressive form with a run to the semi-finals, averaging 101 across the tournament. The German number one began by defeating Monday’s champion de Graaf, before overcoming World Youth Champion Gian van Veen in the last eight.

Ireland’s William O’Connor also enjoyed a superb campaign, reaching the semi-finals to move into the provisional qualification spots for the World Grand Prix. Along the way, he posted averages of 109 and 104 in wins over Keane Barry and Karel Sedlacek.

Sedlacek reached his second quarter-final in as many days, while Alan Soutar and Dutch pair Van Veen and Nijman also made the last eight.

More ProTour highlights

There was a moment of brilliance from Dirk van Duijvenbode, who landed his third nine-darter of the year during his last-32 clash with Daryl Gurney.

Elsewhere, standout averages were recorded throughout the early rounds, adding to another day of high-quality action on the ProTour.

What’s next

Attention now turns to a busy spell in the PDC calendar. The ProTour resumes on September 9-10 in Hildesheim with Players Championships 26 and 27, but before that, the European Tour takes centre stage. The Flanders Darts Trophy (ET10) will be staged in Antwerp, followed by the Czech Darts Open (ET11) in Prague.

Bunting Bounces Back to Claim Players Championship 25 Title

2025 Players Championship 25

Tuesday August 26

Arena MK, Milton Keynes

Last 16

Stephen Bunting 6-2 Cor Dekker

Wessel Nijman 6-2 Rob Cross

William O’Connor 6-2 Keane Barry

Karel Sedlacek 6-5 David Davies

Martin Schindler 6-5 Justin Hood

Gian van Veen 6-3 Cameron Menzies

Alan Soutar 6-4 Daryl Gurney

Jonny Clayton 6-4 Robert Grundy

Quarter-Finals

Stephen Bunting 6-1 Wessel Nijman

William O’Connor 6-3 Karel Sedlacek

Martin Schindler 6-3 Gian van Veen

Jonny Clayton 6-1 Alan Soutar

Semi-Finals

Stephen Bunting 7-6 William O’Connor

Jonny Clayton 7-6 Martin Schindler

Final

Stephen Bunting 8-6 Jonny Clayton

Nine-Darter!

Dirk van Duijvenbode hit a nine-darter in his third round tie against Daryl Gurney.