Bunting Secures Swiss Darts Trophy Title with Dominant Final Display

Stephen Bunting capped off a superb weekend in Basel by clinching his second European Tour title of the year, producing a clinical 8–3 victory over Luke Woodhouse in Sunday night’s Swiss Darts Trophy final.

The world number four continued his exceptional 2025 form to collect a sixth PDC title of the season. In a high-quality contest, Bunting averaged just under 104 and maintained control throughout, denying Woodhouse in what was his first appearance in a European Tour final.

The match began with a brief moment of tension for the eventual champion as he missed six darts at a double in the opening leg. But once he found his rhythm, Bunting was relentless. He strung together three successive legs to open up a 3–1 advantage, with Woodhouse stopping the run with a steady hold on double nine.

Any hopes of a fightback were quickly extinguished, however, as Bunting responded with an 11-darter that set the tone for the remainder of the match. From that point on, the Liverpudlian dictated the pace and never allowed his opponent a way back, sealing a convincing victory on the St Jakobshalle stage.

Speaking afterwards, Bunting reflected on the hard work behind his current purple patch.

“There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes,” he said. “I’m playing the best darts of my life. I feel consistently that I’m delivering, and I’m so happy with this win. It means a lot.”

Bunting averaged over 100 in all four of his matches on Finals Day, underlining his dominance. He opened the day with a 6–3 win over Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, then swept past Raymond van

Barneveld in the quarter-finals. His semi-final was a thriller against rising star Gian van Veen: after racing into a 4–0 lead, Bunting survived a remarkable comeback and a match dart against him before taking the deciding leg.

The 38-year-old believes his current ranking reflects his consistency over recent years but insists he’s determined to push on even further.

“I’m number four in the world, which is an unbelievable achievement,” he added. “There are so many good players out there. You can’t take anything for granted, so I’ve got to keep working, keep practising, and hopefully a big TV title isn’t too far away.”

While Bunting lifted the trophy, Woodhouse enjoyed a breakthrough weekend of his own. The 36-year-old reached only the second ranking final of his PDC career thanks to a string of composed performances, particularly on the doubles.

He began his Finals Day run by punishing a wasteful Jermaine Wattimena, then edged Ryan Searle in a nail-biting quarter-final after surviving a missed match dart. In the semi-finals, Woodhouse produced his most clinical display, landing 70% of his attempts at doubles to end Cor Dekker’s dream run with a 7–3 success.

Reflecting on the final, Woodhouse was full of praise for his opponent:

“He scored so heavily and proved why he’s where he is in the world. He kept me under pressure from the very start and I just couldn’t get close,” he admitted. “It’s still a huge achievement for me. Reaching the final is a massive step forward, and I want to build on this for the rest of the year.”

Dekker’s memorable run to the last four included two last-leg deciders against Chris Dobey and Jonny Clayton. His win over Dobey featured a clutch 127 finish to seal victory despite his opponent averaging 107. Meanwhile, Van Veen’s charge to the semi-finals included wins over Ryan Joyce and Rob Cross, marking a breakthrough weekend for the reigning World Youth Champion.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Luke Humphries suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Searle, while defending champion Martin Schindler was eliminated by a clinical Clayton despite a ton-plus average. Van Barneveld booked his World Grand Prix spot with a whitewash of Ritchie Edhouse in the last 16 — a result that also ended Edhouse’s hopes of defending his European Championship title.

With Basel in the books, the European Tour heads to Hildesheim for the Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Championship from October 17–19, the final event before the European Championship. Peter Wright will aim to defend his title in what promises to be a dramatic conclusion to the 2025 European Tour season.

Bunting Secures Swiss Darts Trophy Title with Dominant Final Display

2025 Swiss Darts Trophy

Sunday September 28

Afternoon Session

Round Three

Ryan Searle 6-4 Luke Humphries

Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Jermaine Wattimena

Jonny Clayton 6-3 Martin Schindler

Cor Dekker 6-5 Chris Dobey

Stephen Bunting 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski

Raymond van Barneveld 6-0 Ritchie Edhouse

Gian van Veen 6-2 Ryan Joyce

Rob Cross 6-5 Danny Noppert

Evening Session

Quarter-Finals

Luke Woodhouse 6-5 Ryan Searle

Cor Dekker 6-5 Jonny Clayton

Stephen Bunting 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld

Gian van Veen 6-2 Rob Cross

Semi-Finals

Luke Woodhouse 7-3 Cor Dekker

Stephen Bunting 7-6 Gian van Veen

Final

Stephen Bunting 8-3 Luke Woodhouse

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