Stephen Bunting battles past Gary Anderson in World Matchplay thriller

Stephen Bunting saw off a Gary Anderson fightback and battled his way to a 12-10 last-16 victory in a scrappy encounter at the World Matchplay in Blackpool.

It took a while for both players to shift into a gear as doubles proved troublesome for the pair throughout the match, which went beyond the allotted 21 legs.

The contest went back and forth but Bunting, who also missed double 12 for a nine-darter, chalked off five straight legs to make it 9-6 and it looked like he would go on to seal a comfortable victory.

However, Anderson survived match darts as he fought back to make it a level game but Bunting finally got the job done to win by two clear legs and seal the win.

Both players averaged less than 30 per cent on checkouts which made for darting drama and Bunting admitted to being nervous on stage.

After the match, he told Sky Sports: “He’s a quality operator. One of the best players to grace the stage and I have nothing but respect for Gary Anderson, and what a win in my career.

“I felt nervous anyway. I’ve got (son) Theo with me tonight, Toby, the missus, but we’re through and I can relax now.

“I feel great and playing the best darts of my life and enjoying being in Blackpool – the fans have been incredible.”

James Wade produced a vintage performance as he swept Matchplay debutant Wessel Nijman aside in an 11-5 win.

There was nothing to separate the two players through the opening six legs but Wade jumped all over the young Dutchman’s mistakes as he started to race clear.

The game started to turn when Wade brilliantly hit back-to-back bullseye finishes to go 8-4 up with his third ton-plus finish of the match.

That was in the middle of five straight legs that Wade put together to go within a leg of victory and the