Stephen Bunting has issued a statement after being on the end of a cutting comment from a Sky Sports commentator in another Premier League Darts defeat.
Bunting has grown to become one of the most popular players in darts and had a memorable run to the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship before he was beaten by eventual champion Luke Littler.
The 39-year-old's impressive run saw him announced for the main Premier League lineup for the first time since 2015 in a decision which did raise a few eyebrows but was explained by PDC chief Matt Porter.
Bunting won the Bahrain Darts Masters and finished as runner up in the Dutch Darts Masters in January but it has been a Premier League campaign to forget for him so far.
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After seven nights of action, Bunting is still searching for his first victory and sits at the very bottom of the table with zero points.
He had looked to get off the mark against fellow struggler Chris Dobey in Cardiff on Thursday but suffered a 6-2 defeat where he averaged 87.05 in a nervy affair.
Sky Sports commentator Rod Studd didn't pull any punches and issued a savage put-down when he said, "This is like watching two blokes try to push custard uphill with a fork".
Later on, he added: "[Bunting] will be saying to himself, 'how many more mistakes am I going to make up here?' It’s almost like a bingo card of blunders."
Co-commentator Mark Webster was a little less brutal, saying that Bunting will "struggle to find the positives".
Bunting's statement on social media
On Thursday evening, Bunting took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a statement to his fans after another disappointing display. He apologised to all of his supporters and vowed to continue working hard to finally pick up some points.
Bunting wrote: "Absolutely gutted. So sorry to all who support me. Practiced so well tonight and unfortunately it just didn’t happen on the stage. I’ll keep giving it my all guys and keep believing.
"I’m making myself so nervous because I care and want to perform to my best instead of just relaxing and letting it happen. See you all next week. I’ll work hard and make sure I’ll improve."
There are still plenty of opportunities for Bunting to get some points on the board, starting with night eight next week in Newcastle.
Littler was the victor on night seven and is one point clear of Luke Humphries after beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
The top four players after Night 16 advance to the play-offs but Bunting is currently well out of contention.
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship
Josh Lawless