Nordic Darts Masters

The fifth edition of the Nordic Darts Masters was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 6 and 7. The PDC is sending eight players to Copenhagen to compete against the strongest players from the Nordic and Baltic region. This year, Stephen Bunting, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Chris Dobey, Jonny Clayton, and Gerwyn Price take the stage.

Stephen Bunting started the tournament strongly against Swede Oskar Lukasiak, whom he defeated 6-3. In the quarterfinals, he faced Welshman Jonny Clayton, whom he also defeated 6-3. In the semifinals, Bunting played fellow Englishman Nathan Aspinall, whom he defeated 7-5. In the final, he faces Englishman Rob Cross, who also reached the final last year.

Rob Cross reaches the final after victories over Swede Andreas Harrysson (6-4), Chris Dobey (6-0) and defending champion Gerwyn Price (7-4).

It was a third consecutive final on the World Series circuit for Bunting, and a repeat of their title showdown in Den Bosch in January, with Bunting exacting his revenge on Cross in a superb performance.

It looked evenly poised at three-apiece at the first break, with Cross having sunk a 116 checkout on the way. However, a run of five straight legs for a revitalised Bunting - including a 104 checkout in the eighth leg - saw him stretch to the brink of victory at 7-3.

Cross looked spent, and despite breaking the rut at 7-4, could do little to stop Bunting as he crossed the line to add the Nordic Darts Masters title to his Bahrain crown from earlier this year.

It’s a welcome return to form for the St Helens star, after he had struggled in recent months with a gruelling Premier League campaign.