Stephen Bunting interview: Darts star sums up 'The Luke Littler Effect'

Ahead of the 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals, Stephen Bunting perfectly sums up the 'Luke Littler effect' to us in an exclusive interview.

Bunting, who is in the top ten favourites for the competition, also revealed to Ladbrokes that he still plays in his local darts league is unbeaten there in three years.

• "The local darts is great - I'll never forget my roots, and I've been playing for the last three years now, I think."
• "Sometimes it's actually harder to play local league because you're expected to win - and you've got the added pressure of being in a team, so you don't want to let your teammates down. The pressure of that is immense."
• "Luke's brought so much attention to our game from a younger audience - I've even noticed it myself. I went to JD for a pair of trainers, not long back, and there must have been about 15 to 20 kids following me in for pictures and autographs! That's never happened before... that's the Luke Littler effect."
• "It's an interesting times for darts - we're all very lucky to be playing in the era of Luke."
  

I've got sessions booked in with a friend and I had local darts on Tuesday night, so I have been able to get out... I will be ready for the Players Championship this weekend, for sure. 

The local darts is great - I'll never forget my roots, and I've been playing for the last three years now, I think. I really enjoy it; it's my only night out through the week so I love seeing my mates and having a good time with them. I play dominoes as well, but we lost last night, so I won't talk about that too much!

I don't think I've lost a game in the local league in the last three years - I can't think of one, anyway - so I've got quite a good record. I played really well last night, so that gives me good hopes going into this weekend. Even though it's local league, you're still picking up bits of confidence from how well you're playing in it. Sometimes it's actually harder to play local league because you're expected to win - and you've got the added pressure of being in a team, so you don't want to let your teammates down. The pressure of that is immense, but I just like being out with my mates. 

I get asked about Luke Littler so much - I've already been asked about him three times today and it's only 10am! He's a phenomenon, to be honest. People like him don't come around every day. Even when you look at what he was doing on the youth circuit... people were building him up, but you never know what's going to happen until he gets up on those stages. Me, personally, I thought he could have possibly struggled, just because of the difference in crowd sizes and the idea of playing in front of thousands of people, week-in, week-out. But he's just been a revelation, to be honest. He's taken to things like a duck to water. 

He's such a nice lad, as well; people don't see the player or the person that we get to see in the back room... he's very unassuming, he'll be sat there watching either Man United on his phone, or cartoons, or whatever it is he watches! He just seems to have his head screwed on and I wish him every success... unless he's playing me. 

Luke's brought so much attention to our game from a younger audience - I've even noticed it myself. I went to JD for a pair of trainers, not long back, and there must have been about 15 to 20 kids following me in for pictures and autographs! That's never happened before... that's the Luke Littler effect. It can only make our game bigger and better, and ultimately, prize money is only going to go up, the more interest there is. It's an interesting times for darts - we're all very lucky to be playing in the era of Luke. 

Leading into the Grand Slam, I didn't put that much preparation in because I was at the hospital with Keila, so I did put my tools down. But you never forget how to play darts, and sometimes a rest is as good and useful as being on the board, to be honest, because I felt really fresh at the Grand Slam. 

It's been an emotional few weeks, for sure, with the arrival of our second son. I'm good all round with the baby... obviously, it's really difficult with me being away all the time, but when I'm here I try and make myself useful... even if it's just making cups of tea or looking after dinner. I try and do the important things when I'm at home, though, and help out as much as I can while I'm here. And even Toby, our eldest boy, is doing things to help out around the house, which is really important. He's a big brother now, and he's got his own responsibilities as well! He's been absolutely great, he loves him... he couldn't have asked for a better little brother, to be honest, and vice versa. They're going to get on like a house on fire and look after each other through life and all of the difficulties that it brings. They'll both look after each other.

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