ST HELENS darter Stephen Bunting produced the performance of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship so far to book his place in round three at Alexandra Palace.

The final day of action before the Christmas break saw eight second round matches take place in the capital, with Bunting stealing the headlines on Day Nine of the sport’s showpiece event.

Bunting – a semi-finalist in 2021 – averaged 107.28 to complete a straight-sets demolition of Ryan Joyce, crashing in five maximums and pinning 47% of his attempts at double to triumph.

The 38-year-old received a rousing reception from the Alexandra Palace crowd, and he repaid that support with a blistering opening set display, drawing first blood with an astronomical 115.62 average.

Bunting maintained his rampant run to kick off set two with an 11-darter, and after doubling his lead in a second-set decider, he fired in legs of 12, 13 and 13 darts to cap off a statement performance.

“I’m incredibly proud of my performance,” said Bunting, who is refusing to get carried away ahead of his showdown against comeback king Florian Hempel.

“I felt really emotional tonight. The crowd was on my side and I didn’t want to disappoint them, so I’m over the moon with that result.

“To have the highest average going into Christmas is fantastic, but it doesn’t win you the title, so I know the hard work starts now and I’ll be raring to go after the break."