Raymond Smith Upsets Stephen Bunting in New Zealand Darts Masters First Round

At the New Zealand Darts Masters in Auckland, third-seed Stephen Bunting suffered a surprise first-round loss, falling 6-2 to Raymond Smith. Smith surged ahead with five straight legs, recorded a 99.81 average, and completed the match with a 124 checkout on the bullseye, converting 86% of his doubles. He will face Adam Leek in the quarter-finals after Leek survived six match darts against Ross Smith.

The event also saw top seed Gian van Veen dispatch New Zealand’s Jonny Tata 6-1, while Gerwyn Price comfortably beat Mark Cleaver 6-1 to set up a later meeting with Damon Heta. Additional quarter-final spots were claimed by Jonny Clayton, James Wade, Josh Rock and others as the tournament progresses toward its semi-finals and final later in the week.