DARTS star Stephen Bunting has revealed what close friend Luke Humphries told him ahead of his World Championship last-16 match.
The Ally Pally favourite took on Luke Woodhouse for a spot in the quarter-finals on Monday.
He cruised to a 4-0 win over Woody to progress to the last eight, where he will face two-time champion Peter Wright.
And after the match, Bunting opened up about the incredible support he received from reigning world champ Humphries, who suffered a shock exit at the hands of Wright on Sunday.
He said: “Nothing has changed from my point of view. I’ve got a different opponent in front of me – I probably did expect to play Luke, to be fair.
“But in our practice sessions we talked about playing in the quarters. I’ve kept my end of the bargain but unfortunately Luke just fell short.
“It wasn’t for a lack of trying, I know that. I spoke to him this morning and he wished me luck.
“He said he would love to hand the crown over to me and give me his world championship, so that means a lot.
“He’s a massive friend of mine and we’ll continue to practice after this tournament, but for now I’ve got to put all friendships aside and make sure I’m 100 per cent.
“I know I can go all the way, it’s about doing it.”
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Humphries crashed out of the World Championship following a 4-1 defeat to fellow Premier League star Wright at the weekend.
Following the loss, he said: “I probably put too much pressure on myself tonight, but I thought I played okay.
“I kept hitting the treble first dart but I couldn’t follow it. Peter played fantastically and backed up what he said pre-match, so fair play to him.
“I wasn’t at my best but I wasn’t terrible by any means, and I’ll bounce back. I will still sleep well tonight and look forward to next year.”
