Belfast Premier League winner Stephen Bunting says Northern Eire’s nine-dart hero Josh Rock has the flexibility to turn out to be a world champion sooner or later.

Bunting noticed off Dutchman Gian Van Veen within the closing to win the fourth evening of competitors of this 12 months’s sequence however needed to share the limelight with County Antrim man Rock, who hit the right leg throughout a quarter-final defeat in entrance of his house crowd.

Bunting’s success noticed him safe his first factors of the marketing campaign, whereas Rock sits backside of the desk among the many elite eight-strong area with out a level up to now.

“Josh is such a incredible participant, I have been practising with him over the previous few weeks, and his time will come,” stated Bunting on the post-event media convention.

“He is without doubt one of the finest gamers on the planet. Individuals have to get off his again. He was up in opposition to the ropes tonight and he pulled out a nine-darter, from nowhere. That reveals how good he’s.

“I actually consider that if he knuckles down and retains doing what he is doing it will solely be a matter of time earlier than he wins a world championship.”

Twenty-four-year-old Rock’s constant performances in the course of the season have catapulted him to the higher echelons of the world rankings and helped him safe a maiden Premier League look this time period.

“His averages, his scoring, his ending, he is bought the entire bundle, and he is such a younger lad as properly, so grounded, works actually onerous, he is bought a stunning household,” added former BDO world champion Bunting.

“He’ll undoubtedly not end this Premier League with no factors anyhow, I can assure that.

“He is a incredible participant, he is an incredible pal of mine, and I want him nothing however success.”