Dubai Duty Free Darts player guide: Stephen Bunting

Nickname The Bullet

Date of birth April 9 1985

Home town St Helens, England

Darts used 12g Target

PDC Order of Merit 24th (at February 23 2015)

Twitter @SBunting180

Stephen has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the sport in recent years, which included a World Series of Darts debut in 2014 as he reached the Sydney Darts Masters final.

A two-time World Masters winner and the reigning Lakeside Champion when he crossed the darting divide early last year, Bunting has risen to the challenge of establishing himself against the likes of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

Having settled any nerves with victory in a UK Open Qualifier on his opening weekend on the PDC ProTour in February 2014, he went on to appear in the UK Open and World Matchplay before being a finalist on his debut in the Sydney Darts Masters, losing out to Taylor.

Bunting was then a semi-finalist in the World Grand Prix, where van Gerwen ended his hopes in the double-start tournament, before he knocked out Taylor on his way to the quarter-finals of the European Championship.

The St Helens ace's year concluded as he reached the last eight in the Grand Slam of Darts and World Championship, with his Alexandra Palace debut including wins over James Wade and local rival Michael Smith before his narrow defeat to Raymond van Barneveld.

One of the sport's fastest throwers - as he lives up to his Bullet nickname - Bunting also uses the lightest darts of any leading player, although his 12g barrels love nothing more than nestling into the treble 20 or completing a big finish.

Having broken into the top 32 of the PDC Order of Merit inside 12 months, Bunting was named as the Best Newcomer at January's Awards Dinner - an impact he is aiming to continue in 2015.