Stephen Bunting pulled off a thrilling 12-10 tie-break win over Gary Anderson to book his spot in his second ever quarter-final of the World Matchplay at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.

The bout marked the 18th meeting between the darting stalwarts. Anderson had a 13-4 record in his favour but Bunting managed to push back and make it 13-5 at the end of the epic contest.

Scotsman Anderson had the much superior scoring as the match got going but could not capitalise to race away, with doubling eluding both players as the match edged into a 3-2 score line.

Bunting then somehow managed to spark the match into life as he took five legs in a row for a 9-7 advantage. ‘The Bullet’ was eight darts into a nine-darter in the 15th leg to send the crowd into frenzy.

The ever-battling Anderson was not done, though and managed to fire back to take four legs on the spin to level the match at 10-10 and take it to the extraordinary climax. ‘The Bullet’ pushed hard to hold then break Anderson’s throw for the monumental win.

“I was so so nervous playing a legend of the sport on this stage, I tried to put it to the back of my mind but during the game I just couldn’t,” Bunting told Sky Sports.

“I’m happy with the win but I need to just get to bed – I’m shattered.

“I’ve got massive respect for Gary. He’s a quality operator, he’s one of the best players to grace the stages.

“What a win in my career. We go again.

“I felt nervous anyway. I had [my family] with us tonight, but we’re through and I can relax now.”

An imperious James Wade cruised through to his 13th World Matchplay quarter-final with a brilliant 11-5 showing against Wessel Nijman. A strong 102.53 average highlighted just how strong he was.

On his 20th consecutive Matchplay appearance, Wade looked in the zone and was scoring well early on. A crucial break of throw and around 108 average in the first session gave him the 3-2 lead.

That superior scoring from Wade continued but with both players clinching two breaks of throw. A 121 finish from Wade to hold in the eighth leg provided the key moment for him to move 6-4 up.

‘The Machine’ then provided a huge blow to Nijman’s chances as he took out 82 on the bull for a break then fired in 126 on the bull for an 8-4 advantage. Wade’s effortless throwing wrapped up a comprehensive win on tops in rapid time.

“I made the most of bad opportunities for the young man,” Wade said.

“I’ve not been too far away for the last five years. The young man made a lot of mistakes, the crowd were amazing and I think it helped a little.

“That’s the best version of me, winning. I don’t care about the averages and dots, I was just happy to win.

“If you’re scoring alright, your doubles will follow. It wasn’t an amazing performance, I was fortunate the young lad didn’t play how he can.”

Who will they face in the quarter-finals?

Bunting will now play Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals after he picked up an 11-8 win over Mike De Decker.

‘The Ferret’ found a crucial break of throw to move 4-2 up and kept his two-leg cushion as he moved 8-4 in front after the second session.

From there, he held his throw exceptionally well and experience came to the fore to see the game out following a slight resurgence from De Decker, a clutch 81 on the bull finishing things off.

Meanwhile, Wade will play Gian van Veen after he came through an all-Dutch clash with Danny Noppert to make it into the last eight with a comprehensive 11-5 win.

Van Veen clawed away in the opening session to steal a 3-2 lead with a brilliant 150 checkout and then made sure to turn his slight advantage into a massive lead, racking up a staggering seven legs before adding three more holds of throw and a crucial break to take him through to the quarter-finals.

What’s next at the World Matchplay?

The second round continues on Wednesday July 23 with four more huge matches coming your way from 7pm on Sky Sports Action and Main Event.

Across the session, Luke Littler takes on Jermaine Wattimena, Andrew Gilding faces Dirk van Duijvenbode, Michael Van Gerwen plays Josh Rock, and Chris Dobey comes up against Gerwyn Price.

Watch the World Matchplay live on Sky Sports from July 19-27 or stream without a contract.