Darts star admits he's 'annoyed' after being accused of 'weird' behaviour towards Luke Littler

During their showdown in north London, Bunting and his young rival frequently exchanged fist bumps.

That was picked up on by Dave Chisnall, who then accused the 39-year-old of 'weird' behaviour by saying: "I’m not one for gamesmanship and you won’t hear me slagging folk off, but I did think the fist bumps after every set was a bit weird.

"It was noticeable that Michael [van Gerwen in the final] was having none of it."

Bunting beat Littler at the Dutch Darts Masters on Saturday night to reach the final of the competition.

And Bunting, speaking before their recent clash, hit back at Chisnall and admitted that those comments cause him annoyance.

"It does annoy me a bit that people pick up upon that sort of thing," he said.

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"That shows how well I’m playing, that they have got to pick up on a fist bump rather than a bad performance.

"Luke is a lad who has the world at his feet and he is still learning the game. I’m very respectful for what he is doing for our game.

"I hope he continues for a lot of years because he is bringing in a lot more money to our sport.

"So, yeah, I am pretty respectful and thankful that he is doing that.

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"On another side, I know him personally, I have grown up in the same area as him, known him for a lot of years since he was a little kid.

"I played Luke Humphries in Bahrain, there were a few games there, a few shots where we fist-bumped.

"It is not all the time. We are all friends on the tour."

Bunting also insists that he's ready to be nastier on stage if needed, citing his recent victory over Gerwyn Price in Bahrain as an example.

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"I played a game against Gerwyn Price in the final of the Bahrain Masters, he was giving it a bit large on the stage and I did get a bit large myself, a bit loud and was giving it back to him," he continued.

"I don’t think he liked it. If I need to do it, then it is there in the armoury and I can do it.

"I won’t feel threatened on any stage that I play anymore. I have always been brought up to be respectful, to be nice and that what I would be like off the oche, not just on it.

"I won’t change as a person but if someone does push my buttons when I am on the stage, then I can change and turn that round a bit."

While Bunting beat Littler, he was unable to win the Dutch Darts Masters.

Rob Cross reigned supreme instead, with 'The Voltage' winning 8-5 to pick up his fifth title on the World Series Circuit.