Stephen Bunting revealed Luke Humphries would be happy to hand over his World Championship crown to the Bullet.

Humphries crashed out of the competition at the last-16 stage, but Bunting claims Cool Hand is now backing him to go all the way.

Speaking after his last-16 victory over Luke Woodhouse, Bunting said: “It’s pointless me thinking about who I’m going to play [in the next rounds], because things happen.

“Luke [Humphries] didn’t win last night, he’s the best player on the planet. Peter [Wright] had 70 odd per cent on doubles, played a fantastic game. Regardless of who I was going to play, I knew I needed to be at my best to win that game.”

He continued: “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.

“That means a lot, he’s a massive friend of mine and we’ll continue to practice after the 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.”

READ MORE