Stephen Bunting poked fun at Ed Sheeran with a cheeky reference after booking his place in the third round of the World Darts Championship. The reigning Masters champion defeated Kai Gotthardt to ensure his progression at Alexandra Palace.

Both players were thrown off their game due to the contest starting earlier than billed after Sandro Eric Sosing withdrew from his match against Ian White. He experienced chest pains while warming up and was taken to hospital for additional checks.

It was a slow start for Bunting, who lost the opening set and took a while to settle into his rhythm. He eventually got going and rattled off seven straight legs to overpower Gotthardt and secure a 3-1 victory.

Pop superstar Sheeran was in the crowd for Bunting's win and was seen chanting with a stack of recyclable cups in his hand. At one point, he was mocked by fellow fans who taunted him with a cheeky chant about his beloved Ipswich Town.

In his post-match press conference, Bunting poked fun at the musician by referencing his tendency to gatecrash interviews, as he did with Ruben Amorim after Manchester United's draw at Ipswich last month.

Bunting said: "Well, I had a few bad habits in that game to be fair, didn't I? Yeah, listen, I'm a massive fan of his even though he supports Ipswich Town. I'm surprised he's not come here to disrupt the interview, to be honest.

"It would be really nice to meet him. I'm a massive fan of his music on my Spotify. I've got some of his songs flying through my head. I think my lad had a few moments with him. He'll tell me on the way home."

Bunting said he knew Sheeran was in the crowd before he even took to the stage after receiving a tip-off from his manager.

"We need high-profile people coming to watch our sport," he added. "It really does spur us on, especially when you're on stage and you know. My manager even alluded to it early on, he told me he [Sheeran] was here.

"It must be something about gingers, because Prince Harry's been here watching me as well, and now I've got Ed Sheeran. What's going on?"

Bunting, ranked eighth in the world, will face either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Madars Razma in the fourth round after Christmas. If he wins that match, he could go up against reigning world champion Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals.