World Grand Prix Darts Star Slams PDC and Calls for Public Explanation
A World Grand Prix Darts star has slammed the PDC and called for a public explanation.
The latest major tournament got underway on Monday October 6 and will run through until Sunday, 12 October.
The 32 players competing in Leicester include the 16 top-ranked players from the PDC's Order of Merit alongside the next 16 best performers from the last year that had not already qualified.
But the World Grand Prix has one unique twist that differentiates it from other competitions. They use a 'double in, double out' format which requires players to both start and finish a leg on a double.
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It is a set play format, with each set being the best of five legs, and the number of sets increasing as the tournament goes on. One player who successfully navigated through the opening round was Joe Cullen, who beat world number five James Wade 2-0.
However, after the match, Cullen expressed his disappointment at at being overlooked for the Premier League
He has not played in the Premier League since 2022, when he fell short after he missed a match dart to win the title against Michael van Gerwen.
Cullen said: "I think, at the time, it didn’t feel like a big deal the year after the Premier League, but looking back now, I’m 36, it had a massive effect on me. Not just missing out, but not getting any acknowledgement for what I achieved the year before.
"There are plenty of players who’d take their right arm off to come within a wire of winning the Premier League.
"To not get an explanation from anyone at the PDC was a massive thing for me. I think I dwelled on it a bit too long, then got past it, then dwelled on it again.
"I don’t think I gave that moment the credit it deserved at the time."
Cullen's focus will be on his next game at the World Grand Prix, where he will face world number 12 Gary Anderson.
Elsewhere in the tournament world number one Luke Humphries is safely through to the next round, after defeating Nathan Aspinall 2-0.
Meanwhile Luke Littler is yet to play his first round match and will take on Gian van Veen on Tuesday evening.
It will be only his second appearance at the World Grand Prix after losing in the first-round exit to Rob Cross last year.
There is plenty at stake in Leicester, including a sizeable pay cheque, with the winner pocketing £120,000.
Topics: Darts, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
James Taylor