Luke Littler achieved a nine-dart finish at Players Championship 5 in Leicester, but his run ended in the semi-finals as Joe Cullen claimed victory.
Littler delivered his first nine-darter of the year during the sixth leg of his second-round match against Adam Hunt. This was one of three consecutive 6-5 wins for the world champion.
“The Nuke” faced a 4-0 deficit against Dirk van Duijvenbode but rallied to force a deciding leg, finishing with a 126 checkout on the bullseye. He then maintained an impressive 122.96 average to defeat Damon Heta and reach the semi-finals. However, his 19-game winning streak was halted by Gian van Veen in a close 7-6 finish.
Cullen had a strong run to the final, notably defeating world number one Luke Humphries 6-4. He faced a tough challenge against Van Veen, falling behind 7-4, but demonstrated remarkable composure, surviving six match darts to secure an 8-7 victory.
“I think this is the best win of my career, because of the adversity I have had to endure over the last year,” Cullen said. “When you’re slipping down the rankings and you’re doubting yourself, there is nothing worse in darts. I think I’m down to number 22 in the world. There’s not 21 players that are better than me in the world, but the rankings don’t lie.”
