JOE Cullen was unable to capitalise on his number one seeding as he crashed out of the Unibet European Championship in the opening round.

The Bradfordian entered the tournament as top dog after capturing his second European title of his career with a win over Michael Van Gerwen in the International Darts Open final.

But Cullen never really got going and his B game was simply not good enough to get past Irishman William O'Connor who enjoyed a 6-3 victory.

It was the first time someone other than Phil Taylor or Van Gerwen had headed the seeding in the 13-year history of the Championship.

Although, it was maybe the sign of the times when Cullen began the opener, which O'Connor hit a 13 darter to win, with a single one.

Despite, missing doubles along the way, the Wyke dartist responded brilliantly to capture the following two legs.

Scoring was good early on between the pair as the Limerick man levelled the tie thanks to smashing the fifth 180 of the match.

It was at the halfway stage where both players struggled to get over the line. After beginning leg five well, Cullen wasted six chances, which included a bust, to go ahead. O'Connor punished to leave his 86.05 average opponent frustrated going into the break.

The man in the opposing corner only gained entry after Premier League winner Glen Durrant tested positive for Coronavirus but that certainly did not faze him as he won the next three legs.

A last-ditched 130 allowed the 31-year-old, who only took three of his 15 opportunities at double all match, to checkout 50 in the eighth and halt the rot.

However, a 12 darter on throw would provide the underdog with a passage through to the second round, and make Cullen only the second number one seed to get knocked out in the first round of the European Championship.

The world number 17 tweeted: "No excuses, (it was a ) poor performance. (I) Never settled into the game! A new experience too being No.1 seed.

"Still, I’m not gonna let that detract from what has been a great last week for me."

Since the defeat, Cullen has announced that he has changed his darts manufacturer. After spending almost the entirety of his career with Unicorn, 'The Rockstar' will now sport Winmau arrows alongside the likes of Van Gerwen and Daryl Gurney.

O'Connor went on to reach the quarters in Oberhausen, losing out to eventual finalist James Wade 10-4.

World champion Peter Wright took home the trophy and £120,000 prize money in an entertaining weekend of darts.