THE PDC World Darts Championship gets underway in just two weeks’ time, and Bradford thrower Joe Cullen will be hoping to go all the way and lift the trophy.

He didn’t get close to that at last week’s Players Championship Finals in Minehead sadly, suffering a surprise 6-5 loss in the first round to Scotland’s Andy Boulton.

It wasn’t as if Cullen played badly though, as he recorded an average of 99.50 in the match, as well as producing a sensational 170 checkout in the penultimate leg.

He said: “Andy’s a good player, but to be honest, if you’d told me before the game I’d average 100 and it wouldn’t be enough to beat him, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“He kept me under pressure and took his chances when they came his way, like when I missed three darts at tops to make it 3-1, and instead he pulled it back to 2-2.

“That kind of thing makes a big difference in a match which is only first to six.

“I thought I played well, but everyone’s got the game to beat anyone on the circuit.

“If you get complacent, you’ll get found out, but it wasn’t even that against Andy, he just had a good game.”

There was at least a small consolation for Cullen after his surprise early exit last Friday.

The Bradfordian said: “It’s not necessarily my favourite tournament, but I love the venue and the atmosphere.

“After losing on the Friday, I went out for a few drinks that night with friends, and that’s something you don’t normally get to do when you’re playing in a tournament.

“I got to see what the fans see, and while obviously I’d have preferred to stay in the tournament, it was a decent night out, and I can see why people come back here each year.”

One player who did stay in the tournament was Ryan Searle, who had a surprise run all the way to the final, where he lost an epic clash 11-10 to world number two Peter Wright.

Cullen said: “From the outside looking in, Ryan might not be that well-known, but we play him week in, week out, so we know how good he is.

“His performances last week have taken him up to 15th in the world, and while he has a pretty diverse look (Searle is known as “Heavy Metal” and has long hair down beyond his shoulders), he’s just a good lad, who’s played well all year.

“He could have won it really against Peter on Sunday night.”

It is football, not darts, that will be keeping Cullen busy this Sunday, as he is taking part in a charity match in Crewe for Supporting Charities FC, who raise money by playing games with celebrities in their team around the UK.

The Wyke man said: “I’m a striker, and as I used to play Sunday League football, it is something I’ll be taking seriously, even though obviously the main thing is that the game’s for charity.

“I played up front in a match with (former Leeds and Coventry striker) Noel Whelan the other year at Elland Road and I’ve played for Bradford City Veterans alongside Gary Jones and Lee Duxbury, so it’s not my first game like this.

“I’ve been asked to play by Supporting Charities before, but for the first time, I’m actually free and in the country. I’m looking forward to it.”