BRADFORD darts ace Joe Cullen reached the semi-finals of the Interwetten European Darts Matchplay in Germany yesterday.

He enjoyed a fine run to the last-four in Trier, but was then pipped 7-6 by Dirk van Duijvenbode in a dramatic encounter, where he came back from 5-2 down to almost snatch victory.

Cullen opened up with a 6-3 win over Vitezslav Sedlak in the last-32, before defeating Ryan Joyce 6-4, producing superb 142 and 150 finishes along the way.

That put him into a quarter-final against Dutch darting titan Raymond van Barneveld, a tense affair which saw the veteran go 4-3 up, before eventually being overpowered by the Wyke native.

The 14th seed’s 6-4 success put him into that clash with van Duijvenbode, but he was on the back foot in the early stages.

Having wired a dart at tops to make the score 3-3, the Bradfordian was left stunned when the Dutchman rattled in a 127 finish to steal the leg and go 4-2 up.

At three legs behind though, Cullen fought back, with a superb 11-dart hold in a high-quality 12th leg making the game 6-6 and taking it to a decider.

The second seed had enough in the tank for one last push, and he cleaned up 78 to win the match, with the Wyke man sat waiting to pounce on 90.

The Dutchman was unable to win his maiden European Tour title though, missing four match darts as Luke Humphries pipped him to an 8-7 victory, the Berkshire star claiming the £30,000 top prize as a result.