Bradford ace out of European Championship early in Germany

The major, held in Dortmund, Germany, features the top 32 players on the PDC European Tour Order of Merit.

Cullen has only reached four ranking major semi-finals in his career, never a final, but two of those four appearances have come at the European Championship, in 2018 and 2021.

Last year saw him dumped out by Ross Smith in a high-quality first-round affair.

He lost that 6-4 and could only watch on as Smith went on to win the tournament.

This year’s draw pitted the Wyke ace against Krzysztof Ratajski, with the pair’s first round game being played last Friday.

Cullen played well in general, his average of 98.81 being one of the highest in the first round.

But it was his profligacy on the doubles that cost him, as Ratajski, despite only averaging 94.21, went on to beat him 6-3.

Cullen hit five 180s during the match, but was unable to finish his Polish opponent off when it mattered.

Ratajski missed double 12 as he came agonisingly close to a nine-darter in leg two, but he put that early disappointment behind him quickly, going on to record an impressive win.

Joe Cullen produced the average, but not the doubles, in his European Championship first round defeat. (Image: Jonas Hunold/PDC.)

After the game, Ratajski admitted he had been in a real battle with Cullen.

In his post-match press conference, he said: "It was a very difficult match.

“Joe played a really good match, his average was very good and hit treble 20s very often.

"But I had a good doubles and good moments so that is why I won this match.”

On his nine-dart near miss, the Pole admitted: "Double 12 was miles away from the target, I was much too nervous in this moment.

"I should have waited a little and then thrown this try to find the double 12 but I didn't."

It was a historic win for Ratajski though, who said: "It was my first win. It's hard to believe but it was my first win at the European Championships.

“Now I've won the first one, hopefully I will win another."

Sadly that did not come to pass for the Pole, who was knocked out in the next round by Luke Humphries, who was beaten himself in the quarter-finals by James Wade.

Wade went on to reach the final, but lost that 11-6 to Peter Wright, in a repeat of the showpiece from 2020.

The Scot has a good record at the European Championship, with those two wins in 2020 and 2023, as well as two semi-final appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Wright will be back for another ranked televised event in the Grand Slam of Darts, which gets underway in Wolverhampton from Saturday, November 11.

The line-up is almost complete, but eight players will come through the PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier at the Barnsley Metrodome this Friday, with that representing Cullen’s last chance to be part of the field at the Grand Slam.