Cullen Claims PC5 Title in Comeback Win After Van Veen’s Misses
- Darts Central
- Mar 12
- 7 min read
Players Championship action returned this Tuesday after a three-week break for a double header at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. With Players Championship 5 & 6 on the line, four different winners in the first four events underlined the unpredictable nature of these tournaments.
The 128-player field featured 125 Tour Card holders, with three call-ups from the Challenge Tour replacing absent players Nathan Aspinall, Jules van Dongen, and Tim Wolters. Beau Greaves, Stefan Bellmont, and Carl Sneyd were given the opportunity to step up.
Premier League players have dominated the Players Championship circuit so far, winning three of the first four events (Price, Cross, and Dobey). Only Ryan Searle has broken that streak. With seven of the eight Premier League stars in action, they looked to reinforce their dominance—while bookies made Littler and Humphries clear favourites.
Early Rounds: Premier League Shocks, Nine Darters, and Taylor’s Impressive Rise
Challenge Tour leader Beau Greaves once again showcased her class on the Pro Tour, surviving a 106.81 average from Justin Hood to power through 6-2 in spectacular fashion.
The match of the opening round came between Ireland’s No. 1, William O’Connor, and France’s No. 1, Thibault Tricole. O’Connor continued his strong form, averaging 105.96 to defeat Tricole 6-3. Despite the loss, Tricole’s 106.46 average was one of his highest ever recorded—a sign of his growing threat on tour.
The biggest early-round shocks came as Premier League stars Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price—both Players Championship winners this year—suffered surprise exits. Cross fell to Dominik Gruellich, while Price was edged out by Adam Lipscombe in a tight affair.
Elsewhere, big averages started rolling in. Jonny Clayton fired a 106.26 in his win over fellow Welshman Nick Kenny, while MvG produced a 108.87 to see off Jelle Klaasen 6-2. Gian van Veen (106.87) also made light work of Challenge Tour call-up Stefan Bellmont with a 6-1 rout.
Things stepped up a notch in round two, with some monstrous averages. James Wade posted a career-best 115.92 average in a statement win over Beau Greaves, while MvG improved to 111.13 in dismantling Max Hopp 6-1. Gary Anderson thrashed practice partner Ryan Searle 6-0, averaging 104.86, continuing his fine start after landing a nine-darter in round one against Ryan Joyce.
Anderson wasn’t alone in perfection—Luke Littler also nailed a nine-darter in his round two victory over Adam Hunt, continuing his growing collection of perfect legs.
One player quietly making waves is ‘The Tower’ Dom Taylor. The 26-year-old, who has bounced back strongly from a recent suspension, reached the last 16 in a Players Championship event once again. He produced two 105+ averages in his board win, defeating Carl Sneyd, Niels Zonneveld, and World No. 9 Dave Chisnall in the process.
Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals: Big Averages and Nail-Biting Finishes
In the quarter-finals, Joe Cullen advanced with a scrappy 6-3 victory over Kevin Doets, where a modest 90.6 average was enough to see off a below-par Doets.
Mike De Decker continued his fine form, backing up his Euro Tour final run by defeating Robert Owen 6-2 to book his place in the last four.
Gian van Veen’s impressive day continued as he took out Michael van Gerwen 6-4, averaging a brilliant 108.16 to reach the semi-finals.
But the standout moment came from Luke Littler, who delivered a staggering 122.96 average in a 6-1 demolition of Damon Heta. It was the highest PDC average of his career and placed him among just seven players to have recorded a 120+ average in a Players Championship event since DartConnect began tracking match data.
Heta had taken the opening leg in 15 darts, but from there, Littler was untouchable—firing in two 11-darters, two 12-darters, and two 13-darters in a jaw-dropping display.
Semi-Finals
The first semi-final saw Joe Cullen take on Mike De Decker, with both players already reaching a final in 2025—Cullen at PC1 and De Decker just days earlier at ET1. The match was neck-and-neck, with the Belgian edging ahead 5-4, only to squander multiple darts to extend his lead.
Cullen capitalised, pinning double 1 with his last dart in hand to level at 5-5 before producing a clinical 13-dart hold. He then sealed victory spectacularly, taking out a 10-darter on double 16 to reach his second Players Championship final of the year.
The second semi-final was a blockbuster clash between two of the sport’s brightest young stars—Luke Littler and Gian van Veen. Neither player was able to build a comfortable lead, with van Veen edging ahead 6-5 after back-to-back legs. He had the match on his throw but faltered under pressure, missing three darts at a double to seal his spot in the final.
Littler pounced on his trusty double 10 to force a decider at 6-6, where he had the darts. As Littler looked to be pulling away, van Veen responded brilliantly, firing in a 140 to leave 121 just as Littler missed a match dart at double 20.
With everything on the line, van Veen delivered a clutch 121 checkout on the bull to stun Littler 7-6 and avenge his earlier UK Open quarter-final loss to the World Champion just 9 days earlier. A truly dramatic finish.
Road to the Final
The table below highlights the path Joe Cullen and Gian van Veen took to reach the Players Championship 5 final, overcoming a series of tough opponents along the way:
Round | Joe Cullen | Gian van Veen |
Last 128 | 6-3 vs Richard Veenstra | 6-1 vs Stefan Bellmont |
Last 64 | 6-2 vs James Hurrell | 6-1 vs Greg Ritchie |
Last 32 | 6-4 vs Luke Humphries | 6-1 vs Adam Lipscombe |
Last 16 | 6-2 vs Christian Kist | 6-3 vs Dom Taylor |
Quarter-Final | 6-3 vs Kevin Doets | 6-4 vs Michael van Gerwen |
Semi-Final | 7-5 vs Mike De Decker | 7-6 vs Luke Littler |
Both players showcased consistency and resilience, with Cullen overcoming World Champion Luke Humphries early on, while van Veen defeated three players with averages over 100, including Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler.
🏆 The Final: Joe Cullen Wins the Title
Joe Cullen settled quicker in the final, winning the opening two legs before Gian van Veen found his rhythm, rattling off three consecutive legs to move ahead 3-2. The pair then exchanged routine holds of throw over the next three legs, bringing the match level at 4-4 after eight legs.
With the contest finely poised, van Veen struck a decisive blow, producing another three-leg burst to move within one of the title at 7-4. During this surge, Cullen managed just one dart at the bull, as the young Dutchman edged closer to his maiden senior PDC title.
Cullen stopped the rot with a brilliant 11-darter in leg 12 to cut the deficit to 7-5. Van Veen then stepped up to throw for the match but narrowly missed double 16 for the title. Cullen pounced, tidying up 49 after hitting his eighth 180 of the final, reducing the gap further.
A second match dart went begging for van Veen in the next leg, this time at double top, and Cullen capitalised once again, pinning double 12 to level the final at 7-7.
The deciding leg saw both players scoring heavily, leaving themselves three-dart finishes after just nine darts. Van Veen had the first shot at the title but wired double 8 for a 127 checkout, marking his third missed match dart. Cullen was left on 67 after an uncharacteristically poor setup from 141.
Van Veen then missed three more match darts—one at double 8, one at double 4, and one at double 2, taking his total missed darts for the title to six. Cullen made no mistake, clinically taking out 67 in two darts to snatch an 8-7 victory and deny van Veen his first senior PDC title. It was van Veen’s fourth Pro Tour final defeat, but for Cullen, it was a triumphant return to the winner’s circle.
Cullen averaged 104.18 in the final, his best of the tournament, securing his first Players Championship title of the season and the £15,000 top prize. His tournament average finished at 96.77, and with this victory, he climbed to World No. 22, overtaking German No. 1 Martin Schindler.
This triumph marked Cullen’s 8th career Players Championship title and his 12th overall PDC ranking title, reinforcing his status as one of the most dangerous floor tournament players on the tour.
Talking Points & Highlights
💥 PL Duo Shocks: Two major shocks occurred in the opening round as Premier League duo Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price—both previous winners on the Players Championship circuit—lost in close battles to Dominik Grüllich and Adam Lipscombe, respectively. Both Grüllich and Lipscombe are brand-new tour card holders this season.
🎯 2 Nine Dart Legs: Perfection was achieved by Luke Littler and Gary Anderson today. Littler hit his nine-darter in a second-round win over Adam Hunt, while Anderson delivered his perfect leg during a comeback victory against Ryan Joyce in the opening round.
🔥 2 Career-Best Averages: ‘The Nuke’ produced his career-best average in today’s event, defeating Damon Heta 6-1 in the Quarter-Finals with a remarkable 122.96 average. The World Champion continues to stun with his performances!
Meanwhile, James Wade also recorded a career-best average of 115.92 in his dominant Round 2 win over Beau Greaves, marking a milestone in his 21-year PDC career.
🌟 ‘The Rockstar’ Puts on a Show for PC5 Win: Joe Cullen took a massive step forward with his victory in Players Championship 5. After a disappointing 2024 by his standards,
Cullen had already reached a final in PC1 and followed it up with a title win here. With this victory, he's looking to maintain consistency and break back into the world’s top 16, marking his first title since the 2022 Hungarian Darts Trophy.
🎙️ Post-Final Interview: Joe Cullen’s Reaction
Speaking to PDC.tv after his victory, Joe Cullen reflected on the significance of the win:
“I think this is the best win of my career because of the adversity I have had to endure over the last year,” an emotional Cullen said.
“When you’re slipping down the rankings and you’re doubting yourself, there is nothing worse in darts.
“I had all sorts going on away from darts, and I wasn’t practicing. There was no motivation there, and that’s why I slid down the rankings, but ultimately the buck stops with me.”
Cullen went on to discuss his current ranking and his determination to climb back up:
“I think I’m down to number 22 in the world. There are not 21 players that are better than me in the world, but the rankings don’t lie.
“I’m there for a reason, but I am doing everything I can to get myself back up those rankings!”
📅 What’s Next?
Darts action returns tomorrow with Players Championship 6 in Leicester. Key questions remain:
Can Cullen claim back-to-back titles and continue his impressive form?
Will Gian van Veen bounce back strongly from today’s heartbreaking defeat?
Will we see a different winner for the 6th consecutive event on the Players Championship circuit?
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