Cullen Seals Players Championship 27 Glory to Boost World Grand Prix Hopes

Joe Cullen delivered a timely reminder of his quality on Wednesday in Hildesheim, holding his nerve in a thrilling last-leg decider against Gerwyn Price to win Players Championship 27. The result not only gave the Yorkshireman his second ProTour title of 2025, but also put him on the verge of qualifying for next month’s BoyleSports World Grand Prix.

Cullen, who began the week outside the provisional qualification spots for the double-start event in Leicester, now looks well set to secure his place after banking a valuable £15,000 winner’s cheque. The victory continues a rollercoaster season for the Bradford ace, who admitted his form had dipped badly in recent months.

Battling Through the Field

Cullen’s campaign began steadily with a 6-3 win over Brendan Dolan before he hit his stride, stringing together a series of hard-fought victories. He overcame Adam Hunt, Cameron Menzies, Robert Grundy, and James Hurrell by identical 6-4 scorelines to reach the semi-finals, showcasing resilience and a knack for finishing under pressure.

In the last four, the former Masters champion turned on the style, dismantling Scott Williams 7-1 with a clinical display that underlined his growing confidence throughout the day. That win set up a blockbuster final with Price, who had lifted Players Championship 26 just 24 hours earlier.

A Final Worthy of the Occasion

The decider lived up to its billing. Cullen seized the early advantage, but Price, brimming with confidence after his title on Tuesday, responded with trademark power scoring and back-to-back legs of 12 and 11 darts to level the tie at two apiece.

Momentum swung back in Cullen’s favour as he found a brilliant double-double 94 checkout to move 5-3 in front, but Price would not be shaken off. The Welshman produced another 11-darter before nailing a 104 finish to drag the final back to 6-6.

With both players holding throw in the next two legs, the match went the distance. Cullen, throwing first in the deciding leg, held his nerve to pin double four for the title, letting out a roar of relief and joy as he sealed the victory with a 99.78 average and nine maximums.

“I’m so happy to win this title,” said a delighted Cullen afterwards. “Performances like that reassure me that I can still play this game. I can be a bit of an enigma—even to myself. Some days I’ll average 100, other days I’ll struggle to get near 80. But today I felt more comfortable, and that’s down to the work I’ve been putting in.”

Admitting Mistakes and Finding Form Again

Cullen, who also won Players Championship 5 earlier this year, acknowledged that his recent struggles had been partly self-inflicted.

“I’d not been working anywhere near as hard as I should have been,” he admitted. “I got lazy, I wasn’t practising, and in this sport you get what you deserve. The last couple of months have been tough, but I’ve put the work in again over the last few weeks and it paid off today.”

The victory also eased pressure on his ranking, with Cullen having slipped to world number 29 before the day’s play began. With the Grand Prix looming, the timing of this win could not have been better.

Price Extends His ProTour Lead

Although denied back-to-back titles, Gerwyn Price still left Halle 39 with plenty of positives. The world number five extended his lead at the top of the Players Championship Order of Merit after another strong run that showcased his consistency.

Price began the day with straightforward victories over Tavis Dudeney, Stephen Burton, Jeffrey de Graaf, and Sebastian Bialecki, before overcoming Germany’s Michael Unterbuchner in a tense quarter-final.

He saved his best for the semi-finals, averaging almost 105 and landing seven out of seven attempts on doubles to beat Danny Noppert 7-3. Noppert himself had lit up the tournament with a spectacular nine-darter in round one against Mario Vandenbogaerde, delighting the Halle crowd.

Other Highlights

Scott Williams also enjoyed a fine run to the last four, producing two outrageous 120 finishes (three double 20s) during his third-round demolition of Dom Taylor. Taylor, meanwhile, had earlier caused a huge upset by defeating world number one Luke Humphries with a 103 average in round one.

Elsewhere, big names including Van Veen, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, and Damon Heta all fell at the first hurdle in a tournament full of surprises.

What’s Next

The ProTour season continues later this month with a busy stretch. The European Tour heads to Budapest and Basel in September before the next ProTour block—a treble-header at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena from September 30 to October 2—where Players Championships 28–30 will take place.

With Cullen back in the winner’s circle and Price maintaining his dominance on the floor, the road to the World Grand Prix looks set for plenty more twists and drama.

Cullen Seals Players Championship 27 Glory to Boost World Grand Prix Hopes

2025 Players Championship 27

Wednesday September 10

Halle 39, Hildesheim

Last 16

James Hurrell 6-5 Martin Schindler

Joe Cullen 6-4 Robert Grundy

Scott Williams 6-2 Dominik Gruellich

Alexander Merkx 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski

Gerwyn Price 6-2 Sebastian Bialecki

Michael Unterbuchner 6-1 Wessel Nijman

Danny Noppert 6-4 Cor Dekker

Richard Veenstra 6-5 Ryan Searle

Quarter-Finals

Joe Cullen 6-4 James Hurrell

Scott Williams 6-1 Alexander Merkx

Gerwyn Price 6-4 Michael Unterbuchner

Danny Noppert 6-1 Richard Veenstra

Semi-Finals

Joe Cullen 7-1 Scott Williams

Gerwyn Price 7-3 Danny Noppert

Final

Joe Cullen 8-7 Gerwyn Price

Nine-Darter!

Danny Noppert hit a nine-darter in his first round tie against Mario Vandenbogaerde.