Darts star full of class after Luke Littler picked over him for Premier League
Darts star Joe Cullen is satisfied the PDC made the right call by picking Luke Littler for the upcoming Premier League competition, despite some claiming he should have made the cut instead.
Littler, 16, made a dramatic run to the final of the World Championships at Alexandra Palace, beating former champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross along the way before losing to Luke Humphries. The teenager claimed a £200,000 prize for his run, and now has the opportunity to add even more prize money for his Premier League exploits.
Of course, one man's gain is another man's loss, and in this case it's Cullen who misses out. A number of fans have argued the Premier League runner-up in 2022, should have got the nod ahead of Littler, but the 34-year-old gave a classy response on social media.
"Had plenty of messages about Premier League picks- some saying I should be in, some saying other players should be in…" Cullen wrote. "Personally think @OfficialPDC got it right this year!
"Littler HAD to be in!" he continued "The global attention his rise has attracted is huge for darts! And we as players will all benefit."
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Plenty of fans showed their support for Cullen. "Great reaction, this. Most people would find it hard to see the bigger picture," wrote one, while another called him "Class as always".
Others suggested a return to the Premier League's old format could offer a solution. A number of editions began with 10 players, two of whom were relegated during the competition, and some suggested a re-expansion to 10 or even a 12-player format might suit the competition and allow the likes of Cullen to compete.
Do you agree with Joe Cullen? Have your say in the comments section
Joe Cullen has backed Luke Littler's Premier League inclusion (Katie Chan/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)"My question is; is it time to expand the Premier League to 10 or 12? Maybe even a league of 16 and play over two nights." one wrote.
"Do you not think it should go back to old format and it being 12 players playing best of 10," asked another. "Bottom 4 knocked out after first round of fixtures.
"Then you can include the likes of you Dobey, Anderson, Clayton and Bunting. They need to expand the field not make it smaller."
Luke Littler is one of eight players taking part in the 2024 Premier League (Ian Stephen/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)The eight players picked for the Premier League will each make at least £60,000. The eventual champion will win a top prize of £275,000, while there are also £10,000 payouts for weekly winners
New world champion Luke Humphries is also in the mix along with Littler, with four players qualifying through the order of merit and the remaining four handed wildcards. Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross complete the line-up.
“It will be right up my street and I can't wait," Littler said after accepting the invitation. "Obviously Manchester and Liverpool are very close to my home town (Warrington) and I'm looking forward to the magnificent Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Cardiff, Brighton... it's going to be an amazing experience.
“Playing darts week in, week out, in front of tens of thousands of fans, against the world's best players, is a dream come true. I'm looking forward to the Mercedes-Benz arena – it's massive and they have a nice crowd over there in Germany.
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“It might be lively in Cardiff if I end up playing Gezzy there on the opening night when he gets the crowd on his side but it will be an amazing experience and a good test for myself. But that's the nature of the Premier League – I've just got to do what I do and show why I'm there every week.”
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