Joe Cullen has claimed he was called a "cheat" by rival Gary Anderson in an ill-tempered confrontation between the pair following their Premier League Darts match on Thursday night.
Englishman Cullen prevailed 6-5 in a dramatic contest, notching an impressive average of 92.82. He then went on to beat world champion Peter Wright 6-4 in the semi-final, before sealing his night of glory by overcoming Michael van Gerwen 6-5.
The win lifted Cullen, 32, into fourth in the table on 10 points, behind van Gerwen, Wright, and Jonny Clayton. However, after the event in Rotterdam, it was the explosive exchange between 'The Rockstar' and Anderson that dominated the analysis.
At the time, it wasn't clear what 'The Flying Scotsman' was so angry about as he released his rage, with some fans speculating it was over perceived encroachment from Cullen during play. Regardless, the victor didn't seem to sure either.
"For want of a better expression, he called me a cheat," he was quoted as saying in The Sun. "I’m not a cheat. I won’t be called that by any player, it doesn’t matter who it is."
“Gary was saying I know what I did, I said I don’t know what I did. I did absolutely nothing wrong. Never had an issue with Gary in the past. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, my conscience is clear. I don’t know what it was."
Two-time world champion Anderson, 51, does have a history of disputes on the oche. Back in 2018, he had to defend himself against bizarre claims that he was deliberately 'farting' on stage in a match against Wesley Harms.
In 2021, he was also roundly criticised after losing in the final of the world championships to rival Gerwyn Price, failing to congratulate the Welshman in his post-match interview. Cullen, who told Anderson "to watch every camera" to prove his claims, attributed this latest controversy to his opponent reacting rashly.
“We all do stupid things in the heat of the moment. But I did absolutely nothing wrong. I’m a lot of things but I’m not a cheat," he added. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Gary, he’s a great ambassador for the sport but I think he let himself down a bit. It was petty.”
Regardless, the incident didn't affect Cullen's focus in Holland, spoiling the homecoming of van Gerwen. The former world no 1 had already triumphed in Exeter and Brighton to climb to the top of the table.
Wins over Michael Smith and Jonny Clayton kept 'Mighty' on course for win number three, only for Cullen to go eg-for-leg with the crowd favourite before eventually sealing the win with a double-four.
It made him the sixth winner in seven events so far this year. Night eight takes place next Thursday in Birmingham.
