Gary Anderson labels Joe Cullen a ‘cheat’ as darts players row after Premier League match

The pair exchanged heated words during and after the match, which Cullen won

Joe Cullen during his match with Gary Anderson (Getty Images)

Joe Cullen says his Premier League opponent Gary Anderson labelled him a “cheat” after Cullen came from 5-3 down to beat him 6-5 on Thursday.

It was a darts classic but the tension was visible on the last leg, with Anderson looking back at Cullen while setting up to throw. It is thought he believed Cullen was encroaching on him. Anderson then missed darts that would have seen him take the win.

The pair exchanged heated words after the match and Cullen gave DAZN a glimpse into the conversation, saying: “For want of a better expression, he called me a cheat. 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.

“I said: ‘Watch every camera back you’ve got.’ I don’t know whether it was the heat of the moment. We all do stupid things in the heat of the moment. I’m a lot of things but I’m not a cheat. 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 tonight.”

Cullen then went on to beat Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen to take the league title in Rotterdam. The player started the evening at the bottom of the league standings but the win has seen him rise into the play-off places.

He will have to maintain the spot for weeks as the play-offs are being held on 13 June.