Joe Cullen has enjoyed the best year of his darting career.
Now he has been rewarded with a new long-term deal and a prestigious promotion to Maestro at Team Unicorn.
"Together we have a great relationship and a great partnership. To be become a Maestro is reward for the hard work I have put in and it would be great to deliver more titles for Unicorn. That's the big aim certainly!" Cullen said.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed a stellar year, winning a spot inside the world's top 20 for the first time and he tasted victory in two big Players Championship tournaments.
His breakthrough first PDC title came in April when he beat Daryl Gurney 6-5 in a thrilling PC Final. The Unicorn ace followed that with a second Players Championship title in July. Again it was in Barnsley, and this time he beat Austrian Zoran Lerchbacher 6-4.
Cullen has also reached two semi-finals on the European Tour in 2017 and he heads to Minehead this week in confident mood. He is the No.8 seed and faces an all Unicorn clash against Jamie Caven in Friday's 1st Round.
"The top 16 is a big target for me, but the one I am trying very hard to earn is a place in the Premier League," he said. "That is the ultimate for all darts players and if I can up my game even more, I hope I will be knocking on the door. It would also be great to experience the World Series in 2018."
"It is all about ambition, desire and belief. Two years ago I couldn't have afforded to buy I house, but now I have. Family is very important and that gives me a huge sense of achievement, but I feel like it is only the start of the journey."
Unicorn Managing Director Edward Lowy was full of praise for Cullen: "It has been great to see Joe take such huge strides in his career over the last 18 months. This promotion and new contract is richly deserved and we are backing him to succeed and take the next big step up the darting ladder."
And the new range of Joe Cullen Maestro darts will be available very soon. Please keep in touch with the Unicorn website and across social media for all the details.
Story by STUART PYKE
Image courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC
