'Inconsistency on doubles is killing me at the moment' - Form dip causes Culllen to slide further down Order of Merit

Joe Cullen openly admits that his doubles are letting him down at the moment. The 36-year-old darter from Bradford is honest about his shaky form, especially after a disappointing performance at the World Matchplay in Blackpool earlier this month, where he was eliminated in the opening round by eventual finalist James Wade.

On Tuesday, Cullen returned to the oche during Players Championship 22 in Hildesheim, Germany, and started strong. He opened with a thrilling 6-5 win over Jose de Sousa, despite the Portuguese posting a higher average (94.10 versus 93.25). Cullen took an early 4-1 lead, saw his opponent come back to 4-4, but eventually kept his cool in the deciding leg.

In the second round, Cullen was on a roll. With an impressive average of 102.81, he defeated Swiss Stefan Bellmont 6-2. The Englishman threw an average above 100 in six of the eight legs, with peaks towards 125.25 in two legs - a clear indication that his scoring ability is still at a high level.

Yet Cullen could not continue this form in the third round. Against Niels Zonneveld he fell behind 5-2, but fought his way back to 5-5. In the deciding leg, however, his doubles failed him again, leaving the Dutchman with a 6-5 win.

A day later, however, a dramatic setback followed at Players Championship 23, again in Hildesheim. Cullen lost hopelessly 6-1 to Owen Bates in a match in which both players disappointed with averages in the low 80s.