JOE CULLEN has failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts major, which gets underway next Saturday in Wolverhampton.

With 24 of the field having already qualified, via TV finals and European Tour success etc, there were only eight spots left in the 32-player field.

And Bradford thrower Cullen was trying to claim one of those at the final qualifying event in Leicester on Friday afternoon.

Any player reaching the quarter-finals of the event would book their spot at the Grand Slam of Darts major, and Cullen made a dream start.

The Wyke man crushed Kim Huybrechts 5-0 in his opening game in the last-64, averaging well over 100, setting up a clash against Jeffrey De Zwaan.

But that was where Cullen’s hopes of qualifying for the Grand Slam ended, as he was beaten 5-3.

In the end, Keane Barry, Martin Lukeman, Danny Noppert, James Wade, Cameron Menzies, Mickey Mansell and Ross Smith were the eight men who made it through.

Cullen was not the only big-name player to miss out on the Grand Slam, with Chris Dobey, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price all failing to qualify too after coming up short in Friday’s qualifier.