\n<\/p>\n
Luke Littler was knocked out of the first Players Championship event of the year as he lost 6-3 to Joe Cullen.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 18-year-old PDC world champion averaged just 87.8 in the third-round match while fellow Englishman Cullen managed 95.4.<\/p>\n
Cullen threw six 180s as he won five consecutive legs to reach the last 16 of the tournament at the Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan.<\/p>\n
By contrast Littler uncharacteristically missed 15 doubles and was way below his best.<\/p>\n
Another big-name casualty at the same stage was world number five Stephen Bunting, who suffered a 6-4 defeat to Andrew Gilding while James Wade went down 6-1 to Ross Smith.<\/p>\n
World number one Luke Humphries went through with a comfortable 6-2 win over Mensur Suljovic.<\/p>\n
Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, who beat Littler in the Premier League<\/a> opener in Belfast last week, is not taking part in this tournament.<\/p>\n There are 34 Players Championship events across the year, with the competition’s finals scheduled to be held in Minehead from 21-23 November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n