BRADFORD'S Joe Cullen will take on Nathan Aspinall in Saturday’s Betfred World Matchplay semi-finals, after the pair won through enthralling ties against Daryl Gurney and Chris Dobey respectively on Thursday.

Day Six saw the first two quarter-finals take place at the Winter Gardens, and it was Cullen and Aspinall who broke new ground in Blackpool with impressive victories.

Earlier in the night, Cullen secured a place in his first World Matchplay semi-final with a hard-fought win over Gurney, who paid the price for a disastrous start to the contest.

Gurney raced into a 5-0 lead against Gary Anderson in his last 16 tie, but this time was on the receiving end of an early blitz by a clinical Cullen, who stormed to a clean sweep in the opening session.

The Northern Irishman responded with 77, 86 and 92 combinations to reduce the arrears to 6-3, and he continued his comeback with a spectacular 132 on the bull in leg 13.

Cullen then replied with a delightful 142 checkout to restore his four-leg buffer at 9-5, although a tenacious Gurney won three of the next four legs to cut the gap to just two.

However, the two-time semi-finalist surrendered his throw when trailing 10-8 and 12-10, with back-to-back 13-darters moving Cullen to the cusp of victory at 14-10.

The Bradford star fired in maximums in four consecutive legs in his race to the finish, and a sublime 162 set-up shot helped him complete another 13-darter to wrap up a 16-11 success.

“It was a battle, but I ground that result out,” reflected Cullen after his victory, who averaged 97 and landed eight 180s to cap off a professional display.

“I think the first session won me that game. It was pretty even after that, but I found some big scores and big finishes when I needed them most.

“It feels great to be in the semi-finals. I feel like I can win this tournament, but it’s about producing it on the day.

“This sport has been my life over the last decade, so it would mean everything to win this title. I believe I’m good enough, and now I want to write my name into history.”

Aspinall produced the performance of the night to defeat Dobey 16-12, producing a sensational mid-game burst to move through to his first semi-final at the Empress Ballroom.