Darts star Rob Cross wins maiden European Tour title - and gets England call-up

The world number five from St Leonards was victorious at the Interwetten European Darts Grand Prix in the German town of Sindelfingen last weekend.

Cross clinched the title with an 8-6 success against Luke Humphries in a match where whoever won would team up with Michael Smith for England at the upcoming World Cup.

He told the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC): "I'm just so glad that I've won a European Tour title. I've been striving to win one of these for six years.

"I have got that monkey off my back now. I've been playing well for a little while, so I can move forward now.

"I'm playing some of the best darts I've ever played. I'm also probably the happiest I've been in life for quite a while and that's really important for me. I'm in a really good place.

"I'm happy to be at the World Cup. I wanted to be there, but so did Luke, so commiserations to him. What a player he is."

Despite being a former World Championship, World Matchplay and two-time European Championship winner, Cross had never before clinched a European Tour title.

In fact, he had lost each of his previous seven European Tour finals, three of them against Humphries last year, including in the 2022 European Darts Grand Prix.

But the tables were turned this time as Cross defied a 104.22 average from world number six Humphries to claim the £30,000 winner's prize.

After the opening four legs of the final went with throw, Cross produced a brilliant 10-dart break to lead 3-2. Humphries broke straight back, but a 100 checkout put Cross back in front at 5-4.

Three missed darts at double from Humphries allowed Cross to make it 6-4 and Cross wrapped things up four legs later with a 72 finish after Humphries had missed the bull for a 167 outshot.

Earlier on Sunday evening, Cross won five of the last six legs to overcome 18th-ranked Ross Smith 7-4 in the semi-finals, aided by a 101.1 average and another 100 checkout.

The 32-year-old recovered from 3-1 behind to defeat world number 19 Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 in a quarter-final where he landed two 100-plus outshots, including a 117.

Cross - who won Players Championship 11 the previous weekend - took the last four legs to run out a 6-3 victor against Ross Montgomery in his last-16 match on Sunday afternoon.

And he began the event with a 6-2 second-round triumph against Dutch thrower Martijn Kleermaker on Saturday afternoon, hitting a 121 finish to boot.

The World Cup of Darts, incidentally, will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from June 15-18, with an expanded tournament featuring 40 teams and a £450,000 prize fund.