Premier League campaign going well for Cross – another final reached

The world number six from St Leonards pulled off splendid wins over a pair of world champions before losing to table-topping Luke Littler on night 14 last Thursday.

Cross firstly clinched the last two legs to edge past Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in a high-class quarter-final in Aberdeen.

The 2018 world champion averaged 99.94 and landed a 116 checkout to defeat Van Gerwen for the second week in a row, despite the Dutch great averaging 108.33.

Cross then came through another last-leg shoot-out in the semi-finals, on this occasion against world number one and reigning world champion Luke Humphries.

But despite averaging 101.62 and landing a 117 outshot, the 33-year-old was beaten by 17-year-old sensation Littler in the final for the second week running, this time losing 6-4.

Those results kept Cross sixth in the eight-man league table, with the top four after night 16 of the elite weekly roadshow tournament advancing to the Play-Offs at London's O2.

Meanwhile, fellow local player Ritchie Edhouse continued his terrific form by reaching the semi-finals of Players Championship 9 in Germany on Monday.

The world number 50, who has got to the last 16 or better in the most recent three European Tour events, won five matches en route to the final four in Hildesheim.

Edhouse beat Jim Williams 6-3, James Hurrell 6-3, Darren Beveridge 6-1, former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 6-0 and Callan Rydz 6-5 before losing 7-4 to Ryan Joyce.