Premier League miss is a blow for Sussex ace Cross

The world number 10 from St Leonards was not part of the eight-man line-up announced on Monday for the roadshow event which began in Cardiff last night (Thursday).

The field contains the top six players on the Professional Darts Corporation Order of Merit, plus defending champion Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen, who won the Ladbrokes Masters last weekend.

The Premier League line-up always generates plenty of debate and many darts followers on social media felt Cross was hard done by not to be included having won a televised tournament, the European Championship, in the autumn.

The line-up has been reduced from 10 players to eight this year and there's a new format, with 16 mini-events during the season ahead of the Play-Offs, where the champion will be crowned.

Cross was the Premier League runner-up in 2019 and a semi-finalist in 2018, on both occasions losing to three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.

The 2018 world champion went out in the last 16 of the Masters, which was played at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes and televised live on ITV4.

Cross, nicknamed Voltage, saw off Brendan Dolan 6-2 in round one on Friday night before losing 10-7 to Jose de Sousa on Saturday afternoon.

The 31-year-old opened up with a comfortable win over 23rd-ranked Dolan, which included a 105 checkout to break throw in the opening leg.

He was then 5-4 up against world number seven De Sousa, aided by a brilliant 146 outshot to pinch the seventh leg, before spurning a glorious chance to break throw for a 6-4 lead.

De Sousa took advantage to go 8-6 ahead and although Cross claimed the next leg, the Portuguese finished 101 to move 9-7 in front before sealing victory with a 122 checkout on the bullseye.

Cross and fellow local player Ritchie Edhouse are among the entries for the first two Players Championship events of 2022 in Barnsley this weekend.