Rob Cross beaten by Stephen Bunting in Nordic Darts Masters final

The world number eight from St Leonards won three matches in the Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters before his hopes of glory were thwarted by an 8-4 defeat at the hands of Stephen Bunting.

Cross’s 98.04 average was slightly higher than Bunting’s – and he landed a 116 outshot – but his nine-match winning run against his fourth-ranked opponent came to an end in Copenhagen.

“It wasn’t meant to be for me, I probably ran out of steam in the end,” said Cross. “Credit to Stephen, he was absolutely brilliant and I just didn’t have it in the end.

“For me, I need to carry on fighting. I wanted to win so badly here, but the intensity killed me and I just didn’t perform in the final.”

Cross got to the final of the ITV4-televised event thanks to a 7-4 semi-final win over fellow former world champion Gerwyn Price, conqueror of world number one and Premier League champion Luke Humphries.

Voltage, as Cross is nicknamed, averaged 99.47, and hit four 140s and a 124 checkout in a strong display against the world number 11 from Wales.

Cross whitewashed seventh-ranked Chris Dobey 6-0 in the quarter-finals with the help of three 100-plus finishes, the highest of which was 129.

The 34-year-old began his good run in the Danish capital by overcoming Andreas Harrysson 6-4 in round one the previous evening.

Cross has won two Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) titles so far this year, including the Dutch Darts Masters in January, when he beat Bunting in the final.