World Darts Championship: Rob Cross bidding for more glory at Alexandra Palace

The St Leonards-based thrower is the number five seed for the sport's flagship event at Alexandra Palace in London and will therefore begin his campaign at the second-round stage.

Cross, who memorably won the title on his first appearance in the tournament seven years ago, will face Scott Williams or Niko Springer in the final second-round match on Monday night.

Williams, ranked just five places outside the seeded spots in 37th, was a semi-finalist last year and reached the quarter-finals at last month's Players Championship Finals, while Springer is a highly-rated German prospect.

If he comes through his opening test, 34-year-old Cross could well take on newly-crowned world youth champion Gian van Veen, ranked 28th, in round three.

The draw hasn't been kind to Cross, who is also in the same quarter as former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall and teenage sensation Luke Littler.

Littler, of course, burst onto the scene with his thrilling run to the final as a 16-year-old last year, beating Cross in a high-class semi-final watched by a peak television audience of 2.32 million.

They could meet again in the quarter-finals this time around - if results go according to the seedings.

Littler may face another player with local connections, the 2024 European Championship winner Ritchie Edhouse, the 29th seed, in round three.

The 41-year-old Edhouse, incidentally, will play Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing in his second-round encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Televised live on Sky Sports, the 96-player tournament got underway last Sunday and will continue through until the champion is crowned on January 3.