Rob Cross creates spectacle in Blackpool with unparalleled comeback | Darts

For a moment Cross seemed nothing more than a shadow of himself. Voltage is back in shape after a lesser period and told at ViaPlay that he had returned to darts. But he could not immediately convert that energy into sharp play at the oche.

The Englishman was quickly broken and could hardly find the doubles: only 11% in the first five legs. His opponent and compatriot Chris Dobey fared a lot better or on the warm podium. After a mixed opening phase, the 32-year-old darter ran out to an 8-2 lead in one go.

But in view of the harbour, the game turned completely around. Cross suddenly managed to hit the doubles, mainly because he was given the space to do so by a frustrated Dobey. He didn’t let go of that momentum and he fought back to 8-8. The knocked-down Dobey managed to grab one more leg, but couldn’t stop the unleashed Cross in the decisive phase.

• Rob Cross – Chris Dobey 11-9
• Jose de Sousa – Gabriel Clemens
• Gerwyn Price – Martin Schindler
• Dave Chisnall – Kim Huybrechts

• Darryl Gurney – Danny Noppert
• Rowby-John Rodriguez – Dimitri van den Bergh
• Michael Smith – Dirk van Duijvenbode
• Michael van Gerwen – Joe Cullen
• James Wade – Nathan Aspinall
• Peter Wright – Krzysztof Ratajski