Former darts world champion Rob Cross has shown his class with a short but sweet statement on social media after being beaten by teenage sensation Luke Littler on Tuesday evening. The 33-year-old was knocked out of the PDC World Darts Championship in the semi-finals, being comfortably beaten 6-2.
Littler has captured the heart of the nation since bursting onto the scene at Alexandra Palace, cruising past some of his childhood heroes en route to the final. The 16-year-old’s fairytale run in the competition was taken to a new level on Tuesday when showing maturity beyond his years to beat Cross.
Despite losing the first set, Littler kept his cool to cruise to a 6-2 victory and send the Ally Pally crowd into a frenzy. The teenager will take on newly-crowned world No. 1 Luke Humphries, and he will need to be at his very best if he is to land the £500,000 prize pot.
After being defeated by the breakout star, Cross showed his class on stage when congratulating the teen and wishing him luck for Wednesday’s final. He has since released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that showed his true colours, saying: “I gave it everything but total respect to Luke for another incredible performance.
“What a player. Good luck to both great lads in the final. Thanks for the great support I’ve had. I’ll be back.”
Cross and Littler spoke briefly after the match, and the latter revealed the gist of the conversation when speaking with Sky Sports. He explained: “He just said ‘God bless, I respect you and do it’.
“I have no words, it’s just crazy that I’m in a World Championship final on my debut. I was happy winning one game but I could go all the way. My target was to still be here after Christmas and now here I am in the final. I’ve just settled on the stage – once I find the rhythm, I’m good to go.”
Only Humphries is capable of stopping Littler’s charge for glory proving successful, and the 28-year-old has talked up the chances of his opponent. Speaking after his emphatic 6-0 win over Scott Williams, he said: “I’ve seen the way he’s played many, many times but when you come on this stage it can be a lot tougher but he’s just proved that he’s got a lot of bottle.
“Nothing is going to faze him. I’m probably going to have to play the game of my life. I’ve got an uphill task and hopefully we can give the people one of the best world finals ever seen.”
