Rob Cross is relishing his return to the South Coast on Night Five of the BetMGM Premier League, as he prepares to take on league leader Luke Humphries in Brighton.
Cross will play the world number one in the evening’s third quarter-final tie at The Brighton Centre, in a repeat of their semi-final clash in Exeter seven days ago.
Humphries converted a hat-trick of ton-plus finishes to run out a 6-5 winner on that occasion, but the Hastings-born star is hoping that a return to familiar territory can inspire a different outcome on Thursday.
“I always enjoy playing Luke,” insisted the 2017/18 World Champion.
“I missed a trick against him last week, missing four doubles in one leg, but that’s part and parcel of the game.
“We usually seem to perform against each other, so I can’t wait to get up there and hopefully get over the line.
“It would be absolutely fantastic to get the win tonight. I have some fond memories here. I love Brighton; it’s a special place.
“I will have a few friends in the crowd. They have messaged me, so hopefully I get plenty of support and the right result!”
Having reached the Night One semi-finals in Belfast, Cross suffered back-to-back quarter-final exits against Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall, surrendering a 5-1 lead against Littler on Night Two.
However, the 34-year-old arrested that run with a crucial deciding-leg victory over Michael van Gerwen on Night Four, after the Dutchman squandered three match darts in a dramatic finale.
“That was a big moment for me last week,” admitted Cross, who is two points adrift of the Play-Off places in sixth position.
“I remember last year I had six straight quarter-final defeats, and that ruined my chances of making the top four.
“I think if I had picked up a couple of wins during that period I could have potentially still been in contention, so I had that in the back of my mind.
“To get those two points last week - it feels like a clean slate this week, where I can dust myself off after the weekend, and hopefully I’ll put in a great performance. That’s what I want to do.”
Cross has enjoyed a positive start to 2025, following up his Dutch Darts Masters success on the World Series circuit with victory in the year’s opening Players Championship event last month.
“I want to win more,” continued the world number four, who is determined to break new ground over the coming months.
“I think the most I’ve won in a year is five titles. I would love to beat that this year and have the best year of my life.
“That is the plan and that’s what I am going to keep pushing towards.
“It’s about taking my chances. If you had spoken to me three or four months ago, it felt like my scoring wasn’t there at times.
“That is back now, and everything feels good in my game. I want to perform now, and I’m hungry for more success this year.”
The 2025 BetMGM Premier League will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers (outside of the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2025 BetMGM Premier League
Night Five - Thursday March 6
The Brighton Centre
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler v Chris Dobey
Rob Cross v Luke Humphries
Stephen Bunting v Nathan Aspinall
Semi-Finals
Price/Van Gerwen v Littler/Dobey
Cross/Humphries v Bunting/Aspinall
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs
