Rob Cross continued his impressive start to the year with an emphatic 8-3 victory against Joe Cullen in Monday’s Players Championship One final in Wigan.
Cross produced a series of dominant displays to secure his second title of 2025 in the year’s opening Players Championship event, having also celebrated Dutch Darts Masters glory in Den Bosch last month.
The 2018 World Champion produced a trio of ton-plus averages on his way to victory at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, before dispatching Cullen to clinch his tenth Players Championship crown.
Following convincing 6-2 wins over Rob Owen and Owen Bates earlier in the day, Cross averaged 104 in a high-quality tie against James Hurrell, before running out a 6-3 winner against ProTour debutant Carl Sneyd.
The 34-year-old then denied Jermaine Wattimena in a last-leg shoot-out to book his place in the semi-finals, where he overturned a 3-0 deficit against Andrew Gilding, reeling off seven straight legs to prevail with a 108 average.
Cross continued that scintillating form against a resurgent Cullen, averaging 104.6 and firing in five 180s to claim the £15,000 top prize.
The world number four made a blistering start to lead 3-0 with a 110 average, and although Cullen cut the deficit with back-to-back legs, Cross replied with legs of 13 and 14 darts to restore his three-leg buffer.
Cross then converted a crucial 129 checkout on the bull in leg nine to move 6-3 ahead, before following up an 11-dart break with another dominant hold to cap off a classy performance.
“It’s nice to win on the ProTour again,” admitted Cross, who almost missed out on qualification for last year’s Players Championship Finals.
“I was a bit lazy last year, and I thought to myself: ‘Don’t put yourself in that position again,’ because it’s heart-wrenching.
“I’ve been hit and miss in the last few months, but I’m enjoying myself at the minute, and when I do find it, I can play some special darts.
“I had a couple of wisdom teeth out at the weekend, so I don’t feel at my best right now, but I can’t use that as an excuse.
“I feel like I’m getting better, and if I can deliver that when I’m not 100%, that is typical Bobby isn’t it!”
Cross’ heroics denied Cullen a first PDC ranking title since September 2022, although the former Masters champion enjoyed a welcome return to form in Wigan.
Cullen dumped out World Champion Luke Littler and world number one Luke Humphries in his run to the final, which began with successive deciding-leg wins over Greg Ritchie and Scott Williams.
The Bradford-born star then punished a below-par display from Littler in round three, before accounting for Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Richard Veenstra in reaching the semi-finals.
There, Cullen defied a stirring fightback from Humphries to triumph in a last-leg epic, averaging 105 to end Humphries’ 13-match winning run, which ironically began against him at the Winmau World Masters.
Humphries overcame Austrian duo Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic on his way to the last four, and he also defeated Mike De Decker in a repeat of October’s World Grand Prix final.
The world number one then swept aside Darryl Pilgrim to book his semi-final berth alongside Andrew Gilding, who saw off Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton and Luke Woodhouse to kick off the new ProTour season in style.
Woodhouse landed a brace of ton-plus averages in advancing to the last eight, where he was joined by new Tour Card Holder Pilgrim, European Championship runner-up Wattimena and Veenstra.
Dimitri Van den Bergh produced the performance of the day in Wigan, averaging 113.97 in his second round demolition of Cam Crabtree, while Ryan Searle averaged almost 108 in his first round defeat against Italy’s Michele Turetta.