Can Voltage Shock the Darts World Once Again?

Twelve months on and the best throwers in the world are preparing to descend on North London again and among the many questions to be answered surrounds Cross and his potential for a successful title defence.

Cross only turned professional at the start of 2017 and there had been little to suggest that he would be claiming a world title some eleven months later. His career in the BDO division had been unremarkable and through 2017, his best performance came with an appearance in the final of the European Championship. In the , Voltage made it to the semis and from that point there was some support for the thrower but most pundits felt that the world title would come down to a straight shootout between Phil Taylor and the favourite Michael Van Gerwen. On his way to claiming the crown, Rob Cross would beat both men; defeating Van Gerwen 6-5 in a tight semi-final before an emphatic win over Taylor denied The Power a fairy-tale ending to his illustrious career. The victory came from nowhere and was likened to Keith Deller’s triumph in the Embassy final of 1983 but as the world championships appear on the horizon, is Cross ready for a repeat?

Cross’ heroics at Alexandra Palace earned him a place in the prestigious Premier League at the start of 2018 but he began this competition in subdued form. Voltage found himself on the wrong end of a 7-2 drubbing from defending champion Michael Van Gerwen and things got worse in week two as he went down 1-7 to Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock.
Cross eventually battled back to make it through to the semi final but those struggles in the early rounds were indicative of the problems he would face throughout the year. As he prepares to defend his title at Ally Pally, that semi final appearance in the Premier League is his best result in a PDC Major since claiming that world crown.
There have been some minor wins however and Rob Cross will head into his title defence at Alexandra Palace with the Brisbane Masters and the Players Championship in Wigan to add to his trophy cabinet.

Much will depend on the draw but the organisers have been kind to Rob Cross, installing him as second seed for the PDC World Championship in December. That could set Voltage up for a semi-final tie with Peter Wright who has also endured a mixed season of lows with very few highs. If you are planning on Cross is fourth favourite for a successful defence and had he started as fourth seed, he may well have run into a rampant Van Gerwen in the semi rather than a shaky Snakebite Wright. His form has to lift but the bottom half of that draw looks as though it will provide an easier path into the final on New Year’s Day. The markets also underline where the overall threats will be: Michael Van Gerwen hasn’t dominated the circuit this year but he remains the best thrower in the world while Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will be threats if they are at the top of their game. Elsewhere, James Wade has made a welcome return to form while Mensur Suljovic has arguably been the most consistent player through 2018. It’s been a mixed year on the circuit with Daryl Gurney, Gerwyn Price and Ian White among a number of unlikely trophy winners. on the way to a potential title defence and he’s not been at his best this season but if Voltage can rediscover his form from 12 months ago, he has the quality to claim back to back world titles.