2019 Players Championship 3 

Saturday 16th February 2019

Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan

Rob Cross continued his good form at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan this afternoon despite a third round exit in Players Championship 3. Cross scraped through the opening round with a 6-5 win against Yordi Meeuwisse then averaged 107.87 in a 6-3 beating of Ryan Harrington. In the third round John Henderson came from 5-3 down to win 6-5 and deny Cross a place in the last sixteen. 

First Round (vs Yordi Meeuwisse)

Cross can count himself very lucky to get through this opening round tie with Meeuwisse unable to get take out 100 with nine darts in the deciding leg. All legs went with the throw with Cross taking the opener in 17 darts with a 25 checkout.

Meeuwisse won the second leg in 12 darts scoring 140, 121, 140 and checking out on 100 with Cross having left 88 with nine darts thrown having scored 180, 93 and 140. Cross took the next leg in 14 darts, hitting a second maximum and taking out 32 in two darts. Cross then failed to take out 52 with three darts in hand as his Dutch opponent made it 2-2, finishing off the same score for a 21 darter.

Both players scored well in the fifth leg with Cross taking out 124 to win it in 15 darts. Meeuwisse then had a 15-dart leg himself by taking out 61. This time ‘Voltage’ left 68 after 12 darts; A third maximum from Cross helped him go 4-3 up, taking out double eight in a 13-dart leg. The scoring was not as high in the eighth leg as Meeuwisse won it in 18 darts by taking out 123 with Cross left on 107.

The former World Champion then kicked off the next leg with back-to-back 180s, following up with a score of 133 and taking out eight for an 11 darter. Meeuwisse then took the match to a decider with a score of 177 to leave 24 which he took out in three darts for a 15 darter with Cross left on 119.

Cross then crawled over the line to make the last 64 with a 25-dart leg, managing to take out 56 in 10 darts.

Despite the poor final leg Cross averaged 95.27 and Meeuwisse averaged 90.89

Second Round (vs Ryan Harrington)

A much better performance from Cross in this match. He took the opening leg in 15 darts with a 105 checkout. Harrington levelled in the same number of darts with a 74 finish to make it 1-1.

Cross then produced some quality darts to win the next three legs in 13, 13 and 12 darts. The first was won with scores of 140, 58, 133, 134 and a double eighteen finish. The second by hitting 134, 96, 101, 138 and a double sixteen finish with Harrington left waiting on 46 after 15 darts then the third was won with 134, 180, 133 and a 54 finish.

Harrington then won the next in 18 darts to trail 4-2 with a 55 finish as Cross was left waiting on 12 after 15 darts thrown. The Sussex man then took out a 68 finish for a 14 darter with Harrington left on 44 after 12 darts.

Harrington was still battling away. He then won a third leg, an 11 darter with scores of 140, 137, 140 and an 84 finish. Cross then won the next leg in 13 darts for a 6-3 win with scores of 140, 60, 134, 131 and a double eighteen finish.

Cross averaged 107.87

Third Round (vs John Henderson)

This tie was a topsy turvy affair with Cross hitting a 180 on the way to winning the opening leg in 13 darts with a double sixteen finish. Another maximum from Cross with his opening throw in the second leg followed by scores of 140 and 120 left him on 61 after nine darts. The former Electrician failed to take this out, leaving 36 after his next throw as Henderson took out 101 for a 15 darter.

Cross could only muster a score of 58 to open the third leg as ‘Big John’ fired in his first 180 of the match. Cross followed up with scores of 134 and 139 to leave 170 as Henderson hit 125 and 140 to leave 56. Cross missed a chance of ‘the big fish’, leaving 25 after 12 darts. Henderson took out the 56 in two darts to go 2-1 up.

15 dart hold of throws followed from both players, Henderson taking out 66 and Cross taking out 12. Henderson started the sixth leg with a 49 and Cross stepped up and scored 134, 140 and 180 to leave 47. Henderson followed up his poor opening throw with a second maximum but then hit two further scores in the forties as Cross took out the 47 in two darts to level at 3-3.

‘Voltage’ then won the next two legs in 13 and 12 darts to go 5-3 up. 180’s in both with finishes of 36 and 124. Henderson himself played well in both of these legs leaving 24 and 25, hitting a third 180 in the second of the legs.

Both players hit maximums in the next leg as Cross left 69 after 12 darts. Henderson though took it in 12 darts having also scored 125, 123 and finished off 73. The high scoring eased off a bit in the next leg as ‘The Highlander’ won it in 19 darts after Cross failed to take out 80 with three darts in hand.

A poor score of 41 from Cross in the deciding leg gave the initiative to Henderson which he duly took as he opened with back-to-back 180s and followed up with a score of 85 to leave 56. At this stage Cross was left on 159. Henderson then failed to take out the 56 with his next six darts, leaving himself on 10. Cross had a chance to take the match but couldn’t take out 96 as Henderson came back and used a further two darts for a 6-5 victory.

Cross averaged 106.48, Henderson averaged 102.87

Conclusion

Michael van Gerwen had another great day, winning his second Players Championship title of the year, also hitting a second nine-dart leg in a Players Championship event inside a week.

‘MvG’ beat Ian White 8-5 in the final after wins against Ryan Searle 6-3, Ross Smith 6-4, Jamie Hughes 6-3, Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-3, Gavin Carlin 6-3 and Mervyn King 7-3, recording three averages in the hundreds, saving his best 105.72 for the final.

Results