Rob Cross defends Luke Littler amidst claims of 'arrogance': "Luke has got the X factor. Let him celebrate, let him try the outrageous shots"

Rob Cross has stood up for his compatriot Luke Littler after the latter was called arrogant by Ricardo Pietreczko following their match at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze.

'Pikachu' was angry because of an action by Littler in the sixth leg. 'The Nuke' was leading 3-2 at that point and was on 147 after 12 darts. He tried to check out this score via treble 19, tops and bullseye, but threw his second dart off the board. Pietreczko came back to 3-3 moments later, but saw the next four legs go to his English opponent.

Cross, who eventually lost to Littler in a thrilling final, feels that 'The Nuke' did nothing wrong. ''There’s nothing wrong with a bit of swagger. Luke has got the X factor. Let him celebrate, let him try the outrageous shots. Who cares?'' Cross told Sun Sport.

''Luke has made darts rock n’ roll over the past three months. Everyone is talking about the sport and he is backing up the hype with the results. We are talking about a kid who is right up there with the attitude of Eric Bristow and the potential winning ability of Phil Taylor. Long may it continue,'' said the former world champion.