"I'm single now so that's all I've really got in the world now is darts": Rob Cross openly admits darts is sole purpose after Noppert thrashing
PDCTuesday, 21 July 2026 at 09:02
Rob Cross thrashed Danny Noppert to conclude the first round of the World Matchplay on Monday night. Winning through 10-3, Cross while not at his best didn't need to be and he made light work of 'The Freeze'.
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Cross was at one point very much not going to qualify, but a shot in the arm form wise meant that he did last minute and he used that opportunity to its full as he spoke to the media including DartsNews.com about how he motivated himself to head towards Blackpool in the best way possible.
"What I would say is, in the practice room tonight, you tell yourself the right things. I worked my socks off to get here. I feel like I deserve to be here and, yeah, I'm very glad that I'm in the next round," said Cross to the media including DartsNews.com.
"Motivation? I suppose Rab (Bain), my manager, had a little conversation. Me and him don't have many conversations because I love to win an argument, I love to win a conversation. But he sat me down and said, "Come on, son." He said, "Look, have you seen the World Matchplay race?"
He also added that after his separation from his wife, he very much only has darts so in theory he can only really focus on the main era of his life. "I was like, "Nah, I've not looked at it," because I never ever look. I've never had to. I've been blessed. But he said to me, "You're really in trouble."
"So the following day I thought I'd have a little peek. I was about 40-something. I was in no man's land. My words to him were, "I'm going to be alright. Don't worry about it. Just wash it off."
"But I really would say that when I did look at it, that was my motivation. If you miss this place, you're doing something wrong in your career. I've been very fortunate to be here every year since I've been a professional. I love this place. To miss it would have been heartbreaking. Maybe I'd have given up, I'm not too sure. But that conversation really gave me a kick up the backside and pushed me into where I needed to be.
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"I suppose I look at darts now... I'm single now, so that's all I've really got in the world now is darts. I can just concentrate on that."
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"You were born and your arse was always on the porcelain, it doesn't matter"
Speaking about nearly missing out, he said that he has never had a silver spoon in his mouth so in reality, he knows struggle and he knows luxury that darts has brought him so in reality he can cope with both.
"Maybe it was a wake-up call. But when you were born and your arse was always on the porcelain, it doesn't really matter.
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"I've never really had a lot in life, but there's one thing I've learned through life — I can fight for whatever I want, and that's what I've done.
"If you're good enough one day or the next, great. If you're not, go back to school and go again."
Cross also gets why he doesn't get the chances he got before and that now he has to graft to put it right after having Premier League and World Series to now having to claw his way into tournaments.
"What you're looking at is a world number 22 maybe. Overlooked? I think I would have done better on Jobseekers than that one personally! I've not played well for a long time. I've not been involved.
"I was blessed last year. I didn't play the darts but I still got the Premier League. I wouldn't say it was a disaster. I had some decent averages in that. I played the World Series. That didn't work out, even though I won the first one. I never got replaced this year. I don't blame them at world number 22.
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Rob Cross through in Blackpool.
"But the difference is, if you're buzzing and you're playing well, you're wanted and you're up the top end of the game. If you're not, you need to put more practice in. You need to do the right things and try to get yourself back.
"For the last two and a half or three months, I've been really focused. I've really concentrated on what I wanted. The first agenda was making the Matchplay, which I think I've done well. There aren't many people in the world who can do what I do. There are a lot of quality players out there that missed out this time and they couldn't do that. So yeah, I feel blessed."
But despite that, he said that he won't be back in the top 16, he will be in the top 10 by the end of the year and is very much bullish about his chances.
"I'll be back in the top 10 by the end of the year. That's all I've got to say. The problem is Bobby's a psychopath! When the mind's right, I can do what I want and I'll prove that."
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"I've always been lucky and I've always been good. I've never really spent much time outside the top 10 if you look over a 10-year period.I've been through hard times before. I can deal with them. I'm pretty resilient and pretty robust.
"If things go wrong, I'm already used to that. That was life, wasn't it? So I suppose the rest of it just comes with it. But it's how much you want it. I get my head down now. I work hard. I put my right foot forward coming into the back end of the year.
"I'm not overlooking this. I want to win this again. I think it's a want thing with me. When mentally I'm not right, I can't win a raffle. I can't beat Mickey Mouse. I've probably said that before. Now I'm good. I'm enjoying darts and I want to be here. So yeah, why waste it? In a year's time I probably won't want to play."
Price awaits
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Next up is in fact Gerwyn Price and he said they joked beforehand with each other about their potential game and shared that they get on and have a laugh together but of course it will all be business.
"I don't think it's about the opportunity. One game at a time. Me and Gezzy had a bit of banter tonight before he walked out. I told him he was lucky.
"He said, "I'll get lucky on Wednesday an' all." I told him I was going to win an' all.
"Me and him have that kind of banter. I've got a lot of time for Gezzy and the way he is. But come Wednesday, we've got to play.
"Best man wins on the day. I want it a little bit more at the minute. There's no doubt Gezzy will turn up. He'll have a lot of confidence from today, being behind and coming through.
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"I'm not silly. I know how to play the game. I know how to read the game. I watched Gezzy's game today and I wasn't surprised that he got away with it. If he'd played someone else in the tournament, maybe it was different. But he had the right man for the job. That's bad, isn't it? I didn't mean that... I did.
"Me and him will have a little bit of banter, but it'll be work. That's what it has to be. He's a true professional. I've always got on with Gezzy. But when it comes down to the job, get on with it and make sure you're a winner."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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