“It will annoy him that it’s not clicked yet” – Rob Cross surprised at Luke Littler’s performances in Premier League Darts so far

Rob Cross doesn’t buy that Luke Littler will linger in the lower reaches of the Premier League Darts for long. The 2018 world champion is surprised by the current standings but expects the 19-year-old world champion to set things straight soon.

After a month of competition, Littler is on just four points and sits in the bottom half of the table. That’s notable to many, especially given his dominance in recent years.

Cross views it with astonishment. “I don’t think anyone had it on their bingo card that Luke Littler and Luke Humphries would be in the bottom three after a month of the Premier League," he told Oche180. “They’ve not even had a final each and that is almost unthinkable considering they’ve dominated the sport for three years."

According to Cross, it’s only a matter of time before Littler rebounds. “But it won’t last, that’s for sure. The Littler storm is coming. You could see the frustration in his face after losing to Jonny Clayton in Belfast." In Northern Ireland, Littler also had to deal with whistling fans. Cross doesn’t see that as an issue. “He got some stick from the crowd which is a shame but that won’t bother him. That boy is made of stern stuff."

That things aren’t clicking as desired in the Premier League will certainly irritate Littler, according to Cross. “It will annoy him that it’s not clicked yet in the Premier League. There’s definitely nothing wrong with his form. He was incredible at the Poland Darts Open a week ago."

Cross points mainly to the format as a possible explanation. The Premier League is played over a shorter format, leaving little room to grow into a match. “But the short format at the Premier League doesn’t allow him to get into his stride. He can be a slow starter and there’s no room for error against the biggest names in the sport."

Still, Cross sees no cause for concern. Littler has shown in previous Premier League campaigns how dangerous he can be. “That’s never been an issue before, in his two previous Premier Leagues he’s won it and finished second."

The road to success is straightforward, Cross adds. “I still expect him to go all the way to the final. The truth is that he only needs to make it into the top four to reach the play-offs at the O2 in late May."

In fact, Cross suspects the criticism will only fire Littler up. "With Luke he’ll likely be enjoying some people writing him off. Then he’ll coming roaring back, lift the trophy and tell them all again ‘you’re not doubting me now’ just like he did two years ago.”

Cross isn’t only backing Littler. He believes Humphries will also climb the table soon. “It’s so hard to explain how Luke isn’t winning nights. He’s playing absolutely incredible.”

Cross says it’s only a matter of time before Humphries is rewarded for his play. “That won’t last for long. With his scoring power, it will come right and he’ll also be hard to stop.”