beau greaves headlines the latest darts talking point, but Rob Cross took the result in Wigan on Wednesday. He beat Maik Kuivenhoven 8-5 to win Players Championship 22 and collect his first title of 2026.
Cross Ends the Drought
The win brought Cross £15,000 and his 11th Players Championship crown. It also ended a longer wait: he had not claimed a ranking title since the first Players Championship event of 2025.
Cross covered the field in seven straight wins at the Robin Park Leisure Centre and finished with a tournament average of 98.91. That run included a 6-1 start against Chris Landman, a 6-1 win over Jimmy van Schie with a 103.43 average, and a 6-2 victory over Connor Scutt.
Robin Park Leisure Centre Run
He kept the pace going with a 6-1 win over David Sharp in the last 16, averaging 104.73, before beating Alexander Merkx 6-4 in the quarter-finals. Stephen Bunting fell in the semi-finals after Cross landed checkouts of 170, 127 and 130 to reach his first ProTour final of 2026.
That sequence mattered because Cross had won a ProTour title every year since 2020, and this result kept that line alive. The title also pushed him closer to the World Matchplay in July after he said three months ago he was probably £15,000 adrift in that race.
Maik Kuivenhoven Final
The final against Maik Kuivenhoven was tight early, with five holds of throw to start. Cross then broke for a 4-2 lead, missed four match darts, and still closed out the win 8-5.
Afterward, Cross said, “I always thought I was going to win, and when I'm like that, usually I do win,” and added, “I know the World Matchplay is around the corner, and I love the World Matchplay. It's all about results, and to win this today is very special for me.” For Cross, the scoreline in Wigan was the clean answer: first title of 2026, ranking title back on the board, and momentum into July.
