Darts final agony for Cross and he admits: It hurts

The world number five from St Leonards, who turns 30 today, was the runner-up in the bwin World Series of Darts Finals on Sunday night. But Cross could well have returned from Austria with the winner's trophy having led an in-form Gerwyn Price 8-4 in the final before eventually losing 11-9.

He admitted afterwards: "It hurts. I lost to an in-form guy tonight and he's playing the darts of his life. Maybe with the lead I did have, I just got a little bit complacent."

World number three Price - who came into the tournament off the back of victories in the last two events of the PDC Autumn Series - would've been a hot favourite going into the final. But Cross - playing in his first televised final since beating Price to win the European Championship last October - clinched the opening leg with a superb 144 outshot.

Welsh thrower Price responded with legs of 11, 12 and 13 darts, helped by a 128 checkout, to lead 3-2 only for Cross to reel off three straight legs for a 5-3 advantage. Although Price clinched the ninth leg, Cross again took three consecutive legs, the last of them with a 110 finish, to go 8-4 up having only missed four darts at a double.

Price responded with three straight legs of his own before Cross took out 100 to lead 9-7 and move within two legs of victory. But that turned out to be the last leg he won as Price reeled off four in a row to claim his third title in six days. After Price broke the Cross throw to level at 9-9, Cross missed a dart at bullseye to lead 10-9 and Price pinned double five with last dart in hand to hit the front. Cross then missed double 18 for a 111 outshot in the next leg and Price landed double top to complete the turnaround.

Earlier in the evening, Cross had booked his place in the final with an 11-7 win over James Wade, despite averaging just 85 in a scrappy semi-final. World number eight Wade produced a maximum 170 checkout to trail 7-6, but Cross clinched four of the five legs thereafter, sealing victory with a 13-darter.

"I've always got the game in the locker," added Cross. "I didn't feel great when I played James and he never really got going, but it's a step in the right direction. "The darts are perfect for me and everything's perfect, it's just about Rob believing. I'm bitterly disappointed, but I'll go back on the practice board, work harder and come back stronger."

Cross previously pulled off a very good 10-8 quarter-final victory over world number four Michael Smith on Sunday afternoon. After Smith clinched three successive legs to go from 3-1 down to 4-3 up, Cross reeled off four on the bounce to lead 7-4. Smith replied with the next two and although Cross pinned a 109 checkout to go 8-6 ahead, Smith produced legs of 13 and 11 darts to level at 8-8.

Cross found top gear, however, to clinch the subsequent two legs - and with them the match - in 11 and 12 darts, helped by finishes of 92 and 101.

The 2018 world champion began the event with a 6-0 whitewash of 26th-ranked Steve Beaton in round two on Saturday night. Cross, who landed six of his 13 attempts at a double, denied an out-of-sorts Beaton a dart at a double in the opening five legs and produced a 12-darter in leg three.

Televised live on ITV4, the World Series of Darts Finals was the Professional Darts Corporation's first event with a crowd present since mid-March and there was a four-figure attendance on each of the three days. Perhaps the extra atmosphere helped Cross, nicknamed Voltage, as he made a welcome return to form.

The furthest he got in last week's Autumn Series - made up of five one-day tournaments held over consecutive days - was the last 32 on days three, four and five.

Fellow local player Adrian Gray also featured in the Autumn Series, which was played in Niedernhausen, Germany. Gray reached the last 32 on day one after a splendid 6-4 victory over Wade - a winner of nine televised titles.

The 39-year-old made it to the last 64 on day five, as well as taking three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant to a deciding leg on day four. Gray, who defeated the great Phil Taylor in the 2007 World Grand Prix, is due to play in group eight of the PDC Home Tour II this Tuesday.