Rob Cross enjoys win and breaks silence after being hit with five-year director ban
Battling Rob Cross made a winning return on his first appearance since receiving a five-year ban as a director after his company failed to pay over £400,000 in tax.
News broke on Thursday over the former World Champion's issue away from the oche.
But, as he returned for the Nordic Darts Masters on Friday night, Cross got a success as he defeated Swede Andreas Harryson 6-4 to progress to Saturday's final stages.
The Englishman was delighted to get the win in Denmark and, when asked after the victory about his experiences in Copenhagen, he said: 'Yesterday, I walked 14 and a half miles around the city, so it's been nice and I enjoyed it. It's a great place just to go out, really. Fill your lungs up with a bit of air. I've enjoyed my time here. I enjoyed my time last year and it's always a privilege to come back."
Cross made the final in 2024 and, asked what it would mean to go one better, he said: "Just a great tournament, a great place in the world and the World Series always offers itself. But to win it this weekend, it would mean a lot. I've had a little bit of time off, a few difficulties, but, at the same time, it would mean a lot to me.'
Cross didn't find his best against Harryson, but said: 'I enjoyed the match, I'm not going to lie. I've walked in this weekend, I've just come off of probably two and a half weeks off, I've not really picked them up. A little bit lazy, I suppose. But I needed that. A little bit of a freshen up, but to win that match there, I'll be better tomorrow now. That's 100 per cent.
'I'm where I'm at, you know, if I've not really been playing, where do you (know where your game is? I could have gone out there tonight and hit 120, or I could have gone out there and hit a 48, to be honest. I'm very happy just to get over the line and keep pushing.
'To win this would be fantastic. The crowd's amazing. There's no booing out there, there's only fairness and credit to the Copenhagen people that come out and watch. I appreciate that. That could have been even tougher for me with a few boos, a few whistles.
"That could have really swung the game in his favour, I suppose. Not having that gives me the comfort. We all feel it sometimes when they're not quite going, if the crowd gets on your back, darts can be tough. They are very appreciative, but to win it this week, it would mean a lot to me.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal told they should've signed Man Utd star years ago as Bukayo Saka point made
Theo Walcott made his thoughts clear on Bryan Mbeumo and admitted Arsenal missed a trick in not signing him before Manchester United forked out £71million for his services Theo Walcott told Arsenal that they would have been massively helping Bukayo Saka by signing Bryan Mbeumo. The 26-year-old left Brentford last month after he was signed by Manchester United in a blockbuster £71million transfer. The Cameroon international was said to be of interest to the Gunners as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea but Mbeumo made clear to his former side that a move to Old Trafford was his dream destination. While Mbeumo and Saka both play on the right side of attack, Walcott admitted he would have been a shrewd signing for Mikel Arteta in order to lessen the workload on the England star. Saka, 23, has played a whopping 263 games for Arsenal since breaking into the team in 2019 and has lacked competition in his position for the majority of his career in north London. The absence of a player capable of filling in for him has meant he's played a considerable number of games. His lack of rest may have contributed to the torn hamstring he suffered last season against Crystal Palace, which ruled him out for over three months. Speaking on the It's Called Soccer podcast with Rebecca Lowe, the 36-year-old was adamant as he said: "Arsenal should have got Mbeumo many years ago. That was one player I thought, 'take the load off Saka'. I'm a big fan of him." Arsenal fans have already received an injury scare over their prized player after Saka limped off the pitch in their 1-0 pre-season loss to Tottenham last month. Their fears were soon downplayed after he started in their 3-2 loss to Villarreal a week later. Despite missing out on Mbeumo, the north London side did add attacking firepower in Noni Madueke whose favoured position is on the right wing. The ex-Chelsea man cost £52m and is certainly highly thought of by Arteta who explained what the Englishman will bring to his side. "We're all so happy to welcome Noni Madueke to the team," the Spaniard said. "Noni is an exciting and powerful young player, with his performances and numbers in recent seasons being of consistently high quality. He is one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League. "At just 23, Noni already brings experience of club and international football, and he knows the Premier League very well. Having seen the quality of Noni's performances up close in recent seasons, we're really excited he is joining us. "Noni joins our group with familiar England teammates and other players he knows. He will be made to feel at home straight away. His arrival will really improve our squad - we're all thrilled to have him here. From all of us, welcome Noni and welcome to your family." Arsenal will kick off their Premier League season away to Manchester United on Sunday.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
SWPL 2025/26 predictions: Winner, runner-up & relegated
Grant Scott's side were unfancied right up until the moment they got their hands on the title at Ibrox last season. The players themselves acknowledged that few of them really believed that they could go all the way – but all the way they did. The big question now is, can they do it again? There have been a few tweaks to the squad but no wholesale changes. Their championship status means there is a European qualifying tournament at the end of this month in Cyprus as they look to make it into the Champions League group stages. Last season that derailed Celtic's domestic campaign so it will be interesting to see how if the additional games and travel, even at this early stage of the campaign, have an impact. Prediction: 4th GLASGOW CITY There has been no silverware at Petershill for back-to-back seasons, a scenario that will have hurt Glasgow City given the dominance with which they lorded it over the rest for so long. Leanne Ross has lost her assistant manager to Rangers with the move coming late in the day as the Ibrox side made their move for Leanne Crichton who switched to Ibrox with less than a fortnight to go before the new campaign. Jo Love, Brenna Lovera, Aleigh Gambone, Claire Walsh, Mairead Fulton and Sam van Diemen have left the club this summer. Lovera had an excellent campaign with her goals a substantial loss while van Diemen was also impressive; she will be shoring up Roma's defence this season. Abi Harrsion, Erin McLaughlin, Lana Golob and Emma Brownlie have been added. Like Hibs, City have a Champions League qualifying mini-tournament to play at the end of this month and will be keen that it does not impact their domestic performances. The suspicion is that it will be fraught at the top – and could be goal difference to settled again – but it will be interesting to see if City can reclaim a title they seemed to own for so long. Prediction: 1st CELTIC Any insight into how Elena Sadiku felt about the club's fourth place finish last season would have been seen in the ten players – all first-team level – who were released from the club this summer. So far replacements have been slow to arrive albeit that Sadiku has said she expects to be in a far more comfortable place when the window closes. The Swede was reluctant to make any bold pronouncements about winning titles or silverware this season but has insisted that there has to be an improvement on last year's trophyless campaign. Last season the Parkhead side toiled against their title rivals – they beat City once at the start of the campaign and never got the better of Rangers in any competition – raising question marks about their psychology around the bigger games. Do Celtic have the players to go and claim a title they won for the first time in 2024? Time will tell. Prediction: 3rd RANGERS Leanne Crichton is well aware that she is in position at Rangers to deliver a title that slipped out of Jo Potter's grasp twice at the very last hurdle. The Ibrox side have enjoyed success in both domestic Cups but the title has eluded them since they won it under Malky Thomson. There have been accusations around the mentality of the squad as they have failed to get over the line despite having the best resourced squad in the league in recent campaigns. Crichton has had little time to prepare for the season ahead and missed out on Rangers' pre-season trip to Italy as Rangers and Glasgow City thrashed out a compensation agreement. The squad itself has undergone changes – six players have gone – with Rio Hardy and Kirsty Maclean the notable departures. Still, Rangers have a strong squad with Katie Wilkinson's goals always significant. Prediction: 2nd HEARTS Eva Olid has improved Hearts year on year since taking over at the club. Her side have made for awkward opponents for all of the top teams and while they may not have the depth to go all the way in the title race they can definitely have a say in who claims the Championship. They host Celtic tomorrow afternoon as the season gets underway and will be keen to be as problematic to Sadiku's team as they have been in recent displays. Olid may well fancy too that this season a kind cup run will book a Hampden date. Prediction: 5th ABERDEEN Scott Booth will be keen to make his mark with Aberdeen as he prepares for a full season at the club. Having made the move back North in October last year, there was a sense of frustration that results did not match his ambitions for the club. There remains an issue with resources – the club are semi-professional rather than professional – with the chasm clear between the top end of the table and the rest. Booth's challenge is to bridge that gap. Prediction: 6th MOTHERWELL Paul Brownlie had an impressive campaign last year as he took Motherwell into a top six position. The Fir Park side have punched above their weight at times with Brownlie laying solid foundations at the club. Prediction: 7th PARTICK THISTLE Last season proved to be a bridge too far for Thistle last season after the heights they had reached in previous campaign under Brian Graham. The striker has stepped back from the women's game after labouring under an intense workload in recent seasons while Tiree Burchill has made the move to champions Hibs while Cara Henderson will miss the season following ACL surgery. Prediction: 8th HAMILTON ACCIES Robert Watson has brought Accies back into the top flight but has had a nightmare summer with legal wranglings off the park overseeing preparations for the new campaign. He has recruited some experience SWPL players and loans but the remit will all be about staying in the league. Prediction: 9th MONTROSE Montrose kick off their campaign by hosting Rangers this afternoon with the likelihood being that the season doesn't get any easier the longer it goes on. Prediction: 10th
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
SWPL 2025/26 predictions: Winner, runner-up & relegated
Their championship status means there is a European qualifying tournament at the end of this month in Cyprus as they look to make it into the Champions League group stages. Last season that derailed Celtic's domestic campaign so it will be interesting to see how if the additional games and travel, even at this early stage of the campaign, have an impact. Prediction: 4th GLASGOW CITY There has been no silverware at Petershill for back-to-back seasons, a scenario that will have hurt Glasgow City given the dominance with which they lorded it over the rest for so long. Leanne Ross has lost her assistant manager to Rangers with the move coming late in the day as the Ibrox side made their move for Leanne Crichton who switched to Ibrox with less than a fortnight to go before the new campaign. Jo Love, Brenna Lovera, Aleigh Gambone, Claire Walsh, Mairead Fulton and Sam van Diemen have left the club this summer. Lovera had an excellent campaign with her goals a substantial loss while van Diemen was also impressive; she will be shoring up Roma's defence this season. Abi Harrsion, Erin McLaughlin, Lana Golob and Emma Brownlie have been added. Like Hibs, City have a Champions League qualifying mini-tournament to play at the end of this month and will be keen that it does not impact their domestic performances. The suspicion is that it will be fraught at the top – and could be goal difference to settled again – but it will be interesting to see if City can reclaim a title they seemed to own for so long. Prediction: 1st CELTIC Any insight into how Elena Sadiku felt about the club's fourth place finish last season would have been seen in the ten players – all first-team level – who were released from the club this summer. So far replacements have been slow to arrive albeit that Sadiku has said she expects to be in a far more comfortable place when the window closes. The Swede was reluctant to make any bold pronouncements about winning titles or silverware this season but has insisted that there has to be an improvement on last year's trophyless campaign. Last season the Parkhead side toiled against their title rivals – they beat City once at the start of the campaign and never got the better of Rangers in any competition – raising question marks about their psychology around the bigger games. Do Celtic have the players to go and claim a title they won for the first time in 2024? Time will tell. Prediction: 3rd RANGERS Leanne Crichton is well aware that she is in position at Rangers to deliver a title that slipped out of Jo Potter's grasp twice at the very last hurdle. The Ibrox side have enjoyed success in both domestic Cups but the title has eluded them since they won it under Malky Thomson. There have been accusations around the mentality of the squad as they have failed to get over the line despite having the best resourced squad in the league in recent campaigns. Crichton has had little time to prepare for the season ahead and missed out on Rangers' pre-season trip to Italy as Rangers and Glasgow City thrashed out a compensation agreement. The squad itself has undergone changes – six players have gone – with Rio Hardy and Kirsty Maclean the notable departures. Still, Rangers have a strong squad with Katie Wilkinson's goals always significant. Prediction: 2nd HEARTS Eva Olid has improved Hearts year on year since taking over at the club. Her side have made for awkward opponents for all of the top teams and while they may not have the depth to go all the way in the title race they can definitely have a say in who claims the Championship. They host Celtic tomorrow afternoon as the season gets underway and will be keen to be as problematic to Sadiku's team as they have been in recent displays. Olid may well fancy too that this season a kind cup run will book a Hampden date. Prediction: 5th ABERDEEN Scott Booth will be keen to make his mark with Aberdeen as he prepares for a full season at the club. Having made the move back North in October last year, there was a sense of frustration that results did not match his ambitions for the club. There remains an issue with resources – the club are semi-professional rather than professional – with the chasm clear between the top end of the table and the rest. Booth's challenge is to bridge that gap. Prediction: 6th MOTHERWELL Paul Brownlie had an impressive campaign last year as he took Motherwell into a top six position. The Fir Park side have punched above their weight at times with Brownlie laying solid foundations at the club. Prediction: 7th PARTICK THISTLE Last season proved to be a bridge too far for Thistle last season after the heights they had reached in previous campaign under Brian Graham. The striker has stepped back from the women's game after labouring under an intense workload in recent seasons while Tiree Burchill has made the move to champions Hibs while Cara Henderson will miss the season following ACL surgery. Prediction: 8th HAMILTON ACCIES Robert Watson has brought Accies back into the top flight but has had a nightmare summer with legal wranglings off the park overseeing preparations for the new campaign. He has recruited some experience SWPL players and loans but the remit will all be about staying in the league. Prediction: 9th MONTROSE Montrose kick off their campaign by hosting Rangers this afternoon with the likelihood being that the season doesn't get any easier the longer it goes on. Prediction: 10th
