Rob Cross celebrates (Photo by Jonas Hunold/PDC Europe)
Rob Cross defied a nine-dart finish from Luke Humphries in the final to clinch the Baltic Sea Darts Open title with an 8-6 victory in Kiel on Sunday.
Cross hit back from 5-3 down to seal five of the last six legs and secure his second European Tour title at the Wunderino Arena.
The 2018 World Champion had edged out Masters champion Stephen Bunting 6-5 in a high-quality Last 16 tie, and needed a deciding leg to seal his comeback win over Ritchie Edhouse in the quarter-finals.
He then took out 156 and 126 during his 7-4 semi-final win over Madars Razma, booking a spot in a second European Tour final of 2024 – having seen Luke Littler land a nine-darter on his way to the Belgian Open title in March.
This time, though, it was Cross who would emerge victorious following a high-quality final where the Hastings ace averaged 105.5 to Humphries’ 104.4 to clinch his first PDC ranking title in just under a year.
“To hit back-to-back 12-darters to win was great and I’m happy that I’ve won something – it’s been a while!” said Cross, who defeated Humphries in the European Darts Grand Prix final last May.
“It’s an amazing experience to come up and win something again. I’ve got a new regime at the minute and it’s working. I feel much better, much fresher in the longer days and long may it continue.”
Cross and Humphries have now contested four European Tour finals, with the latter taking two wins in 2022 before the Hastings star claimed glory in Sindelfingen last year.
“Me and Luke always have good games and I really enjoyed it,” added Cross. “He’s number one for a reason – he’s the best player on the planet.
“I like playing Luke and he likes playing me – he’s probably got the upper hand of late. He’s got the world at his feet and we have a great friendship.”
Humphries opened the final with a 13-darter, but Cross remained level after four legs after he posted legs of 14 and 13 darts, before breaking for the first time to punish two missed doubles from the world number one.
Humphries broke back immediately by finishing 68 before an 11-darter moved him 4-3 in front.
Humphries had missed double 12 for a nine-darter in Saturday’s second round win over Sebastian Bialecki, but the final’s eighth leg saw him achieve perfection – to the delight of the packed Kiel crowd.
Cross, though, responded superbly with an 11-darter and then levelled on double five, with Humphries taking out 78 for a 6-5 advantage, only to see two further doubles punished as his rival squared the game on double eight.
Cross then broke with a 12-darter on double eight to move 7-6 ahead, and then sealed victory with another four-visit leg as he took out 100 for the title.
Humphries began Sunday’s action with a 6-4 defeat of Ross Smith, before overcoming Michael van Gerwen in a repeat of their Premier League Night 15 final in Leeds on Thursday – by a 6-3 margin in the quarter-finals.
He then defeated Danny Noppert 7-4 to book his spot in the final, but was denied a seventh European Tour crown.
“I don’t think I did much wrong to be honest,” admitted Humphries, who was runner-up to Dave Chisnall in Kiel last year.
“Rob’s timing was much better than mine. I think that’s our fourth [European Tour final] now and it’s two-all – I’ll get him next time!
“It’s always great to hit a nine-darter; of course I’d always like the winner’s trophy. It’s my second nine-darter and I’ve lost both [games].
“I was really looking forward to playing this weekend and that showed in my performances. I thought I played really good in the final but Rob was even better; he was clinical and that’s what it takes to be a winner.”
Razma, meanwhile, won through to his second European Tour semi-final as he enjoyed a best run of 2024, with the Latvian seeing off Chris Dobey, Dave Chisnall, Joe Cullen and Ryan Searle along the way.
Noppert saw his bid for a second ranking title of 2024 end in a semi-final exit after he overcame Franz Roetzsch and Mike De Decker before being denied by Humphries.
Edhouse reached his second European Tour quarter-final of the year with a clinical Last 16 win over Ricardo Pietreczko, before Cross recovered from 5-3 down to deny him a semi-final spot.
Van Gerwen had taken out 132 to win his Last 16 decider against Andrew Gilding, but the Dutchman was unable to add to his 36 European Tour triumphs as he bowed out at the hands of Humphries.
Belgian ace De Decker defeated Damon Heta to reach his first ranking quarter-final of 2024, while Searle lost out in the Last Eight for the third time on the European Tour this year.
Baltic Sea Darts Open 2024 Day Three Results
Sunday May 12
Afternoon Session
Last 16
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Andrew Gilding
Luke Humphries 6-4 Ross Smith
Franz Roetzsch 2-6 Danny Noppert
Damon Heta 2-6 Mike De Decker
Ritchie Edhouse 6-3 Ricardo Pietreczko
Rob Cross 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Daryl Gurney 5-6 Ryan Searle
Madars Razma 6-5 Joe Cullen
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Luke Humphries
Danny Noppert 6-4 Mike De Decker
Ritchie Edhouse 5-6 Rob Cross
Ryan Searle 3-6 Madars Razma
Semi-Finals
Luke Humphries 7-4 Danny Noppert
Rob Cross 7-4 Madars Razma
Final
Rob Cross 8-6 Luke Humphries – *Humphries hits a nine-darter*
18+. New customers only. Sign up, deposit £5-£10 and Bet365 will give you 3x that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to same value and they are settled. Free Bets paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet & payment method exclusions apply. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Registration required. Gambleaware.org
New customers only. First single or E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 4x £10 Bet Tokens. Free Bet Stakes not included in returns. Free Bets exclude virtuals and are non-withdrawable. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply. 18+ Gambleaware.org
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply.
New customers only. To qualify for free bets, the new user must place and settle £20 on easyBet markets. The user must bet on at least 2 different events to qualify. The user must place and settle bets at odds of 2.0 or more. An event is classed as two different sporting events. Bets can be placed on singles, multiples and Bet Builders. The user must place and settle bets before the closing date of the promotion to qualify. T&Cs Apply. Be Gamble Aware. 18+
New Customer offer - Use promo code YSKAST. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £30 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either a Single or Acca (2+ selections) bet, start at £20, have 1.9 or greater odds and must be settled within 7 days of opt-in. 3 Free bets include: 1 x £20 Free bet Racing (Horse Racing or Greyhound Racing); 1 x £20 Free Bet Live Football; 1 x £20 Free Bet Live. Max payout – £500. 7-day expiry. To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app (Open banking). 18+. GambleAware.org
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 (odds 2.00+) within 3 days of sign up. No cash-out. Get 3x£10 Free Bets for set markets (odds 2.0+) which expire in 5 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
18+. New customers only. Place a minimum £40 bet on any selection with minimum odds of Evens (2.00) and receive a £20 free bet upon bet settlement. Free bet expires after 7 days. GambleAware.org. T&Cs apply.
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in, bet £10+ on any darts at odds of 2.00+ within 7 days. Get 3x£10 in Free Bets for set markets which expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
New cust only. Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Stake not returned. T&Cs Apply. Acca Club: T&Cs Apply. Promo runs Mon 09:00 to Sun 23:59. Opt-in required. 50% profit boost on 7+ Acca selections. Max stake £20. Max winnings £1,000. Up to 5 boosts per customer per week. Exclusions apply.18+ GambleAware.org
18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet £5 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get 2x£10 Free Bets for set EPL markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 20x wagering to redeem £250. Bonuses expire in 14 days. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. £40 in FREE Bets (FB) as £30 in sports bets & a £10 casino bonus (CB). Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. FB applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. FB 7-day expiry. 1 FB offer per customer, household & IP address only. Account & Payment restrictions. 14 days to accept £10 CB, then active for 3 days. CB 5x wagering & max redeemable £100. Game restrictions apply. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. 30 days to qualify. T&Cs apply.
If your first bet is a Treble or Up on Any Sport (minimum 3 selections) AK Bets will boost the profit gained on that initial bet by 25% in the form of a Free Bet up to a value of £100. Applies to new customers who sign up to AK BETS with the promo code AKACCA100. 18+ GambleAware.org
18+ only. Register a new online account with Betgoodwin. Must have a minimum of 3 bets of £10 or more on separate events at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger on first day. First day losses equals all settled stakes less all returns. The day finishes at 23:59 on day of registration. Free bets must be used in their entirety and stakes are deducted from returns. Free bets non withdrawable Free bets to be credited within 24 hours. This offer can not be used in conjunction with any other Betgoodwin promotion. If your free bet is subsequently voided it will be replaced within 24 hours. Cashed out bets do not count towards this offer. This offer is limited to a free bet award per person/household/IP address. Betgoodwin reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this offer only once the full duration of the promotion has been completed. Full Terms and Conditions apply.
18+. GambleAware.org. New customers only. Min Dep £10. Debit cards only. Opt in for bonus funds. Wagering, sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Sports bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Valid for 7 days. Geographical Restrictions and T&Cs Apply.
#AD 18+ New UK Customers Only. Sign Up using Promo Code b20g10 and make a min deposit of £20 then place a min £20 bet with min odds of Evens (2.00) and get a £10 free bet upon bet settlement. Free bet expires 7 days from date and time of issue. Cashed Out or void bets do not qualify for this promotion. Build a bets do not qualify. If your first bet fails to qualify, you will not receive the free bet. Full T&Cs apply.
18+. T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org