Rob Cross has called on his fellow professionals to figure out how to ‘halt a juggernaut’ as Luke Littler threatens to take over the sport.
It’s been a sensational 13 months for Littler ever since he first made his professional debut at the age of 16.
His historic victory at the Alexandra Palace last week saw Littler become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history with nobody coming close to him.
He’s now picked up 11 senior PDC titles heading into the opening World Series of Darts event in Bahrain next week, where he will be the defending champion.
Luke Littler is the defending Bahrain Masters champion
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Cross, who suffered an early exit in the second round of the World Darts Championship, has been full of praise for Littler’s achievements.
But the 2018 world champion insists it is up to him and the other top players in the game to bring a stop to Littler’s dominance.
“I’ve got nothing but admiration for Luke. I think we’ve all run out of ways to describe what he’s done for the sport,” he told The Sun.
“He’s done incredible things on the oche. We’ve never seen this in darts before.
“People used to talk about my World Championship win on my debut as a big story.
“That has been eclipsed by Luke totally. Fair play to him. He’s taken it all in his stride.
“I think the biggest thing now for us all is how to stop him. It’s going to be like trying to halt a juggernaut.
“The more belief he gets, the harder it gets. He won’t win everything, a bit like last year.
Rob Cross is hoping to be the one to stop Luke Littler
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“There’s no doubt it’s up to the likes of Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, me and a few others to stop him.
“The only time Luke Littler has looked beatable is in the early stages of tournaments over a short format, like I did at the Grand Prix.
“He’s shown so much resilience lately though. It’s going to be fascinating as the year goes on.”
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Luke Littler is currently the man to beat in darts
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Littler hit a nine-darter on his way to victory at last year’s Bahrain Darts Masters and will be looking to defend his title.
Cross is included in the field, which also includes Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey who were included in the 2025 Premier League field.
But Van Gerwen won’t feature in Bahrain due to family commitments.