Snubbed Rob Cross is ready to get the big boy trousers on to defy the disrespect to put food in the fridge.
The Londoner was king of the game when becoming 2018 World Champion and also proudly perched at World No.4. However, despite his achievements, Cross admits “his face must not fit” after being left off the promo posters for Sky’s £125 million new TV deal ahead of tonight’s Premier League opener against Stephen Bunting.
He didn’t win a major last year, but already has a World Series title in the bag for 2025 and said: “Look, how many majors are there? Eight? It’s tough, isn’t it? We all need a bit of luck. The amount of people who probably won their majors last year and they had match darts against them. I’m not saying they didn’t deserve to win, but we all need a bit of luck and if you get that bit of luck, then you can be a champion, can’t you? If you don’t get it, it’s just life. You have to move on with it. Put your big boy trousers on and just keep pitching, really.
“It’s one of them. People either respect you or they won’t. Everyone’s got opinions and it’s always going to lean one way or another. I just sort of focused on myself and focused on my family and other stuff, so whatever people think, they can do what they want, really.”
On the promotion content, he added: “Obviously, my face must not fit, but they’re still going to see me for 16 weeks now, so I’m not really too bothered. I’ve never really played darts for the limelight. I’m not one of those people. Some people thrive off it.
“When I won the world championship, was I ready to be in the spotlight? Probably not. And did I really want to be in the spotlight? Probably not. But I’d done it. I fronted it and I learned a lot that year, So, nah, for me, I’m happy. As long as the cheque hits the bank at the weekend and I can feed the family on Monday, put a bit of shopping in the fridge. I’m happy.”