Rob Cross believes his best is yet to come in this year’s Premier League Darts

Rob Cross’ Premier League debut began in turbulent circumstances, but the world champion has bounced back magnificently to storm into play-off contention, and tells Sky Sports that his best is still to come.

Cross sent shockwaves across the sporting world by winning the World Championship on New Year’s Day; following up an epic sudden-death triumph over Michael van Gerwen by beating Phil Taylor in a captivating finale.

However, he came crashing down to earth after suffering successive drubbings against Van Gerwen and Simon Whitlock in his opening two Premier League ties, which left him languishing at the bottom of the table.

Despite this, those questioning Cross’ credentials have been well and truly silenced over recent weeks, as ‘Voltage’ has reeled off five consecutive victories to surge up to third place.

Any premature fears of elimination have been comprehensively dispelled and the former electrician is on an upwards trajectory – trailing league leader Van Gerwen by just two points ahead of week eight in Belfast.

“I think obviously at first I wasn’t myself,” Cross told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview. “The first couple of weeks were probably a settling-in period. Obviously the crowds are massive on the Premier League so it took me a bit of time to actually settle and get some results.

“After that, I think it’s gone from strength to strength. The last couple of weeks I’ve had decent performances so I feel like you’ll see the best out of me by the end.”

Cross is in relatively uncharted territory – having reached the pinnacle of the game in such a short space of time. Yet despite his indisputable achievements, he remains an inexperienced quantity.

He admits: “People want to beat you more; I’ve noticed that, because I suppose you carry that title in their eyes. I come in as world champion, but I’ve only really had one year on tour. I’m still learning as well, as daft as that sounds. Most people that develop in darts or any sport probably take two or three years to find their feet.

“I’m still going to have to get used to a lot of things and I’m still adamant that I’ve not played my best yet either on the PDC. I know there’s a bit more there, but that will come with experience and a bit more improvement.”

Aside from the inevitable financial benefit that comes with winning the World Championship, the 27-year-old highlighted the increased media glare placed upon him, but he credits his family for their support in helping him adjust to his new-found fame.

“I had a guy say to me actually: ‘You’re going to feel like you’ve got a thousand eyes going in the back of your head’. Maybe at the start of this year I did but it’s sort of all gone now. I have to admit I’ve settled down and got used to it. It’s alright; it’s good.

“That’s been really hard to try and adjust to. I’m very lucky to have them [my family] and support me the way they do. I suppose you’re looked upon a little bit differently now, which I don’t really like in fairness because obviously you are world champion, but in my own head I’m still Rob Cross. The same person as six months, eight months or two years ago really.”

Since breaking his duck against Peter Wright in week three, Cross has gone from strength to strength; averaging 106.49 and 102.57 in his most recent wins over Mensur Suljovic and Gerwyn Price, and the Hastings ace believes he’s actually improved since winning the world title.

“I’d probably say I was a bit stronger now actually. I really think I’m stronger than I was but that’s another time thing, if you asked me after the Matchplay this year I’d say I’m going to be stronger again then,” he claimed.

Cross is one of four debutants to feature in this year’s new-look Premier League, in the tournament’s biggest shake-up since its inception in 2005. Nevertheless, while he is flourishing after a lacklustre start, the remaining three debutants are all languishing in the bottom four.

So why has Cross thrived, where others have struggled: “I really don’t know. I’m quite level-headed. I don’t normally panic; if I’m going to lose I’m going to hold my hands up and I’m going to lose, but I don’t panic and even when I lost for the first couple of weeks and I knew I didn’t play my best, even then I knew I had more to come.

“I believe in my own ability and I think the belief is there to win anything in the world. I do lack in experience but I’m a very confident person and maybe that’s why I’m sitting where I am. I believe in my own ability and don’t get me wrong I had a little bit of a hole to dig myself out of at the start, but we seem to have done that now and can look forward to the rest.”

Cross will be looking to register his sixth consecutive league victory at the SSE Arena on Thursday, but he faces a tough test against World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney who will be appearing in front of a partisan home crowd, and Cross is preparing himself for a hostile reception.

“Crowds can play massive parts in games, we all know that. I’m just going to go out tomorrow and just look to get the job done. Play my best and focus on my game really. At the same time if I can quieten Daryl down and maybe get on top of him early then maybe the crowd might die down a little bit.

“You don’t know until you’re in that situation. I’ll probably walk in with the expectation that it’s going to be terrible, I’m going to get booed and if I have that expectation for tomorrow, if it works out any better then it’s a bonus and I’ll deal with it fine.”

The 2018 Premier League heads to the SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday with coverage underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action. Eight weeks of tungsten action will then continue through to the season’s conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.

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(c) Sky News 2018: Rob Cross believes his best is yet to come in this year’s Premier League Darts