In the latest of the series, Cross tells us the story behind his walk-on song, why two Premier League nights live long in the memory and why it would take a lot for him to change songs.
Thursday 14 July 2022 07:56, UK
In the ninth of our series, former World Matchplay winner Rob Cross tells us the story behind his walk-on song.
The World Matchplay kicks-off on Saturday July 16, live on Sky Sports, and one man who will be looking to lift the trophy again is Rob Cross.
Cross won the tournament in 2019 beating Michael Smith in the final at the Winter Gardens but has failed to get past the second round in his other four appearances in Blackpool.
The 31-year-old was controversially left out of this year's Premier League line-up having won the European Championship for a second time in 2021. The former world champion has dropped to No 10 in the rankings in recent years but as his title win in Salzburg showed he is still a contender for any tournament he is in.
The walk-on is part of the show and in this series, we talk to the players to find out a little bit more about their entrances to the stage that get the party started in arenas all over the world.
Cross' walk-on certainly brings a summer vibe that resonates with the World Matchplay as he takes to the stage to the tune of Hot Hot Hot by Arrow, but The Voltage admits that it wasn't his own choice of song.
He said: "When I started out we went through a fair few songs. I developed a lot faster so it was hard to get a walk-on song. We had this one chosen, we had input from the PDC. It wasn't my personal choice. Target and everyone around me had an input so I ended up with that song. I don't mind it, it's alright but it's what to have at the right time, I suppose."
In the video, the former World Matchplay winner explains why he wasn't a fan of some of his other walk-on songs earlier in his career, why he struggles to stay focused when Daryl Gurney's walk-on song comes on and why nights in Rotterdam and Dublin live long in the memory .
"The Rotterdam Ahoy when we played in the Premier League, that was phenomenal. I'll never forget when I went up and played in Ireland, it was a totally different atmosphere standing there. My bones were shaking in my first Premier League, there was 10,000 people and they were all screaming, it was a fantastic experience," he said.
It's not long to wait until darts is back on Sky Sports, the World Matchplay starts on Saturday, July 16 in Blackpool.
