Rob Cross beats Stephen Bunting in Dutch Masters ultimate to win fifth World Series title
Rob Cross secured his fifth World Series title with an 8-5 victory over Stephen Bunting in the Dutch Masters final, with the latter having won the Bahrain Masters earlier this month
Rob Cross has bagged his fifth World Series title, securing an 8-5 victory over Stephen Bunting during the nail-biting Dutch Masters final.
Only weeks ago, Bunting nabbed the Bahrain Masters and was eyeing up successive World Series wins before being pipped at the post by Cross in a tightly contested match.
On his way to the showdown, Bunting boasted wins against reigning world champ Luke Littler and the iconic Raymond van Barneveld, while Cross knocked out Jermaine Wattimena and Gerwyn Price to make the final cut.
The pair collided on Saturday, with “Voltage” Cross wasting no time, surging ahead to a 3-1 lead. But Bunting wasn’t done yet, closing the gap before Cross notched another point with a killer double 20 finish.
“The Bullet” Bunting powered through, snatching two legs back-to-back and spectacularly drawing even at 5-5 with a jaw-dropping 130 checkout finished on the bullseye.
Even with Bunting’s fierce comeback, Cross secured the next couple of legs, clinching the title with a neat double eight finish and taking home his fifth World Series trophy.
Cross’s earlier bouts saw him triumph over Wattimena in the quarters before butting heads with Price, who had just scraped past Kevin Doets, in the semis. “Voltage” dominated from the start, pulling into a 4-2 lead and executing a slick 121 checkout, sailing into the final with an imposing average of 100.48, reports the Express.
As for Bunting, his ticket to the final bout facing the likes of Van Barneveld in a heart-stopping last-leg decider and Like Littler.
In the semi-finals, Littler, who earned his spot by beating reigning champ Michael van Gerwen 6-3 in a repeat of the World Championship final, went head-to-head with Bunting. Littler got off to a flying start with back-to-back 11-dart finishes, but Bunting managed to even things up at 3-3.
The match was a nail-biter, with the 18-year-old hitting 40 to push for a deciding leg. Despite Littler’s impressive average throw of 107.59 in the semi-final, it was Bunting who progressed to the night’s main event with an 11-darter, wrapping up with an 81 checkout.