Littler was fancied to enjoy a deep run down south after demolishing Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith 6-2 in the quarter-final, averaging just shy of 107 in the process. Smith, who also averaged over a ton, was no match for the 17-year-old when he found his rhythm.
But Cross turned out to be a formidable opponent, firing an early warning shot to ‘The Nuke’ by thumping Gerwyn Price 6-1. Sure enough, Cross raced into a two-leg lead when he and Littler took to the stage in the semis.
Littler then appeared to have good fortune on his side as he began to fight back, as a dart bound for the treble 20 took a huge deflection, but instead of nestling into the one or the five, it shifted all the way across to the treble 18.