Agonizing 110 average and defeat sees Rob Cross make unwanted Premier League Darts history

Rob Cross endured one of the most agonizing defeats of the Premier League Darts season on Thursday night, falling 6-5 to teenage sensation Luke Littler in a match of the highest quality.

"Voltage" produced arguably his finest performance of the campaign, averaging a remarkable 110.15. Yet it wasn’t enough, as Littler—unfazed under pressure—delivered a 108.60 average of his own to edge the contest in dramatic fashion.

Littler looked to be cruising at 5-3, but Cross showed tremendous resilience to force a deciding leg, reeling off an 11-darter followed by a clinical 76 checkout to level the tie at 5-5. With the throw in the decider, Cross had the match at his fingertips and a chance to clinch victory with a 150 checkout. But the 2018 World Champion narrowly missed double 18 for the win—and Littler didn’t let the opportunity slip.

'The Nuke' responded in stunning fashion, taking out 145 to seal the win and send the crowd into raptures, showcasing once again why he’s already being hailed as one of the most dangerous finishers in the game.

The result marked a rare statistical anomaly in Premier League history: Cross became just the seventh player ever to lose a match with an average over 110.

Ironically, Littler himself was on the wrong end of a similar result earlier this season, when he lost to Michael van Gerwen in Belfast despite posting a 113.91 average—one of the highest losing averages ever recorded.

The unwanted record for highest losing average still belongs to Phil Taylor. In the 2015 Premier League, ‘The Power’ averaged an astonishing 115.80, yet still lost 7-4 to Raymond van Barneveld, who averaged a stellar 104.18 in that unforgettable encounter.