Rob Cross has compared Luke Littler to Jack Nicholson’s iconic character in The Shining ahead of their latest meeting at the Players Championship Finals.
It will be the 10th time Littler and Cross face off this year and the teenager holds the far-better head-to-head record from their previous meetings.
But Cross won their last match at the World Grand Prix in October when they faced off in the opening round.
Littler followed that up with another disappointing first-round exit in the European Championship.
However, the 17-year-old quickly rediscovered his best form on the big stage at last week’s Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler thrashed Martin Lukeman in a one-sided final, which saw him rocket up to fifth in the PDC Order of Merit.
He could move ahead of Cross into fourth with another deep run at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.
And Cross is fully aware just how close Littler is to overtaking him in the rankings.
He told The Sun: “It’s a tough draw for both of us I would say, certainly this early in the tournament.
“The result in the Grand Prix means absolutely nothing now.
“Luke will be buzzing that he won the Slam but I think he takes it all in his stride.
“Trouble is now for me he’s like roaring up behind me in the rankings.
“It feels like Jack Nicholson in The Shining peering through the curtain at me!”
Cross has been full of praise for Littler in his debut campaign on the PDC Tour and feels it’s ‘scary’ just how well the teenager has handled the limelight.
He added: “The boy is just awesome. I can’t say enough good things about him. He handles himself with such class.
“He wins a tournament, gets all the headlines, but he just strolls in like nothing has happened. He doesn’t get over-excited, he almost deals with it like MVG or Gary Anderson because they’ve won loads.
“We have practised together at times and he’s got all the ability to win whatever he wants in the game.
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“He’s got the world at his feet and now he’s just got to stay hungry to keep winning. That motivation will be the key, whether he wants to deal with the constant limelight.
“I had that after I won the Worlds in 2018, that year was a blur with media. But Luke is dealing with it with such ease, it’s scary really!
“It’s my job to beat him. I’ve done it before and I’m confident my game is there. I want more consistency but I know it’s coming.”
