British pro darts player Rob Cross is on a winning streak in 2024, landing in several World Series events finals and landing his second European Tour title.

But it all started at the World Darts Championships in London’s Alexandra Palace – and in Game of Throws, he allows cameras into his life to learn more about his playing style, and his home life.

One of the game’s most beloved players, Rob first juggled his promising darts career with a life as an electrician, before becoming a full-time pro and playing around the world.

Speaking ahead of the series launch, Rob talks about his career so far, how he psychs out his opponents, and why the sacrifices he makes are all worth it.

For me it’s the biggest tournament in the calendar and to win it at my first attempt (in 2018) was life-changing.

If you add in the fans and the iconic, old building then it’s very, very special.

I love it. If you took that atmosphere away, I don't think I’d perform as well. They get behind you and push you on. Of course, they can be a bit disruptive too, but you just learn to live with it. It’s part and parcel of the game.

Whenever I play in Germany against a local player, I get booed and whistled at. You’ve got to expect it, put your big boy pants on and deal with it.

It does – the number of people who want to come and see the darts is amazing. It’s not just the PDC, it’s the Premier League too – they all sell out. It never fails to surprise me. Every time I think it’s got as big as it can – it grows again.

Every single year I have played it’s got bigger and bigger. We’ve even gone to America and it’s all anyone wanted to talk to me about. It won’t stop anytime soon.

I was an electrician and all throughout my first few years – 2016/17 – I was working. Eventually I managed to secure some funding which meant I could dedicate myself to the sport and see how far I could go.

I knew that I could play the standard of darts that I was seeing in the tournament, but I didn’t know if I could do it in front of 4000 people. Obviously though I’ve done ok!

I was playing Michael Van Gerwen who was world number one at the time. I wasn’t used to the set up at all – the cameras and the crowd – but I played pretty well even though I ended up losing nine-six.

I remember coming off stage and speaking to Scott Gibling who was a marker at the time. Hearing him tell him he thought I’d played well was great – but I knew I could do better. That’s when I felt like I belonged up there. Eighteen months later I was world champion!

I do, because you can work your socks off to get there and then you get an unlucky draw and come up against Michael Van Gerwen or someone in the first game and you’re out!

So, it can be a bit harsh, but on the other side, it’s all a learning curve and the money you can make – even in the early rounds - is fantastic. You only have to look at Luke Littler last year, who was unseeded, and he made the final.

It just goes to show you what’s possible, and once you’ve experienced it, and had the opportunity to play on big stages, you can’t wait to get back up there and do it again. It doesn't take long to change your life - especially in the PDC World Championships.

Of course, but the sacrifices are tough. Ever since becoming world champion I haven’t had many days off. That becomes very hard on the family. I have four kids and it’s a big sacrifice to spend so much time away from them. But I know this won’t last forever and you have to make hay while the sun shines.

This is the best chance I have of giving my kids a better life than the one I had. I'm very lucky that I have a great wife who supports me even though she sometimes probably feels like a single parent. But she knows it gives us a good life and won't be there forever. You’ve got to try and grab it while you can.

I always seem to play well at Ally Pally, but last year, coming as close as I did to emulating my win in 2018 meant everything to me.

I was relaxed and I enjoyed every minute of it, even when I met Chris Dobey in the quarter final and found myself four-nil down in about 25 minutes! I just took myself off for a stern talking to and managed to come back.

So yes, last year was fantastic and although I lost to Luke Littler in the semi-final, I felt I had chances to go through which I'm still a bit gutted about. You never get things like that out of your head – there’s always that hunger because you feel you’ve missed a trick.

I met Luke when he was 12 years old – we were both sponsored by Target – and I remember having a conversation with him, and you could just tell that he was 110% dedicated to the sport.

He was completely fearless too and for someone so young that’s different. As a player he just ticks every single box and he's been a real breath of fresh air for the sport.

I think the most important attribute I have is self-belief – I always know I am capable of a comeback. Add to that my grit and determination and I will never, ever give in. It doesn't matter what the score is. I will throw the kitchen sink at it.

So mid-match, if things aren’t going well, I will step outside during the breaks and get a little bit of air, take a breather and say to myself; ‘Okay, no more mistakes now. Start playing.’ There could be a few swear words mixed in with that because I’m usually angry!

Then you get back on stage and you start putting pressure on the other player - you've got to get them thinking and get them to miss a couple. Then, before you know it, you're back in and once you sense their head drop, you jump all over them.

It makes you feel invincible. When I won my match in the 2022 World Championships against Daryl Gurney with a 170 check out the adrenaline goes right through you.

You feel on top of the world and the crowd feel it too - they love it.