Cross beats Wright to reach Grand Slam of Darts last 16

Rob Cross won the World Championship in 2018

A confident performance from Rob Cross gave him an emphatic 5-1 victory over Peter Wright and sealed his place in the Grand Slam of Darts last 16.

Wright has looked out of sorts during the tournament in Wolverhampton and after the opening two legs were shared, Cross then made light work of his opponent.

Cross' victory saw him finish runner-up in Group C behind Martin Lukeman, who chalked up a 5-3 win over Leonard Gates.

"I don’t like seeing people suffering. I felt for him [Wright]. It’s great, I’m through, but he’s a great guy and deserves a lot more," Cross told Sky Sports.

"I expected a little bit more [from him] tonight and never got it, he would probably admit that. I hope he does come back and rebuild."

Elsewhere, James Wade produced a stylish 121 checkout to wrap up a 5-1 win over Rowby-John Rodriguez to top Group A.

Wade qualifies for the knockout phase along with Mickey Mansell, who lost 5-1 to the already eliminated Luke Humphries.

Danny Noppert progressed to the next round with a 100% record in Group B after a 5-2 win over Martin Schindler, who missed four darts to secure a third leg which would have seen him advance as runner-up. Instead Cameron Menzies advanced on legs difference despite losing his final match 5-1 to Beau Greaves.

In Group D, an 11-dart final leg gave Ross Smith a 5-0 whitewash over Connor Scutt to qualify in second behind European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, who claimed a 5-2 win over Dave Chisnall.

The remaining eight places in the last 16 will be decided at the conclusion of the group stage on Tuesday.