A winner of three major tv titles, including the 2018 World Darts Championship, Hastings-born arrowsmith Rob Cross has fond memories of the PDC's most recent tournament the UK Open, as it was the event in which he burst onto the darting scene as a pub qualifier back in 2016.
The FA Cup of darts was staged over the weekend and proved to be the continuation of a bemusing stat for Cross at the UK Open, with the 30-year-old losing in every instalment of the tournament to the eventual winner.
While this is a good omen for the opponents of Cross, it may provide Voltage with a thought of what could've been. Here's a closer look at the curious stat that has plagued his chance of success in the UK open since his debut in 2016.
2016: Van Gerwen lifts UK Open
The 2016 UK Open is a tournament that will bare good memories for Cross.
A then-unknown amateur, Voltage came through the Rileys qualifiers and had an incredible run all the way to the fourth round, where he faced the then number one, Michael Van Gerwen.
Ultimately Cross was outclassed by Van Gerwen, but this was the tournament in which he revealed his credentials to the darting faithful.
2017: Wright wins first televised major
A year after his breakthrough Cross returned to the UK Open in 2017 now as a full-time professional, in his first season on the tour.
Cross, once again, had a good showing at the UK Open in a tournament that was blown wide open by the absence of the reigning champion Van Gerwen due to injury.
Cross made it to the fifth round, putting in some impressive displays before losing out to an inspired Peter Wright, who would go on to win his maiden TV title.
2018: Voltage loses to Anderson
A tournament that would give us a taste of the future the 2018 UK Open was played behind closed doors due to Storm Emma which was affecting the South West of England.
By this point, World Champion Cross arrived at the UK Open in 2018 as the second favourite behind only Van Gerwen but was thwarted by Gary Anderson in his bid for the title.
Anderson outclassed Voltage, taking a comprehensive 10-5 victory over Cross on his way to his first UK Open crown.
2019: Cross loses against Aspinall in Final
Cross's best showing at the UK Open came in 2019, when he made it all the way to the final.
Cross took some impressive victories over the likes of Mervyn King and Michael Smith on the way to the final, before being defeated by Nathan Aspinall who took his first TV title.
This may feel like the one that got away for Cross who averaged just 84.79 in a below-par performance, ultimately going down 11-5 to Aspinall.
2020: MVG lifts UK Open before pandemic
The last tournament before the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world of sports, a year ago Cross made it to the quarter-final stages before losing to Van Gerwen, in a similar scenario to 2016.
A poor performance in this game ultimately set the tone for a poor season for Cross, who struggled to recapture his form of the previous years.
As Darts like other sports was affected by the pandemic, Cross had a long time to reflect on his 10-4 defeat to MVG, which continued his poor record against the Dutchman.
2021: Wade lifts UK Open for third time
After a poor showing at the PDC Super Series, Cross came into this years UK Open with the hope of having a good run to end his poor run of form.
After coming through an almighty tussle with Andy Hamilton in the last 64 stage, Cross was defeated at the hands of another eventual winner James Wade in the last 32.
In spite of his defeat Cross averaged in excess of a ton in a fine display which will surely provide a much-needed confidence boost to Cross, who was defeated by an inspired performance from James Wade.
Conclusion
To summarise, you would forgive Cross for thinking what could've been in recent editions of the UK Open.
A prestigious tournament, the UK Open would be a welcome addition to the collection of titles Cross has collected over the last three years.
His record at the UK Open is unfortunate but Cross can't afford to reflect too much on that, with a big couple of months coming up as he looks to prevent a slide down the world rankings by defending his prize money from his victory at the World Matchplay two years ago.