SET FIVE, LEG THREE
Another 180 to start from Cross, his eighth, and his average is briefly over 109. How do you live with that? Taylor is trying - his average is over 103 as he bags another 140 - but Cross just won't stop here and after nine darts is down to 89. Taylor needs a big one and gets it, to a point, with a 123 leaving 153, but Cross first for the set. It's single 19, single 20 to leave bull... which hits the wire. Phil, then, for the steal. Treble 20 goes in, treble 19 goes in, but double 18 is short. Cross, then will have two darts at 25 and that means two at double eight. He needs just one.
Cross 3-0 Taylor (Sets: 4-1)
SET FIVE, LEG TWO
Taylor opens up with 58 and Cross is all over it with his 15th 140 of the match. Taylor, regathered now it seems, bags another maximum but Cross fires in another 140 and is serving it up to the thrower. Taylor's 99 leaves him on 164 but he may need it, as Cross is just relentless on the treble 20 and a maximum leaves him on 41 after just nine darts. Taylor goes straight to the 19s and hits five of them to leave 69, but he will not get a chance as Cross takes out 41 in two, an 11-dart leg. Sensational. Just sensational.
Cross 2-0 Taylor (Sets: 3-1)
SET FIVE, LEG ONE, CROSS TO THROW FIRST
Cross returns to the stage with a 137. Doesn't look like that set has fazed him, but a maximum from Taylor might - he's improved a mile over the last 15 minutes, Phil. Cross throws 48 on his second visit and Taylor is back into the treble 20 - it's three more! He'll have 141 for a nine-dart finish, his first on this stage. Here goes. Yes. YES. OH MY WORD! He misses the double 12 by the width of the wire. What a moment that was. Wow. Cross isn't on a finish so Taylor will come back for it, but he misses three and Cross could yet win this leg if he can take out 83. In goes the treble 17, in goes the double 16. That's massive from Cross. Massive.
Cross 1-0 Taylor (Sets: 3-1)
SET TWO, LEG FOUR
Just 60 for Cross, throwing for the set - a rare visit without a treble. Taylor can only match it. Cross switches sensationally for a big 134 in the circumstances and that ability to move down the board is serving him very well right now. Taylor sneaks his third dart in for a 140, which Cross follows with one of his own to work his way to a finish on 167. Taylor at last asks a big question with a maximum to leave 121. Cross, though, hits treble 20, he hits treble 19, AND HE HITS BULL. That's a 167 finish, for the set, in the final of your first World Championship, against the greatest player in history. HA! Ridiculous.
Cross 3-1 Taylor (Sets: 2-0)
SET TWO, LEG THREE
Nice 140 from Taylor but Cross matches it. Taylor decides he'd better up the ante and does so with his second maximum of the match, which puts him in control of the leg as Cross can only manage 93. Taylor is forced to switch on his next visit and a fine third dart gets him 96, which leaves 85 with Cross back on 176. So, six darts for it and again the first strays, this time into treble seven. He eventually settles for 45, leaving tops on his return, and he'll need it after 98 from Cross to leave 78. Taylor, for the leg... first dart high, second dart perfect.
Cross 2-1 Taylor (Sets: 1-0)
SET TWO, LEG TWO
134 to open for Cross, now north of 107 with his average. An 81 won't help that figure but those six darts give him a small lead after 99 and 100 from Phil. Cross switches to hit treble 19 after a pair of bad darts in a 78 which opens the door but Taylor can only manage 93 - it's a race from just north of 200. Cross is first to go and that 140 is a lovely shot in the circumstances, one which Taylor just about matches with 137. Good stuff, this. Cross first for 68 and hits treble 20, followed by single four... and then double two! Superb. Just superb. Phil throwing to stay in the set now.
Cross 2-0 Taylor (Sets: 1-0)
SET TWO, LEG ONE, TAYLOR TO THROW FIRST
It's a cool 177 to start the second set for Taylor, which Cross keeps tabs on with 140. Dreams of a nine-darter on hold for now as Taylor throws 67 on his return and Cross is all over it, switching in devastating fashion in a 134. Taylor, however, is back with 125 - the first two perfect, the third pulled - although again, Cross is on his tail, this time with a maximum. He's down to 47 after nine and Taylor needs this 132. His first dart hits 25 and the second is treble seven, which means Cross will be back, presumably with two darts for a break. First, he apologises to Taylor for dropping a glass after Taylor's first dart. He then goes a step further, missing two darts at double to allow Taylor a chance, which he misses with his sole dart at double top just too high. Cross returns for 32 and hits it first time. He's won the last two legs against the throw.
Cross 1-0 Taylor (Sets: 1-0)
INTERVAL: There were two concerns for Cross coming into this, rather two questions to answer. Could he handle the occasion? Could he hit those doubles? So far - and it is very early - the answer to both is yes. He averaged 103.56 and hit three doubles from four opportunities in that opening set, leaving Taylor to rue that shambles of an attempt at 36. In the grander scheme it's a set to the thrower, but the manner in which Cross wrapped it up could prove telling.
SET ONE, LEG FOUR
And now it's Taylor's turn to start a leg with a maximum, which Cross follows with 100. Taylor can't find a treble on his second visit and that throw of 58 opens the door a little for Cross, but he manages just 43 and is almost 100 in arrears. Taylor goes searching after a stray first dart and finds 116 to leave 147, before a 140 from Cross gets him to 208. Taylor hits treble 20, treble 17 and is a whisker away from a big out on double 18. He'll be back for it but under pressure - and starts with double one! That leaves double 17, which he misses, hitting single. Wow. Cross is down to 47 after a big visit and has two at double 16 for the set. In goes the first. Dream start.
Cross 3-1 Taylor (Sets: 1-0)
SET ONE, LEG THREE
It's a 180 to start the leg for Cross, his 56th of the tournament - the record is 71, so it's touch-and-go whether Cross sets a new record. A modest second visit means he's not shaken off Taylor, who fires in 136, but then comes another Cross maximum. After nine darts he's down to 58 and while Taylor throws 133 to leave 136, he needs Cross to make a mistake. He doesn't, hitting 18, 20, double 10 for a 12-dart leg. Very impressive start.
Cross 2-1 Taylor (Sets: 0-0)
SET ONE, LEG TWO
Taylor in control of the second leg as Cross hits 39 on his opening visit. Taylor is down to 186 in nine darts with Cross on 269, which means this should be a formality. He pops in a 140 just to be sure and will have six for 46, after two bounce-outs to deny Cross a max. Like Cross before him, Taylor needs just two darts - 14 in total - as he wraps it up on double 16.
Cross 1-1 Taylor (Sets: 0-0)
SET ONE, LEG ONE, CROSS TO THROW FIRST
Solid 100s to start for both men. Cross bangs in a 140 soon after as the crowd go quiet, unsure what to do now that there's some actual sport to watch. A poor visit from Taylor hands the initiative to the thrower, who covers on 19s. Three visits, a treble on each of them for Cross to reach 164. Taylor fires in a couple of trebles but isn't on a finish as Cross throws a so-so 80 to leave 84. Not much pressure on it as Taylor throws just 54 and still isn't on a finish. Cross goes treble 16, double 18 and that's a sweet-as-a-nut two-dart combination to settle the nerves.
Cross 1-0 Taylor (Sets: 0-0)
2023: He's done a selfie on the way to the stage, or tried at least. Wonder just how he feels inside. Hard to say. No more time to speculate.
Let's. Play. Darts.
2022: And here comes the greatest player in the history of this sport, the man responsible, in some roundabout way, for there being a live blog of darts at the top of our website, for Sky Bet having a thousand markets and, well, for people actually caring about this sport at elite level. He's been darts' ultimate game-changer, and here he seeks a 17th world title. It would be an astonishing achievement in an astonishing career.
See.
2019: Said it the other day, but Cross should be walking on to 'Danger, High Voltage' by Electric Six, not 'Feeling Hot Hot Hot' by The Merrymen. Equivalent would be Anthony Joshua making his way ringside to the sound of Norah Jones.
Cross is on stage, anyway.
2017: Contradictory though it may seem, was half tempted to play one of the . He threw 15 in an 11-set duel with MVG, and I'm not sure this will go any further. Throw in the pressure of the situation and I wondered whether evens that he throws no more than 15 might be a bit of value.
I have, however, kept it simple. Come on Robert.
2013: I know what you're thinking - 'what times does it start?'. Soon, I reckon. First we here from Cross, immediately likeable, unmistakably Kentish. Wikipedia tells me he is one of the most notable people from Pembury, along with Shane MacGowan and Michel Roux Jr.
2005: We've been running a poll on who you want to win and who you think will win. We have a slight majority wanting Cross to win, which will surprise some, but not me. We have 71%, currently, believing that Taylor will win.
You don't need luck when you've got 71(.4)% of the population behind you.
2003: "Tonight marks the end of perhaps the greatest career in British sporting history."
Oh god. Not sure I'm the right man for this.
2001: Not my favourite quote of the tournament, though. That came from van Gerwen, who is no fan of Brexit.
"You know what? Brexit has changed my life - it's made me a lot poorer," he is quoted as saying by the Mirror.
"Most of my prize money is paid in pounds sterling and the lower exchange rate has been killing me. Every time I win a tournament it costs me 10 per cent - which is a lot of money when you have won more than £1million."
Yes it is, Michael. Yes. It. Is.
1957: Phil Taylor was once told he isn't known for being humble and replied, "I think I'm more humble than you would understand." Politics joke for you there. Will get back on the straight and narrow shortly.
1955: What does Taylor have planned for his retirement? In a touching Sky Sports feature currently running, he says he'd like to go home and watch the telly. Rarely goes home, apparently. What on earth does he do? Best not to ask.
And then... "I've won more than them lot put together!" he says of a self-drawn comparison with Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and so on. Bit like me saying I've done more live blogs than Hemingway.
Confession: not a massive fan. Some darts player though isn't he?
1953: Many thought we'd get a rematch between Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen tonight. In a strange way, what we have is better. The absence of the world's best player from any world championship final robs it of something, but the Cross story is big enough to fill the void.
As for Anderson, he was among Taylor's victims in the last eight. How much of a problem was that back injury, I wonder...
1943: Some route-to-the-final info before we reveal the result of our 'heart and head' poll.
Rob Cross
Phil Taylor
1942: Pre-tournament, Taylor was a shade shorter than Cross, largely because he was in the opposite side of the draw thus could not face hot favourite van Gerwen until the final.
Now? Barely a fag paper between them, and I'm very keen on the younger man at even-money. Doubling could be an issue, but he's a heavier scorer than Taylor on all current evidence, particularly in the 180s department, and can pick up some cheap legs simply by racing away from The Power.
If this boils down to doubles, Taylor will win. He beat Jamie Lewis 6-1 for precisely that reason and of course has a huge experience advantage. But could that become an issue? Might he be too desperate for this incredible ending? All speculation, but I'll take Cross at the price.
Sky Bet have a Flash Boost going on if you want to join the crowd and enhance the odds, plus plenty more odds and offers .
1937: This match will have to go some to beat Saturday's semi-final between Cross and a devastated Michael van Gerwen, who bowed out after six missed darts for a place in this historic final.
1930: Welcome, world, to the perfect end to the year's first day.
Yes, it's the final of the PDC World Darts Championship and this is not any old final. It's Phil Taylor's final match, and in Rob Cross he faces a young player on the brink of one of the most meteoric rises in the history of sport.
Half an hour until they reach the oche which should give me (Ben Coley, hello) enough time to get sufficient fluids into the system, because I think we could be in for a very long night.
Our darts tipster Chris Hammer isn't quite so sure, however. He will of course be rooting for Rob Cross after backing him each-way at 16/1 but he's also previewed the final and has a couple of bets to consider, with the advice to go low on sets.