PDC Home Tour: Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall headline Group Two of the semi-finals

Four of the world’s top 16 including Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall will battle it out on the PDC Home Tour on Thursday evening for the right to join Gary Anderson and Jelle Klaasen in Friday’s Championship Group.

Premier League stars Cross and Aspinall will take on Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen – ranked 15th and 16th respectively on the PDC Order of Merit – in the penultimate night of the innovative home-staged event.

The unheralded names took centre stage in the tournament’s infancy, but the established stars have begun to assert their authority, with two-time world champion Anderson and 2006 BDO World Championship winner Klaasen easing through Wednesday’s semi-final group.

Who will move one step closer to lifting the inaugural Home Tour title? We examine Thursday’s line-up and reflect on the quartet’s route to the semi-finals…

PDC Home Tour Semi-Finals – Thursday’s Fixtures

Rob Cross

Cross’ route to the semi-finals

Cross has the lowest tournament average of the six remaining contenders, although he has still navigated his way through to the semi-finals with a series of battling displays.

The 2018 world champion completed a clean sweep in the first phase after following up a comfortable win over William Borland by registering deciding-leg triumphs over Dimitri Van den Bergh and emerging Czech Karel Sedlacek.

‘Voltage’ demonstrated notable improvement in Play-Off wins over Daniel Larsson and Ryan Searle, and despite succumbing to Luke Woodhouse in a scrappy affair, it was sufficient to seal top spot via legs difference.

Cross will inevitably have to raise his game to progress to Friday’s Championship Group, but as the highest-ranked player in the field, coupled with his major pedigree, it would be foolish to underestimate him.

Joe Cullen

Cullen’s route to the semi-finals

‘The Rockstar’ candidly revealed last month he has struggled for motivation during lockdown, but he has produced some scintillating performances over recent weeks to advance to the last eight.

Having finished as runner-up on Night 20, Cullen was the beneficiary of a second opportunity to qualify on Night 31, as he stormed through with a sublime average of 106.65 over the evening, which included a notable win over world No 3 Gerwyn Price.

His progression in the Play-Offs was not as spectacular, yet he still delivered the goods to overcome Premier League challenger Chris Dobey, former Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith and emerging Dutchman Martijn Kleermaker in a competitive group.

Cullen’s prodigious talent is indisputable and if he is able to repeat his exploits from Night 31, it would take something extraordinary to deny him a place in Friday’s showpiece.

Nathan Aspinall

Aspinall’s route to the semi-finals

By his own admission Aspinall has struggled to adapt to the unique concept of home-staged darts, evidenced by his modest tournament average of 90. Despite this, ‘The Asp’ still boasts an enviable 100 per cent record.

The former UK Open champion eased through the first phase with emphatic wins over Steve Brown, Ryan Joyce and Simon Stevenson – conceding just five legs in the process.

The world No 7 then defeated enigmatic Portuguese star Jose De Sousa in a decisive Play-Off clash, having accounted for Jesus Noguera and Jamie Hughes earlier in the evening.

Aspinall is a player that thrives on adrenaline and the decorated semi-final line-up could provide the necessary tonic for a player who has already scooped two Pro Tour titles in 2020 thus far.

Jonny Clayton

Clayton’s route to the semi-finals

The fact Clayton is considered an outsider to progress is testament to the quality on show, although following his performance on Tuesday – the Welshman will be confident and with some justification.

The former televised finalist was a convincing victor on Night Eight, recording three consecutive victories over Adam Hunt, Richard North and David Pallett for the cumulative loss of seven legs.

His performances in the Play-Offs were even more eye-catching. The Welshman posted ton-plus averages in disposing of Scott Waites and Max Hopp, before easing past Carl Wilkinson to maintain his unblemished record.

Clayton is similar to Cullen in terms of his mercurial nature, but his consistency throughout the Home Tour has been the catalyst to his success, and his clinical combination finishing may be critical to his title aspirations.

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