Both players have lost their way,
Cross is muck lucky he is playing a washed up Barney.
Barney can still play but he is no longer a competitor.
Barney better retire with with some dignity this time around. Edit he canāt 
Barney sulking.
I thought that Cross did ok there.
Upped it big time from the first set and at times looked back to his best.
Some poor stuff in there but I think heāll do well in this tournament.
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Cross has had a decent year.
Thatās a good win so early, heāll come on a tonne for it. 
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Did what he needed to win, was comfortable.
Ah lads stop id be shocked if Cross was averaging over low 90s, would take a massive step up to push that towards the 98-99 required to even trouble the semis.
Barney was like a skilful but windy corner forward horsed out of it by a limited opponent, and who gets sent off in injury time for dissent.
He has bottle in that he frequently nailed doubles with his last dart but heād want to seriously up his scoring.
Definitely.
Rob Cross seems to be a decent bloke.
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Why do Darts players struggle as they age akin to more taxing sports? Phil āThe Powerā Taylor seemed to decline with age and the same has happened to RVB at 54. Surely itās not that difficult to stay āmatch fitā. Maybe the hunger isnāt there anymore.
Fair well to RVB.My favourite player ever.I doubt weāll see him on this stage again.
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Eyesight and throw.
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General stamina as well in the heat of battle.
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I honestly think some would benefit immensely from sports psychology. Itās a tough sport mentally and hard not to let tough losses and crucial missed doubles wreck your head.
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I think few players have struggled with psychology as much as Barney has post-2007. Itās frustrating as he showed glimpses tonight that he still has the ability to play serious darts. But his head is a mess and I think thereās a deep self-pity in there.
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