Luke Littler continues scintillating form by thrashing Rob Cross

Luke Littler continued his hot streak after demolishing Rob Cross in the first round of the Players Championships Finals.

The 17-year-old won his third major title of the year when he was crowned Grand Slam of Darts champion last Sunday after a week of scintillating performances.

And it was still party time at Butlin’s Minehead as he beat former world champion Cross 6-0 in little over 15 minutes.

He was virtually unplayable, averaging a mammoth 112.73, which is the second highest in the tournament’s history.

It is still early days in a relentless format, with multiple matches on Saturday and Sunday, but Littler will be the player to beat on this form.

Elsewhere, veteran Ian White reeled in a big fish as he sent Michael van Gerwen packing.

Nobody has won more titles than the Dutchman’s seven but he did not even make the weekend as White cruised to a 6-1 victory.

The 54-year-old averaged 102 and took out a 170 finish – the highest possible checkout on the board.

It leaves Van Gerwen in crisis as defeat condemns him to a calendar year without a televised title for just the second time since 2012.

Gerwyn Price’s miserable form also continued as he was dumped out by Frenchman Thibault Tricole.

Peter Wright, top seed Chris Dobey and James Wade were also first-round losers on a bumper day’s play.

Gary Anderson was another former world champion to perish in the first round as he was beaten 6-5 by Ryan Meikle.

However, defending champion Luke Humphries and 2023 world champion Michael Smith progressed.