World No. 45 Lukeman Advances to Grand Slam of Darts Semis After Defeating Cross

World number 45 Martin Lukeman secured his inaugural major semi-final spot at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, defeating former world champion Rob Cross with a 16-11 victory after initially trailing 5-1. Initially, world number four Cross, who had been the tournament’s runner-up a year prior, established an early lead. Nevertheless, Lukeman mounted a comeback, securing eight of the subsequent nine legs to take a 9-6 advantage. Cross then claimed four of the next five legs, equalizing the score at 10-10. Subsequently, Lukeman, also an Englishman, clinched six of the final seven legs, setting up a semi-final encounter with Mickey Mansell scheduled for Sunday at 13:00 GMT. Reflecting on his performance, Lukeman told Sky Sports: “It’s a bit of a blur to be fair. I remember taking 144 out and had a few finishes on the bull, but apart from that I was just so concentrated, I was like, ‘I’m doing this, I’m having a picture with my wife with the trophy on this stage, simple as that’.” In an earlier match on Friday, Mickey Mansell of Northern Ireland also staged a recovery, coming back from a 4-0 deficit to overcome Scotland’s Cameron Menzies 16-15 in a tense final-leg decider.