Defending champion makes an early exit

ROB Cross saw the defence of his European Championship title end at the first hurdle after he was knocked out by James Wade in Dortmund on Thursday night.

England’s Cross became the fourth successive defending champion to exit in the first round at the event after losing the deciding leg and going down to a 6-5 defeat.

He will have nightmares about the two match darts he had on double 20 in the deciding leg as the second round was in his grasp, but he was off target and Wade pounced.

Wade, the 2018 champion, had already missed three match darts as both players endured a tough night on the doubles, but eventually got the job done at the sixth attempt, finishing with a double one.

Josh Rock, meanwhile, announced himself on the big stage with a win over ninth seed Nathan Aspinall.

TENNIS: Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow next month.

The British number one was named in the Great Britain team earlier this month, but has been ruled out with the wrist injury that ended her Tour season prematurely.

The LTA quoted Raducanu as saying: “It’s disappointing to get the news from the doctors that I won’t be ready in time, particularly with it being on home soil.”