ROB CROSS offered a kind message to a "suffering" Peter Wright after easing his way through the group at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Fourth seed Cross, 34, thrashed two-time world champion Wright 5-1 to clinch his spot in the second round.
The result condemned Wright to a third loss as he was eliminated from the Bolton-based competition without a single point - having also been whitewashed in his opener.
It adds to the Scot's dismal season which has included a second-round exit at the world championships and a bottom-place finish in the Premier League.
Wright, 54, won the world title for a second time at Ally Pally in 2022.
And Cross, the 2018 champion of the world, had sympathy for his opponent after Wright averaged just 83.55 across the six legs.
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Speaking on , he said: "It wasn't too bad. I'm playing a legend of the game and he's not at his best.
"I love it when Peter's at his best. I've really got to say I expected a little bit more tonight and never got it - he'd probably admit that.
"But he's a great man and these guys [the crowd] the way they chant his name they should never forget.
"I hope he does come back, I hope he does rebuild. [Tonight] is not really about me. I don't like seeing people suffering. I felt for him."
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He went on to add: "He's a great guy and he deserves a lot more."
Cross will now face Ritchie Edhouse for a place in the quarter-finals - where Martin Lukeman or Ross Smith will be waiting.
He is bidding to go one step further than last year's Grand Slam of Darts when he lost 16-8 to Luke Humphries in the final.