Rob Cross is 17th on the raw ProTour Order of Merit for the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay race, but the seeded-player filter keeps him inside the provisional Blackpool picture before the July 8 cut-off.
The updated World Matchplay Race, listed after ET9, shows Cross on £111,000, just behind Krzysztof Ratajski on £113,500. William O’Connor (£108,750), Niko Springer (£108,250) and Gian van Veen (£108,000) are packed in behind, which makes the last Leicester block more than a simple top-16 chase.
The reason is the Matchplay route itself: the top 16 on the main PDC Order of Merit qualify as seeds, then the next 16 players from the one-year ProTour table who have not already qualified join them. Several names above Cross on the raw ProTour list are already protected by the main rankings, so the true cut line sits deeper than 16th.
Cross Still Has Work Around Him
That does not make Cross bulletproof. It does, however, turn the pressure towards the cluster behind him, where Cameron Menzies, Damon Heta and Dave Chisnall are still shaping the final provisional places for the Winter Gardens.
For Cross, the task is to avoid giving the chasers a clean opening. For everyone below him, Leicester is the last realistic chance to turn raw ranking pressure into a Blackpool place.
