Josh Rock hits 'best nine-darter of all-time' in Premier League as Belfast crowd erupt
Rock achieved perfection against Gian van Veen in his home country.
Featured Image Credit: PDC
Topics: Darts, Fan Reactions, Premier League
Ryan Smart
Topics: Darts, Fan Reactions, Premier League
Fans are calling Josh Rock's nine-darter the 'best' of all-time after he hit perfection during night four of the Premier League in Belfast.
Rock, who was born in County Antrim, was drawn against World Championship finalist Gian van Veen in the quarter-final.
'Rocky' struggled through the opening legs as he looked to earn his first Premier League win of the season, and trailed 5-1 in a race to six.
That meant the Belfast crowd had little to shout about - but that all changed in leg seven.
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Rock hit six perfect darts to leave a 141 finish - generally the preferred route for nine-darters - before pinning treble 20, treble 19 and then double 12 for perfection.
The home crowd simply erupted, with Rock immediately charging towards the edge of the stage before leaping into the air.
And some fans have dubbed it as the best nine-darter they've ever seen - solely based off the reaction alone.
Taking to social media, one fan wrote: "Belfast unbelievable atmosphere. Is that the best 9 ever!!!???"
"One of the best ever Premier League moments that, incredible atmosphere," another wrote.
While a third added: "That could genuinely be the best nine-darter ever."
The remarkable feat ended up being inconsequential as far as the match was concerned, as Van Veen won the next leg to secure a 6-2 victory.
And while Rock is still searching for his maiden Premier League win, hitting a nine-darter in his home country is a moment that will go down in the annuls of darting history.
The Northern Irishman is the third player to hit a nine-darter in the PDC this week, after Beau Greaves achieved the same feat during Players Championship 6 in Leicester.
The 22-year-old, who is a PDC tour card holder for the first time this year, went down the same route as Rock, before holding out to win 6-5 against Mensur Suljovic after hitting a 73 checkout.
Eight of Greaves' nine darts were almost perfectly central, with only one thrown towards the the edge of the treble 20 marker.
After becoming the first woman to hit a nine on the ProTour, she said (via Sky Sports): "I couldn't believe I'd hit it! I just about hit the treble 19 and then I was quite confident that the double 12 was going in.
"I couldn't stop smiling because I couldn't wait to tell my dad, even though I knew he'd be watching it.
"I've narrowly missed hitting one a few times so it was nice to finally hit one. It's nice to be the first woman to hit one on the PDC ProTour.
"It was hard to get back into the game after I'd hit it - I was shaking afterwards! It was nerve-wracking but I managed to get the win in the end."
Shortly after Greaves, Germany's Max Hopp then hit a nine-darter in his last 32 tie against Thibaut Tricole.
Hopp spent several years off the main tour before regaining his card in 2025.
Now 29, he needs to climb six places in the rankings this season to reach the top 64 and retain his card for 2027.
In the years that Hopp was off the tour, it was instead Martin Schindler who took over the mantle as Germany's top star, with the three-time European Championship event winner currently in 16th place on the Order of Merit.