His next coup at the PDC Darts World Championship 2023 does not materialize, but Josh Rock is showered with compliments as a high-flyer in the darts scene. His leap into the absolute top of the world is only a matter of time.
In a season from an auxiliary job in a chicken factory to the greatest promise of the darts tour: For the Northern Irish high-flyer Josh Rock there have certainly been worse years than 2022. The thrilling World Cup defeat in the round of 16 against the Welsh veteran Jonny Clayton will not change that.
The 21-year-old delivered a very close match to the former team world champion late in the evening. Rock was leading 3-2 and basically had the match in his hands, but then Clayton came back and still secured his first World Cup quarterfinals.
Phil Taylor had predicted Josh Rock’s rise ahead of the Darts World Championship
“It’s unfamiliar terrain for me, but it’s a good place,” said Clayton, who also has a good chance of reaching the semi-finals after Scottish world champion Peter Wright was eliminated early on. “I had a fantastic night.”
After the game, the veteran also had to talk extensively about Youngster Rock – the 48-year-old did so enthusiastically. “Josh took off like a train. This kid has everything. And he has a very long time to go to win the big trophies,” said Clayton.
Record world champion Phil Taylor had already praised the Northern Irishman extensively before the World Cup and predicted a surprise for him. Rock earned the equivalent of almost 150,000 euros in his first year on the darts tour. The talent, who has been crazy about darts since childhood, shouldn’t need a part-time job in the next few months.