Josh Rock and Belfast fans go crazy after his sensational nine-darter in Premier League

Josh Rock announced himself to the Premier League with an incredible nine-darter on home soil in defeat to Gian van Veen.

On night four of the Premier League in Belfast, Rock and Van Veen were the last to go on stage, and he was greeted by an incredible reception.

Unfortunately for Rock, he wasn’t at the peak of their powers as Van Veen ended up winning 6-2.

However, the Northern Irishman still provided a moment he and the fans in the arena will never forget.

It was absolute carnage as he nailed the double 12 to get the first nine-darter of the Premier League this season.

And despite Rock still waiting for his first win, it was a box office moment that shows he belongs on this stage.

The following leg proved to be the last, though.

Van Veen missed a few match darts, which appeared to let Rock back into it.

But he couldn’t finish off, perhaps there was too much adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The crowd that packed out the SSE Arena probably would have either wanted Rock to win the whole night or to get a nine-darter.

In the end, it was the latter, and the limbs in the crowd were truly something else.

As a result of this famous nine-darter, the 24-year-old gets a very special prize.

Rock will get three 18-carat gold darts worth £30,000 from BetMGM.

Given it happened when Rock was 5-1 down in a race to six, the fact he pulled a nine-darter from nowhere was quite incredible.

Interestingly, the first 180 he hit to get the nine-darter going was the first of the match.

The second was also the second, so he really found a clutch moment despite struggling badly.

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Special prize

In 2025, these darts were introduced as a special prize, and no matter what happens in the rest of the Premier League, Rock now has a set.

Speaking at their unveiling in 2025, the PDC’s Head of Media Dave Allen said: “This is a great initiative by BetMGM which adds even more interest to what is already a fantastically entertaining tournament.

“No tournament has featured more nine-darters than the BetMGM Premier League and this added incentive has certainly got the players talking ahead of the new season kicking off in Belfast.”

Bad night for the Lukes

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the two best players in the world, but they had evenings to forget.

The Nuke got proceedings underway in Belfast with a match against Jonny Clayton.

The Welshman dispatched Littler last week on his way to claiming victory.

And in the rematch, he came out on top again, winning 6-3.