Michael van Gerwen escapes bizarre nine-darter: Josh Rock sparks disbelief on Premier League night

Michael van Gerwen claimed an important victory on Thursday night in the Premier League Darts. The Dutchman beat Josh Rock 6-3, keeping himself firmly in the hunt for a play-off spot. Yet afterwards the focus was mostly on a single leg in which Rock came spectacularly close to perfection.

Van Gerwen faced the bottom-placed player in the standings in Rock, but it was anything but a straightforward evening. The Northern Irishman repeatedly showed his class and in the sixth leg came eerily close to a nine-darter.

Rock started that leg in stunning fashion with two maximums, leaving him on a finish for the perfect leg after six darts. The crowd settled in, especially since Rock had already hit a nine-darter earlier this season in Belfast.

It was Rock’s second 180 in particular that left players, crowd, and commentators astonished. His first two darts were pinned tightly in treble 20, but the third seemed to go wrong. The dart looked set to fall out of the board, bounced back, and still landed in the red segment.

The footage sparked disbelief in the commentary box. “I have never seen this before,” reacted Viaplay commentator Frank Visschraper, visibly amazed. “What on earth was that?”

Marco Meijer could hardly believe his eyes either. “What a dart—I hope we get to see that again in a replay,” he said immediately. Moments later came a brief but telling verdict: “Brilliant!”

After six perfect darts everything was set for a potentially historic moment. But dart seven went awry. Rock pulled his dart well under treble 20, and the chance of a second Premier League nine-darter of the season vanished instantly.

It didn’t end there for the Northern Irishman, as Van Gerwen then pounced and managed to steal the leg. That kept the Dutchman’s lead intact and moved him a crucial step closer to victory.

According to Visschraper, the miss felt even more painful given the bizarre build-up to the attempt. “But Marco, if Josh Rock had hit that nine-darter, it would have been the strangest ever,” he stated.

“It looked like there was a magnet behind the triple. Wow, that was so good,” Meijer said after watching the replay. “That’s one in a million. If he had hit that nine-darter… it would have been something very special.”