“Peter Wright won his first world title at 50, Luke Littler wins his first world title at 17" - Josh Rock insists time is still on his side

Josh Rock has been known as one of the biggest up and coming talents in the world of darts for several years now. However, the 23-year-old Northern Irishman is still waiting for his real major breakthrough.

Rock made his first real appearance when he threw a nine-darter at the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts in the last 16 versus three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen. A star for the future seemed to be born, despite losing the match 10-8. But for "Rocky," that occasion meant much more than just that nine-darter. In January of that year, his uncle, who was a big part of Rock's rise toward the top, died.

"He passed away and I used to always play darts with him. He was a big Michael Van Gerwen fan so I think he was there the night I had a nine darter so that is why I hit it," recalls Rock to the Irish Sun, also remembering kind words from his Dutch opponent. "He was very nice but the words he said to me that night on the stage, he said ‘you have a big bright future ahead Josh and I wish you all the best.'”

Rock may be without a major for now, but he still regularly experiences how popular he is. "Whenever you are out with the family and stuff having meals, you have people coming up and asking for photos. It is something I never thought would happen to me and now it has happened and I’m very grateful," he explains. “I do enjoy the attention but sometimes when it is a lot of people at one time, you are like, ‘go away’. At the same time, we have to do it because it is part and parcel of our job.”

Earlier this year, Littler, who is still several years younger than Rock, became world champion for the first time. The two recently joined the same darts manufacturer at Target Darts. "What Littler has done for the sport has been fantastic. It wasn’t nowhere but it went from being watched every Thursday night and has gone through the roof," says Rock. “You can’t even get a ticket to competitions because they are all sold out. That is how big darts has got now. Littler, what he has done becoming a world champion at 17, is a big inspiration for everybody because it shows it doesn’t matter how old you are."

“Peter Wright won his first world title at 50, Luke Littler wins his first world title at 17. It doesn’t matter how old you are," adds Rock in conclusion. “Everybody is there to compete. It is a young man’s game, an old man’s game, it just depends on if you have it or not.”