Josh Rock has joined Luke Humphries in the Last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts from Group H with a superb victory from the Northern Irish talent underlining why he has come into the tournament on debut among the favourites.
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Rock needed three legs to qualify after Scott Williams produced an epic display to keep himself involved even walking round the venue instead of remaining in the practice room to balance his nerves.
'Shaggy' hit a 107.5 average and six 180's to end Ryan Searle's hopes and all eyes were then on the two forerunners with Humphries already through anyway.
To begin the tie, it was edgy as Rock missed four darts to get a second leg on the board and Humphries swept up to lead 2-1.
Rock finally got that second leg going 3-2 down and hit a 121 checkout to claim the third leg he needed with a wild celebration which was due to the magnitude of the situation which he soon apologised for.
From there, it was a freeroll and Rock went on to seal it 5-3 and will now have the task of another of the world's top players in Michael van Gerwen but can he step up to the plate over the longer format?
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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ROCK GOES THROUGH!!
Just look at that celebration from Josh Rock as he gets the required legs to secure his qualification from Group H.
What a moment in his debut year!
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