Josh Rock: Antrim man's nine-darter as Van Gerwen gets fright in Grand Slam match

Josh Rock produced his nine-dart finish in the second leg of his 10-8 defeat by Michael van Gerwin at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton

Antrim's Josh Rock hit a nine-darter as he gave Michael van Gerwen a fright in their last-16 contest at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.

The 21-year-old's perfect second leg helped him level and he kept pace with the three-time world champion until the Dutchman's crucial break in leg 15.

That moved Van Gerwen 8-7 ahead and he eventually clinched a 10-8 victory.

"I will never forget that. That was vey special to hit the nine-darter," Rock told Sky Sports after the contest.

"Nothing went through my head, I just tried to hit it [the nine-darter]. I thought I broke my ankle when I celebrated. I am OK and it didn't affect me playing the game."

Rock's moment of magic saw him follow up two 180s with a 141 checkout as he finished on double 12.

After his nine-dart finish, Rock edged 3-2 ahead despite the Dutchman's 115 average and the superb standard continued with the duo exchanging 11-dart holds before Van Gerwen's 142 finish in leg 15 put him in control.

Van Gerwen, eyeing his first win in the Grand Slam event since 2017, moved 9-7 up with a double four finish and while Rock kept the match alive by winning the 17th leg, the Dutchman held his nerve to clinch victory in the next.

"Josh Rock is a phenomenal player and we're going to hear much more about him very soon, but I had to dig deep today," said the three-time world champion, who will meet Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals.

"This is the best I have played in a long time and I had to, because when you're up against a player of this calibre, you have to produce the right things at the right moments."

The Northern Irishman hit eight 180s in Thursday's contest and his nine-dart finish was only the fifth in Grand Slam history and the first since Dimitri Van den Bergh's in 2018.