Luke Littler might be looking over his shoulder after Josh Rock insisted the young duo can dominate darts for years. Rock has quietly impressed on tour over the last couple of years and has risen to No. 16 in the PDC’s Order of Merit.
The 23-year-old has reached the last-32 of World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix in consecutive years. Over two productive seasons, he has claimed £405,000 in prize money, helping him climb the rankings.
Rock has now joined Target Darts from Mission Darts and hopes the change can elevate his game. He pledged to dominate darts alongside Littler.
“Joining Target Darts is a truly special moment for me, and I’m delighted to be part of the team that works with the very best in darts.
“Target’s unwavering support and dedication to providing the best equipment will undoubtedly help me grow as a player. I especially can’t wait to get stuck in on the Omni Auto Scoring system to see how much that is going to improve my game.
“I’m confident that this partnership will help me reach new heights in my career and lead me to World titles.
“I think that Luke Littler and I will push each other to be the very best. We both share the same ambition, drive, and love for the game, and I truly believe we can dominate the sport for years to come.”
Rock still has a long way to go to reach Littler’s level. The teenager, who turned 18 on Tuesday, is a world champion and won the Premier League on his debut last year.
Littler defeated Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship final. He was so sure of his ability that after watching videos of his run to last year’s showdown, the Nuke was sure he would defeat Van Gerwen.
“I’ve learned a lot. Last year in the semi-finals against Rob Cross, that was the first time I was 1-0 down, then obviously against Luke [Humphries],” Littler said.
“No one will know this but earlier today I watched all of the game back against Luke and I had the visions. I kind of knew what went wrong last year. But just to recap and go over what I did wrong, it was probably the right thing to do.
“Obviously the D2 [miss] was huge because I said it to my family, ‘If I’m 5-2 up then I’m pretty much the world champion’, but Luke won the next five sets and picked up the trophy.”
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