Josh Rock used to work in an Antrim chicken factory – and tonight Northern Ireland’s rising star will break out of his shell at Alexandra Palace.
When Rock helped chicks go from incubation to hatching, it was almost a euphemism for his career on the oche, where he is widely tipped to rule the roost in the near future.
And if the 21-year-old from Ballymena gets past Spain’s Jose Justicia in the first round at the Cazoo PDC Darts World Championship, just watch him fly. The Antrim Rocky hit a nine-darter against Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam last month, and his poultry in motion was no fluke.
Read next: Josh Rock hits nine-dart leg in Grand Slam of Darts thriller
Although he has never been past the last 16 of a televised major, bookies make the PDC world youth champion fifth favourite to rock Ally Pally.
Darts royalty Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor has tipped Rock to become cock of the walk.
He left the chicken run behind in September to concentrate on darts full-time, saying: “I have given that up completely. My job was helping the chicks to hatch before they go on to their farms to become bigger – and before they end up on your plate. I did the easy bit, I didn’t do the bad bit!
“They go under these big industrial heaters for about three weeks and then they go under a different heater for three days and that’s it – they are ready to hatch.
“I went into that job after the lockdown rules lifted.
“You are moving eggs around all over the place.
“I did that for a year and a half roughly, but I wanted to play darts since I was in school. I played my first pub league match when I was 10.”
If Rock sounds like a man in a hurry to make his mark, he is commendably level-headed about the process – as if you can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.
He said: “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
“If I win the world championship, next year or even in two or three years down the line, then happy days.
“I could be the youngest ever to win the PDC title. But I am not looking at it like that.
“My ambition is to be the best I can be. If that means being world No.1 and world champion at the same time, I’d bite your hand off for that.
“I am fearless. You cannot be scared – if you are scared, you will just put yourself under pressure every single time.
“You have to adopt the same attitude against everyone.
“It might sound bold, but you have to. I am an old head on young shoulders, as people might say. You have to be confident, if you’re not then there’s no point.”
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