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Mike Walters

Josh Rock's incredible journey from chicken factory to Ally Pally for World Darts Championship

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.”

Josh Rock en route to his perfect nine-darter (@OfficialPDC Twitter)

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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