In a performance that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood pulled off an unprecedented feat of 11 consecutive doubles, blasting his way to a dominant 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the third round of the elite World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his maiden season on the premier professional circuit, extended his remarkable tournament run. His perfect doubling streak only ended when he was throwing to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Undaunted, he composed himself to clinCH the victory with a superb 119 checkout in the very next leg.
“This isn't a storybook – I am fully aware of what I can do and it’s nice to demonstrate it up there,” Hood remarked in his on-stage interview. “The sole moment I felt a bit of nerves was on my throw the leg before the last. I’m unaccustomed to this. Ordinarily, I get negative comments. This is absolutely insane.”
Hood immediately signaled his formidable challenge by securing the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the higher-seeded Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, powerless but watch in awe as Hood stormed to victory, registering a formidable 101 average and firing in 10 maximum 180s.
This record-breaking win guarantees the newcomer a life-changing payday of at least ÂŁ100,000 and edges him closer to his stated ambition of launching a Chinese restaurant.
In other third round action, Jonny Clayton confirmed his rise to the number four spot in the global rankings after engineering a comeback from a set down to defeat Andreas Harrysson 4-2.
The Swedish contender ultimately paid the price for squandering key opportunities, having led a 2-1 advantage and subsequently wasting four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
“A number of things on my mind and becoming world No. 4 was among them,” admitted Clayton. “Whenever I looked up, Andreas was finding his doubles. It was tough; I didn’t play my top darts and had many loose attempts, but that’s what pressure does to you.”
Joining them in the quarter-final stage is Krzysztof Ratajski, who pulled away in the later stages to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, earning his spot in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
Lena is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering consumer electronics and emerging technologies.