In a display that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood achieved an unprecedented feat of 11 consecutive doubles, powering 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, competing in his first ever 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 regrouped to clinCH the victory with a superb 119 checkout in the following 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 stated in his post-match interview. “The only time I felt a bit of nerves was on my throw the leg before the last. I’m not used to this. Ordinarily, I get hate messages. This is mad.”
Hood sent an early message about his intentions by winning the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the favored Rock, the tournament's number 11, powerless but watch in awe as Hood charged to victory, registering a impressive 101 average and hammering 10 maximum 180s.
This record-breaking win ensures the newcomer a career-best payday of at least £100,000 and edges him closer to his stated ambition of opening a Chinese restaurant.
In other last-16 action, Jonny Clayton solidified his rise to fourth in the global rankings after mounting a comeback from a set down to defeat Andreas Harrysson 4-2.
The Swedish contender was made to regret for failing to capitalize on key opportunities, having led a 2-1 advantage and then missing four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
“A number of things on my mind and moving to world No. 4 was one of them,” admitted Clayton. “Every time 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 next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who found an extra gear in the closing phases to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, booking his place in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
A tech enthusiast and gaming analyst with over a decade of experience covering digital entertainment and emerging technologies.