{"id":2608,"date":"2026-02-19T15:10:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/2608\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:10:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:10:05","slug":"i-actually-laughed-at-it-straight-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/2608\/","title":{"rendered":"I actually laughed at it straight away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh Rock<\/a> is looking forward to the next Premier League Darts<\/a> stop in Glasgow. After an eventful week, in which his performance in Antwerp was affected by an unexpected grip issue, the Northern Irishman wants to quickly get back on track and collect crucial points in the race for the play-offs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Antwerp, Rock ran into a situation he could hardly believe himself. Right before his match he almost completely lost control of his grip, something he says was caused by soap he had used backstage.<\/p>\n

“I went to the toilet just before I went up on stage and whatever soap they had \u2014 obviously you wash your hands after going to the toilet \u2014 I used it. The next minute I went up there and thought, \u201cThis isn\u2019t going to start well.\u201d I just couldn\u2019t feel it at all.” Rock said at a press conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The cause was clear to him quickly, which helped him put things into perspective. “I actually laughed at it straight away because I knew what the problem was. If I\u2019d played like that and didn\u2019t know what the problem was, then obviously we\u2019d have an issue. But I knew I couldn\u2019t get any grip on my hands. No matter how much I was trying to lick my fingers or rub my finger up and down the barrel to roughen them, it wasn\u2019t working. So I just let that one go.”<\/p>\n

Since then, he has taken precautions to avoid a repeat. \u201cNow we\u2019ve got a plan B. I\u2019ve got a bit of chalk and wax in my case from now on.”<\/p>\n

Premier League experience leaves him wanting more<\/p>\n

Despite the disappointment on stage, the incident didn\u2019t affect his confidence. Rock remained strikingly composed about the situation. \u201cIt didn\u2019t faze me at all. I knew what was going on, so you just move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Rock, his debut season in the Premier League is a special experience. The intensity, the atmosphere, and the standard have made a big impression on the Northern Irishman. “I\u2019m really, really enjoying it. I\u2019ve taken it in my stride and I\u2019m smiling the whole time. I\u2019m one of the elite players, so I might as well enjoy it while I can.”<\/p>\n

He says the atmosphere in the arenas is unmatched. \u201cThe noise and the vibe are totally different from anything I\u2019ve ever played in. But I\u2019m used to it now and I can\u2019t wait to be out there every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glasgow feels almost like a home game<\/p>\n

The night in Glasgow has extra significance for Rock. The city is relatively close to home and his strong bond with Scotland, partly through his love for Rangers FC, makes the appearance even more special.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlasgow is quite close to home, so I\u2019m really looking forward to playing here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m obviously hoping for lots of support from the crowd, but I don\u2019t know exactly what to expect.\u201d He certainly doesn\u2019t feel extra pressure. \u201cI don\u2019t think it adds extra pressure. I\u2019d love it if they get behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a sporting perspective, Rock faces a tough challenge. In Glasgow he meets Luke Humphries, a high-calibre opponent. Still, the Northern Irishman is mainly focused on his own development in the opening weeks of the competition. \u201cWe\u2019ve only just started. Maybe I need a few weeks to get used to it, but hopefully not. Hopefully I pick up points this week straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Josh Rock is looking forward to the next Premier League Darts stop in Glasgow. After an eventful week,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2609,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[19,1534,1356,1359],"class_list":{"0":"post-2608","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-antwerp","8":"tag-antwerp","9":"tag-josh-rock","10":"tag-pdc","11":"tag-premier-league-darts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}