Broughshane’s Josh Rock secured the third PDC ranking title of his career after claiming victory at Players Championship 17 in Milton Keynes.
‘Rocky’ had to do it the hard way, winning last-leg deciders against Cameron Menzies and Ross Smith in the Quarter and Semi-Finals respectively, before beating Joe Cullen in the decider.
This win is Rock’s second of the year after his Dutch Championship victory on the European Tour, with this his first Players Championship title since 2022.
The 23-year-old, who pockets £15,000 for his efforts, started the day with a 100-plus average win over Aden Kirk and defeated Owen Roelofs and Scott Williams to reach the last-16.
Rock continued his march with a 6-4 win over the Netherlands’ Niels Zonneveld in round four, and battled back from 4-2 down to defeat Scotland’s Menzies in the Quarters.
He backed that up by holding off Smith in the last-four, averaging over a ton again and surviving a late comeback from the Englishman to win 7-6 and gain revenge for his World Matchplay defeat last month.
But he saved the best for last, a tense Final against Cullen that was always in the balance finally broken in the 13th leg when Rock produced a magical 170 checkout.
And he finished it off a leg later for an 8-6 win to claim the title to make him the 16th different winner in 17 Players Championship events.