Premier League Darts: Josh Rock, josh rock nine-darter as Stephen Bunting wins in Belfast
josh rock produced a tournament highlight with a nine-darter but it was Stephen Bunting who claimed victory on night four of the Premier League in Belfast. Bunting beat Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final after a run of high averages and decisive wins in the knockout rounds.
Josh Rock nine-darter thrills Belfast
Northern Ireland's Josh Rock, one of two debutants in this year's field, delivered the first nine-darter of this year's tournament and it was noted as the 20th nine-darter in the history of the Premier League. Players are awarded a set of 18-carat gold darts for hitting a nine-darter. Rock's nine-darter delighted the home crowd and left him with "a memory he will never forget, " with the home faithful lauding him despite his result.
Luke Littler exits early
World number one Luke Littler suffered further disappointment, losing 6-3 to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals, a defeat that left Littler with only one game won in four weeks and described as an early exit. Littler's loss contrasted with other standout moments of the night.
Bunting's route to the final
Stephen Bunting, 40, moved through the draw with clinical scoring. He registered his highest Premier League average, 106. 63, in a 6-4 quarter-final win over defending champion Luke Humphries. He followed that with another 106 average in a 6-0 semi-final whitewash of current league leader Jonny Clayton before beating Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final. Bunting went from zero to five points overall with the 6-2 success over the Dutchman and the win in Northern Ireland represented the third final defeat of the season for Van Veen at Bunting's hands.
Van Veen makes fourth final
Gian van Veen, playing in the tournament for the first time, has now made three finals in four weeks but is continuing to struggle to get over the line in finals. His 6-2 quarter-final win over Rock set up the run to the final where he was halted by Bunting.
Form, figures and background
Bunting has faced public scrutiny after failing to win a game in the first three weeks of this year's contest and after taking nine weeks to register a point in last year's event, which was his first involvement since being a challenger in 2020. The 40-year-old said he has come off social media because of criticism and described recent setbacks as experience that helped him. He reflected: "I do believe I am one of the best players in the world - I deserve to be in the Premier League. " He added that "everyone was writing me off, people saying I should not be in it, but I know how hard I work behind the scenes. These are the nights I play for. "
Bunting also said losing "seven or eight on the bounce" last year gave him experience and that playing in the Premier League meant facing "the best of the best. " He said he had hypnotherapy on the morning of the event, that he has a great team around him, and that the win "goes a long way to showing I should be here. " The player was described as teary-eyed while saying: "Everyone was writing me off before the tournament. People were saying I shouldn't be in it but I know how hard I work. " He is sixth in the PDC's order of merit and is a two-time World Championship semi-finalist.
Despite being known as one of the biggest scorers on the tour, Rock, 24, has struggled in his debut Premier League campaign. His 6-2 loss was a fourth successive defeat by that scoreline. Across the four weeks he is averaging 92. 33 and his checkout percentage stands at 29. 63% (eight from 27). Still, the nine-darter and the crowd reaction provided a high point in a difficult opening run.
Sequence of the night's knockout results: Bunting beat Luke Humphries 6-4 in the quarter-finals; Jonny Clayton beat Luke Littler 6-3 in the quarter-finals; Gian van Veen beat Josh Rock 6-2 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals Bunting whitewashed Jonny Clayton 6-0 to set up the final, where Bunting beat Van Veen 6-2.
This night forms part of the Premier League Darts 2026 fixtures, results and table and leaves several big names with work to do as the tournament progresses.
Closing: Bunting's Belfast victory underlined his claim to a place in the competition while josh rock's nine-darter gave the home crowd an unforgettable highlight amid a night of mixed fortunes for debutants and established stars alike.
