Captain Ben Stokes Is 'Exhausted' Yet Insists He's 'Ready to Bowl'
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- By Christopher Cooper
- 06 May 2026
In a performance that etched his name in the record books, debutant Justin Hood pulled off an unheard-of feat of 11 consecutive doubles, blasting his way to a dominant 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the third round of the prestigious World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his maiden season on the top-tier professional circuit, continued his remarkable tournament run. His perfect doubling streak finally concluded when he had a chance to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Unfazed, he regrouped to clinCH the victory with a spectacular 119 checkout in the very next leg.
“It’s not a fairytale – I know what I can do and it’s incredibly satisfying to demonstrate it up there,” Hood stated in his on-stage interview. “The only time I felt a bit of nerves was on my throw the leg before the last. I’m unaccustomed to this. Usually, I get hate messages. This is absolutely insane.”
Hood immediately signaled his formidable challenge by winning the opening set with an 11-dart break. This left the favored Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, little to do but watch in awe as Hood stormed to victory, posting a formidable 101 average and firing in 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 avowed ambition of opening a Chinese restaurant.
In other third round action, Jonny Clayton solidified his rise to fourth 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, after establishing a 2-1 advantage and subsequently wasting four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
“There’s a lot on my mind and moving to world No. 4 was one of them,” admitted Clayton. “Whenever I looked up, Andreas was hitting his doubles. It was tough; I didn’t play my top darts and had a lot of loose throws, but that’s what the occasion does to you.”
Joining them in the next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who found an extra gear in the later stages to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, earning his spot in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
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