Josh Rock is ready to wash his hands of Belgian soap after blaming last week’s Premier League hammering in Antwerp on a pre-match visit to the toilet.
The Northern Irishman lost 6-2 to Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-final of night two of the weekly roadshow and revealed he could not grip the darts properly.
He said the soap in the backstage toilets affected him, and now plans to carry chalk and wax in his case to prevent future episodes.
“I went to the toilet just before I went on stage and obviously you wash your hands after going to the toilet, so I put the soap all over my hands and the next minute I’m up there, and I was like, ‘This isn’t going to go well’,” Rock explained.
“I just could not feel it at all. So now we’ve got a plan B, I’ve got a bit of chalk and wax in the case from now on.
“I didn’t have to use it this week at the Players Championship, it was fine, but it must have been the soap I used.
“That was the first time it’s happened. That was definitely the first time.
“It must be just whatever soap was in the toilet at Antwerp that I used and it just obviously took all the oils out of my finger and lost all grip.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Josh Rock missed tops by miles to allow Michael van Gerwen to break him in the Premier League quarterfinals in Antwerp.
Rock has at least been able to cleanse his mind of the episode as he goes for his first points of the Premier League season in Glasgow on Thursday.
“I actually laughed at it straight away, because I knew what the problem was,” he said. “If I played like that and didn’t know what the problem was then, obviously, we have an issue.
“But I knew I couldn’t grip my hands and no matter how much I was trying to lick my fingers, rub my finger up and down a barrel to get my fingers rough, it wasn’t working, so I just let that one go.”
Rock, in his debut campaign, opens up against Luke Humphries in Glasgow. As a staunch Rangers fan, and with Celtic in Europa League action, he hopes to have the crowd on his side.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the final between Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price from Night Two of the Premier League Darts in Antwerp.
“Luckily, Celtic are playing in the Europa League tomorrow, so hopefully they’re all out and there’s only Rangers fans in,” he added.
“I’m close to Scotland, I’m literally a two-hour boat or a quick 10-minute flight over the water. So I would love it to happen.
“It’s on the day. If I turn up, I win. If I don’t turn up, I don’t win.”
In the other quarter-finals, Luke Littler is due to take on Van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton is up against Gian van Veen and Gerwyn Price plays Stephen Bunting.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday from February until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
