It has been a whirlwind week for Josh Rock so far, and he hopes there is more to come in the days ahead after he made a winning start at the Winmau World Masters.

The Antrim darts star outclassed Jermaine Wattimena on Thursday, just two days after he got married. 'Rocky' claimed a 3-1 victory to progress to the last-16 of the tournament.

The Northern Ireland man joked that Milton Keynes - the venue for the Masters - was no place to bring his new wife Sarah on honeymoon.

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The win came just 48 hours he tied the knot and he smiled: “Two years ago we booked it, it was obviously a lot easier back then, but then when it was the moment, it was a lot different.

"I handled it well. The wife texted me. She went: The ring didn’t bother you anyway? I went: No, it definitely didn’t. That’ll be on for life now.

“I wasn’t bringing her to Milton Keynes for a honeymoon! That’ll be a couple of years yet.

“I’ve been prepared for a month now, with the new equipment I’ve been practising like mad and I proved it."

Rock recently signed a long-term contract with darts manufacturer Target Darts, whose stable includes new World champion and teenage sensation Luke Littler.

The 28-year-old says he is settling into his new darts, and being a married man.

“The first leg was pressurised and as soon as I hit the double, give it a good celebration. I went: That’s the first leg over a married man, a new set of darts, I was happy, and then I relaxed after that," he added.

“I feel absolutely fantastic. It’s been a bit of a short notice, obviously, because I got married on Tuesday and I’m here today.

“So I’m very happy with the performance and happy to win. I loved the format until he said game shot because I stopped and that’s when he gave the celebration. Happy to go 2025 off to a winning start.”

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