Justin Hood breaks silence after making history in epic World Darts Championship win

The unlikely new hero of Ally Pally, Justin Hood, made World Darts Championship history with a magical win over Josh Rock to reach the quarter-finals on his tournament debut - then said he cannot believe how much the crowd adore him. Hood, ranked 86th in the world by the PDC, didn’t lose a single set against Northern Irishman Rock - who is ranked 11th - and secured an historic 4-0 victory while the fans behind him consistently chanted his name.

Hood was 11 out of 11 on the doubles - a new record that surpasses the previous best set by Peter Manley of nine consecutive checkouts without a miss - before wasting a match dart on D16 that would have secured him a decisive 143 checkout. 'Happy Feet' missed another three match darts before nailing his fifth on D13 for a 119 checkout and a 4-0 win. The classy Rock was in disbelief on stage behind the 32-year-old as Hood nailed double after double and left him with no chance.

The 5ft 3ins Somerset star finished with 75 per cent on his doubles, a 101.18 average and also smacked in 10 180s in an absorbing match that the Ally Pally crowd lapped up every minute of. Hood told Sky Sports: “It’s not a fairytale. I know what I can do and it’s nice to prove it up here. But wow. Thank you everyone. I was thinking about it [the record].”

He added on his mindset: “Just win the leg, just win every leg as it comes. The only time I had a bit of nerves was when I was throwing to win it, the leg before that one at the end here. 

“What can I say? I’m not used to this. I usually get hate messages, this is mad! There’s no fame, I’ll be the same whether I’m here or down the local, I won’t change. I’m not going to change who I am. It’s a game of darts. If I play well, I can win. I proved that today and the last three times I’ve played. I’m doing well and long may it continue.”

Glastonbury’s Hood is now guaranteed £100,000 in prize money and the world No.86 revealed earlier in the tournament that he wants to open a Chinese restaurant should he leave Ally Pally with big money. And he added after beating Rock: “Who wants a Chinese? You’ve still got to pay mind!”

The Glastonbury-raised thrower will face either third seed Michael van Gerwen or 14th seed Gary Anderson next up, on New Year’s Day. Hood only qualified through Q School in Milton Keynes last January and had been working in a hotel as a night porter until November 2024.

Hood had also only won £39,750 in two years on the PDC Tour before this. And he said last week before facing Rock: “No one’s better than anyone up there. It’s all on the day. We can all average 100, we can all average 90. I can win it. It’s as simple as that. If I average 103 in every game, it’s going to be hard to beat me.

“I believe I can. I want everyone to talk about me. I want everyone to know how good I am  – and I’m starting to prove it now. I love the spotlight. I’m a much better player on stage than I am off it. The crowds help me massively.

“I dream of that world final and lifting that trophy.” On his dream of opening a Chinese eatery, 'Happy Feet' said: “I haven’t looked into it (the finances) properly yet. We might be out of business in a week, the amount of food I eat.

“I wanted to stay in London over Christmas because the Chinese around here are top notch. I love eating it all the time.”