Dear
all
I
would like to take the opportunity to give you my interview with the BDO World
Number 1, the winner of 5 BDO majors 20 other tournament wins. The current BDO
2017 World Champion………Glen ‘Duzza’ Durrant
Q1: How did you get into playing darts and
did you have any inspirations?
A: My brother was a good player and
darts was in the family, local workingman’s club nearby, therefore that culture
of a few beers and a game of darts and snooker was in the blood. I was actually
a good Billiards player but was asked to help out with the darts team one
night. I was hooked from that moment.
Q2: You started playing in the 80’s but
didn’t feature in the Big tournaments until 2004, what were you doing before
then?
A: I played in the British teenage
championships in 1986, but like many people from 1988 onwards I met a girl and
darts was put on the backburner. I met up with a former Super League captain in
1999 and was asked to return, that was the period I started playing 5
hours per night, winning local league matches / super league matches and
representing Cleveland County. 2004-2007 was a funny period as my wedding
took priority and basically the finances made it difficult to incorporate
darts into my routine, if memory serves me right I was working on a karaoke to
pretty much pay the bills. In 2007 a local player called Collin Foxton showed
me an easel he had built and we agreed to build 6 more. For 12 months I knocked
on every pub / club door to see if they would have a darts competition. I
created the Teesside Ranking Events. www.freewebs.com/teesdarts - My darts
career changed so much from 2007 - 2011 as I started dominating these events
with the best players in the North East attending. In 2011 the decision to do
the BDO circuit was agreed and the rest, as they say, is history.
Q3: You currently use a set of darts made
popular by Eric Bristow. What were your firsts set of darts and do they vary
from what you use today?
A: 1985 - 1999 Alan Glazier Ton
Machine 1999-2009 Jocky Wilson (screw in tips) 2009-2010 Darryl Fitton darts
2010-2013 Tony O Shea Darts 2013 to date harrows Duzza Dart. Pretty much all of
the darts have the Bristow design
Q4: You are one of only a few players to
use flights other than standards, is there any particular reason or story
behind it?
A: I just find they suit my throw. I
have tried the standard but would require a sustained period of time to throw
with .... and I don’t have that time
Q5: When did you know that you had ‘more’
than the average player and that this could be more than just a hobby?
A: I remember beating Jamie Caven in 2010 who was down for an
exhibition in Middlesbrough in one of the Teesside Ranking Events and his words
pretty much equated to 'Time to move on now' - Tony O Shea was also a big inspiration
with his words. To play with him a few years later in Canada representing
England in the World Cup was extra special - I walked away from Canada knowing I
could reach the top of the BDO.
Q6: Is there one match or tournament that
you consider a turning point for you?
A: I remember being thumped 9-1 by
Tery Jenkins at the PDC UK Open and locking myself away for another 1 hour
extra per night, to reach the heights of Jenkins that night. Winning in
Northern Ireland with my family by my side was special. Selsey has been great
to me winning all events; in fact I always played well in EDO events. But my
match with Martin Adams in the semi-final of Lakeside was that turning point
for many reasons.
Q7: Everything just seemed to click in
from 2015 where you won 9 titles and since then you have won everything
including the Zuiderdiun Masters twice, English Matchplay the last 3 years,
Master’s twice and the World championship in 2017. Is there anything you
changed or have done different to kick start this explosive run of form?
A: Late developer / Lesson learned
from each loss / Quality practise sessions / Confidence / Belief / Experienced
painful defeats / Breathing exercises via the help of Stephen McKibben / Preparation
- Put all this into a pot and stir twice
Q8: As a player who whilst no age is over
40 have you found age has affected your darts at all or how you have to
practice (personally I would say you have got better and better), whereas some
other players have tailed off at this point?
A: Answer similar to above. The
passion to practice day in and day out gets more difficult, therefore I did
change my routine that’s brings in more intensity than in my early years. But won’t
give too much away 😊
Q9: Your match with Adams in the 2015
Worlds Semi-final was insane, averaging nearly 100 (in 11 sets) and with 12
100+ finishes each it was as good as anything seen on TV. Memories of that
match?
A: The turning point as stated above, I
was never going to win that match and I didn’t know how to get over the
winning line, I would still be throwing at a winning double now. After an
initial period of disappointment, I met up with Stephen McKibben who changed a
few things and I then went on to dominate the next 3 seasons finishing Number 1
and 2 X World Masters Champion plus 25 BDO titles and that amazing Lakeside
title - Sponsorship was flying in from that moment.
Q10: As a player who has achieved a HUGE
amount comparatively later in his journey do you have any advice for aspiring
players who haven’t made it yet?
A: Winners are not those who never
fail but those who never quit
Once again a BIG thank you to a true gent for taking time to deliver a great interview
Luke
