I’LL P-P PICK UP MY GAME

Falklands penguins are in Duzza’s fan club

GLEN DURRANT will tap into the happy feet of a penguin colony in the Falklands for inspiration when he defends his Unibet Premier League title on Monday.

Duzza’s results have collapsed since he claimed the £250,000 winner’s cheque, the second richest prize in darts, last year.

And instead of soaring optimism ahead of his opening match against Nathan Aspinall at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, the three-times

Lakeside world champion (right) admits his form in 2021 has taken off like the flightless birds who have become his newest fans.

Durrant, 50, said: “If I was a racehorse, in my last three races I would have finished nowhere, fallen and been pulled up.

“I don’t want to be remembered as the Premier League champion who came back and had a disaster the following year.

“Although I’ve reached the sad realisation that I’m in the realms of hope and not expectation, you do find out a lot about yourself when you’re down in the dumps. But I have some fantastic people supporting me, including my niece Zara, who is serving as a logistics mover with the RAF in the Falklands.

“They had a big ‘Ally Pally’ night last week, which went down very well. I am very proud of what she is doing – she loves her darts and will often send me a message.

“She has been dealing with the penguins – I thought that was hilarious, the videos are brilliant. There were a few jokes about them being my latest fans. “Zara is only ‘passing through’ the Falklands on a tour of duty, but she’s been away for months, rather than days or weeks, and she’s made a massive commitment because she has three children.

“The whole family are in awe of her. Thank God for technology that keeps her in touch with her kids. When she was stationed in Cyprus for a bit, the kids were living out there and had a fantastic experience. But her next placement was the Falklands and the decision was for them to stay at home and the father to look after the children.

“My brother Bob is a captain in the Army, so she is not the only one in the family in the forces.

“Among my supporters she is in the top three, and I must admit I follow her career just as much as she follows mine.

“But what she does for her country puts things into perspective for me.”

Glen Durrant has struggled since winning the Premier League title