DARTS

Durrant’s treble is a tribute to his pal Lee

GLEN DURRANT claimed a historic hat-trick of Lakeside crowns with a 7-3 win against Scott Waites.

King of Teesside Durrant became the first man since Eric Bristow in 1986 to win three consecutive BDO world championship titles.

But when asked how he was going to celebrate his monumental feat, he said: “To be honest, I’ve got a funeral back home at 10.30 in the morning for Lee Beck, a friend I lost at Christmas, and I really want to be there for him.

“And then I’ve got a meeting at work, which I’ve got to attend, at 1.30 – so it’s straight back on the horse, really. I’m hoping my boss will send me a text telling me not to bother about the meeting.”

Durrant, an estate manager at the Grangetown housing office in Middlesbrough’s industrial heartlands, had promised he would honour the memory of his tragic pal who died suddenly on Boxing Day, a week after his 50th birthday.

He was as good as his word, and when he nailed double 16 to complete a rare treble in darts, Durrant was blinking back tears on the Lakeside stage as he wrapped himself in an England flag adorned with the Boro crest. Shaking with emotion, he said: “To win this three years in a row like Eric is very, very special.

“To be fair, Eric won it when it was a unified organisation – I wasn’t playing Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith or Gary Anderson tonight, but I was up against a Lakeside legend.

“For the first five sets, he was much the better player and I got a bit lucky to stay with him, but once I’d got it back to 3-3, I could hear the Teesside voices in the crowd. I’m blessed to be surrounded by family and friends, and when I needed them most they were here for me.”

If he gains a PDC Tour card at the corporation’s qualifying school later this month this will be Durrant’s farewell to the BDO circuit. On the evidence of the past three years, he will prosper in PDC company if he switches codes. WAITES: ‘Legend’ IN WITH A SHOUT: Konta is feeling positive