Glen Durrant reflected on his Premier League Darts triumph as a bittersweet memory that stands out in his illustrious career. The three-time Lakeside world champion experienced the pinnacle of his success during this period, but it also signalled the downturn of his performance at the elite level. In stark contrast to Luke Littler's 2024 Premier League victory celebrated by thousands at The O2, Durrant's win was a quiet affair with only runner-up Nathan Aspinall and a camera operator witnessing his winning moment.
The 2020 tournament began as per tradition in early February but was halted due to the pandemic. It eventually resumed in August with back-to-back nights at Milton Keynes' Marshall Arena and concluded with the play-offs at Coventry's Ricoh Arena in October, devoid of any spectators.
"It was a surreal moment because, when I won, I turned around and the only person looking at me was a cameraman," Durrant told The Mirror he had begun to notice issues with his form. "At the same time, my game was going downhill. How I won the Premier League that night... Someone was looking down on me. I averaged 87 in the semi-final but Gary Anderson used these new, knobbly-ended darts. If he'd used standard darts, I'd have been dead and buried.
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"But I found something for the final. It's amazing what confidence does for you. Just by winning that game [against Anderson], I found a little bit of the old me. Added to that, Nathan Aspinall had been involved in a cracking semi-final [against Peter Wright] and was exhausted. Everything fell into place that night."
Durrant maintained some hope for his game despite difficulties, sharing: "I thought tomorrow was going to be a better day. I thought the next day was going to be better. But there were low moments after that."
While the Premier League signifies a pinnacle tournament every darts player aims to compete in, its unyielding nature can have devastating impacts on careers. For Durrant, defending his title in 2021 proved harrowing with pandemic restrictions still wreaking havoc on normal routines, confining players to their Milton Keynes hotel.
Confessing to the tough times, Durrant revealed, "I was awful," recounting how he fought back tears returning to the hotel. "I was going back to the hotel crying. I was like, 'jeez, I'm 51, have won everything I ever wanted to and here I am'. It was during Covid and the following night I was playing Van Gerwen having been slammed 6-0 by Dimi [Van den Bergh].
"It did me. Mark Webster [who endured a nightmare Premier League campaign in 2011] was another. It was a campaign that, in hindsight, I wished I hadn't played. Over the last 18 months of my career, I was getting beaten 6-0, 6-1, and it destroyed me. Similar to a golfer who gets the yips, a boxer who is punch-shy, I just lost my rhythm.
"I forgot the fundamentals of the game and started overthinking things. I was just getting battered, and the love I had for the game disintegrated during that period."
Durrant retired from professional darts in 2022 but remains busy as a commentator for Sky Sports and a coach, working with novices right up to top pros, like fellow north-east star Ryan Joyce.
"I love it," says Durrant of commentating. "I do a lot of preparation. I'm not a wordsmith so I've got to work hard behind the scenes. The journalists make it look ridiculously easy and use words more than my two syllables!
"I just try and give it from a player's perspective, how they might be feeling at that moment when you've got a winning double to hit. You can't legislate for that, so I just try and get it across to the audience what they will be feeling at that time. I love every second of it."
While he isn't missing playing, he has at least regained his love of the game. The 54 year old affirms: "I've got that love for the game but I don't miss it [playing]. I'm still heavily involved in the game.
"I'm also working for the PDPA [Professional Darts Players' Association] – it's like PFA in football. A few players are coming to me [for help], and I work with Ryan Joyce. I'm coaching as well. Everyone wants to be Luke Littler, so I'm very busy!".
This article first appeared on The Mirror.