Bdo world darts betting pdc decision is the one threat to favourite durrant
← HomepageIt is one of life's classic dilemmas. Do you want to be the big fish in a small pond, or just another medium-sized one swimming in the giant sea?
It's the conundrum that darts player Glen Durrant has been wrestling with for a couple of years now and one that he is going to have to confront again in the next couple of weeks.
Durrant, a 46-year-old housing estate manager from Middlesbrough, is the best player by a distance in the British Darts Organisation. Winner of 11 of their ranking titles this year, he's a massive [2.8] favourite to win the crown when the BDO World Championship begins on Saturday.
But the doubts about his future leave you with the inescapable conclusion that only one man can stop him winning the title, and that is Durrant himself.
Courted by the rival PDC to join their ranks after reaching the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts in November, he's hinted that he's already made his mind up to take the leap into the big time when this tournament is over.
The decision "has been made" he told the Middlesbrough local press a few weeks ago, and although he wouldn't admit exactly what the decision was, it was pretty clear that this visit to Lakeside will be his last.
It's a contrast to what he said last January, when he was faced with the same decision. Then he chose to stay in the part-time ranks because, in his words, "for promotions I can still say I am world number one and to be honest I don't have it in me to start again from the bottom in the PDC."
A year on, it seems he now thinks he's found the fire for a crack at life with the stars who made Ally Pally such memorable watching over Christmas. His dream scenario is to win the BDO title and then walk off into the sunset for his new challenge.
This is the 40th staging of the BDO world finals, but it's significance has paled with every year. Even the BBC have dropped it, with TV coverage being shared between Channel 4 and BT Sport - although they have effectively signed up the same commentary team with Rob Walker and Bobby George behind the microphones.
The drop in standard coupled with Durrant's dominance means it ought to be a formality for him. But then how often does life work out as you dream it? And will a man whose best performance at Lakeside remains a semi-final appearance in 2015 be putting too much pressure on himself this time?
Last year he lost in the quarter-finals to Scott Waites, who went on to win the £100,000 first prize and is an attractive [14.5] to retain his title. The 39-year-old carpenter has picked up barely £10,000 in prize money for the rest of a fairly indifferent year, but does seem to have the knack of putting his game together when it matters as the only BDO player ever to win the Grand Slam.
Up and coming Dutchman Danny Noppert, age 26, is the [6.6] second-favourite but again has no real form to justify that, without a single tournament win since the German Open in April.
They will all be hoping that Durrant's doubts about what happens next will cloud his mind. He might be so busy thinking about the giant sea that he ends up not even the biggest fish in the small pond.