Durrant: 'I proved I deserve to be up there'

Glen Durrant (Lawrence Lustig, PDC)

Glen Durrant believes his run to the semi-finals of the Betfred World Matchplay proved he can mix it with the world's elite.

Durrant's stunning victories over Michael van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and James Wade continued his immediate impact in the PDC since winning his Tour Card in January, backing up his two ProTour titles.

Reflecting on one of the most memorable weeks of his life, the three-time Lakeside champion is now focusing on the positives after the initial heart-break of defeat to Michael Smith.

"All the hopes and dreams I had about the week, the concerns I had - Was I good enough? Was I going to perform? It exceeded all expectations and at one point at the end I thought I was going to go all the way, but I was delighted with a semi-final," Durrant told The Darts Show Podcast.

"I was concerned about the fans and whether they were going to take to me, but my overriding memory was when they were shouting my name, the goosebumps. That's the memory I take away the most.

"I was shocked more than anybody that they took to me, but I just think they saw an ordinary man having an extraordinary week and they were all part of that journey with me. It was a pretty special memory to have.

"I proved this week to myself and to a lot of people that I deserve to be up there playing against the best players in the world."

The 48-year-old's fast start to life in the PDC has also seen him qualify for October's BoyleSports World Grand Prix, November's Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals, while also securing his debut at the William Hill World Championship in December.

Currently ranked 44th on the PDC Order of Merit, Durrant's next goal is to break into the top 32, with his first chance to add to his earnings coming at this weekend's Players Championships 21-22 in Hildesheim, Germany - which you can watch live on video.pdc.tv.

"My stats are up there with the best in the world, I'm in the top eight in terms of averages," Durrant continued.

"I'm going in the right direction. If I had beaten Michael Smith in the semi-finals I would have been in the top 32 and I would have snapped your hand off for that when I was three darts away from being knocked out of Q School by Matthew Dennant.

"I'm so excited for the ProTour in Germany this weekend, I'm absolutely loving every second of playing in the PDC.

"Then I'm going to go to Cyprus and I'm going to use that as a real catalyst to come back because you need to be fit.

"You need to be mentally strong, you need to be physically fit these days because it's pretty gruelling. The next phase for me is definitely to put some time in the gym.

"It's a long journey, a long process but we're getting there."