GLEN DURRANT became only the fourth player to successfully defend the BDO World Darts Championship title as he recorded a thrilling final-set win over Mark McGeeney at the Lakeside.

The Teeesider followed in the footsteps of Eric Bristow, Raymond van Barneveld and Martin Adams as he lifted the BDO trophy for the second year in a row, but had to survive some heart-stopping moments in a dramatic final.

McGeeney missed two darts for the title in a remarkable final set that saw Durrant suffer a series of wobbles when going for his doubles.

‘Duzza’ had looked in complete control as he opened up a 6-4 lead, but he began to miss a string of shots at a double. Ten successive failures prevented him from moving within a leg of the title, and enabled McGeeney to win two sets in a row to level the match at 6-6.

Durrant was in deep trouble when his opponent won the first two legs of the deciding set, but a sensational 149 check-out tilted the match back in the Teessider’s direction.

There was more drama as he missed his first three darts for the title, but he returned to land double three to reclaim his crown.

“My bottle had gone, there was no way I was hitting doubles at one point in that match,” said an emotional Durrant, who has spent most of his darts career playing on the North-East county circuit.

“Somewhere, somehow, I found some and to get back to 2-2 in that last set was incredible. That's probably the best performance in my life in darts."

McGeeney took the first two legs of the match, but Durrant took out 97 to break back, although having levelled at 2-2 McGeeney held throw to take the opening set.

The match continued to go with the throw, although Durrant almost snatched the seventh set after 45-year-old McGeeney missed three darts at double tops.

Having battled back to 2-2, Durant had two darts of his own to steal the set and lead for the first time, only to squander both as McGeeney held on.

Durrant won the eighth set without McGeeney having a shot at double and, more significantly, repeated the trick in the next as his opponent finally buckled.

McGeeney briefly fought back with a 157 checkout to break in the first leg of the tenth set, but Durrant broke straight back to move to within a set of the title.

Durrant missed seven consecutive attempts at doubles in the 11th as McGeeney closed to within one, and then missed three shots at double in the third leg of the 12th as McGeeney broke and took it to a deciding set.

Durrant missed single 16 as the nerves took hold, but world number one McGeeney missed two shots at double for the title in the same leg.

A 149 checkout gave Durrant the break in the fifth leg, but with a two-leg advantage needed in the decider he still had to hold throw, which he did after a nervy finish.

Durrant has previously been linked with a possible move to the rival PDC organisation, but the 47-year-old ruled out a switch earlier in the tournament, claiming he was now “BDO for life”.