Ryan Searle storms to sixth Players Championship success
Ryan Searle secured his sixth ProTour title at Players Championship 4 in Rosmalen with an 8-3 rout of Cameron Menzies in the final on Tuesday.
Searle has claimed a PDC ranking title in each of the last five years, and he maintained that streak with a series of superb displays at the Autotron.
The 37-year-old averaged just shy of 105 in a First Round whitewash of Florian Hempel, and after easing past Mensur Suljovic in Round Two, he averaged 109 in a Last 32 thumping of Owen Bates.
Searle continued his charge with hard-fought wins over Mickey Mansell and William O’Connor, before producing a clinical 120 checkout to see off Stefan Bellmont 7-6 in the semi-finals.
A blistering display of finishing in the final saw Searle convert eight of his 12 attempts at doubles to triumph with a 100.7 average.
Menzies kicked off the contest with a terrific 145 checkout – sparking a sequence of four consecutive holds – before Searle registered legs of 13 and 12 darts to open up a 4-2 lead.
Following back-to-back holds of throw, Searle then followed up a crucial 110 checkout with a brilliant tops-tops 100 finish to move to the brink of victory – which he sealed via his trusted tops in leg 11.
“I’ve been playing really well in practice, so to prove it this week is fantastic,” admitted Searle, who becomes the first non-Premier League player to win a ranking title this year.
“To win six PDC titles is amazing, especially when you look at the list of brilliant players that never won a PDC title.
“Winning a title six years running is a great achievement for me, and if I can win another one this year, that will be another boundary crossed.
“This year I want to try and push forward and do more than what I’ve done in the past.
“Throughout my career I’ve basically just done the bare minimum to get by, and luckily enough I’m half decent at darts!
“I had a bit of a gut-wrenching loss to Ryan Joyce at the World Championship, because I feel like I played really well.
“As soon as I got back home I’ve been on the practice board. I’m looking to put more effort in this year, so we will see where that takes me.”
Menzies enjoyed a landmark year on the ProTour in 2024, and the Grand Slam quarter-finalist impressed on Dutch soil to reach his third Players Championship final.
The Scot fought back from 5-2 down to deny Jose de Sousa in a dramatic First Round decider, and after averaging 100 to dispose of Christian Kist, he won through another deciding-leg tussle against Wesley Plaisier.
Menzies then recorded successive 6-3 victories over Stephen Bunting and James Wade to set up a semi-final showdown with Dom Taylor, where he ran out a resounding 7-4 winner.
Taylor registered five ton-plus averages in reaching the semi-finals less than a month after returning from a ban following a failed drugs test.
The 26-year-old overcame Karel Sedlacek and Damon Heta before whitewashing Nick Kenny and averaging 106 in his quarter-final victory over Gabriel Clemens.
Taylor was joined in the last four by Bellmont, who enjoyed eye-catching wins over Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock to become the first Swiss player to reach a PDC ranking semi-final.
The World Cup of Darts star had kicked off his campaign with a commanding 6-2 win over European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, while he also launched a late fightback to deny Ryan Joyce in the last 16.
Following a hat-trick of first round exits in the year’s opening three events, Clemens enjoyed a welcome return to form in Rosmalen, reaching the quarter-finals alongside Rock and Wade.
William O’Connor completed the quarter-final line-up, defeating top seed Dave Chisnall before overturning a 5-3 deficit against five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the Last 16.
Nathan Aspinall, Mike De Decker, Michael Smith and Danny Noppert were among the notable First Round casualties.
Players Championship 4 Results
Tuesday February 18
First Round
William O’Connor 6-4 Madars Razma
Bradley Brooks 6-1 Tim Wolters
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Adam Hunt
Darius Labanauskas 6-2 Viktor Tingstrom
Scott Williams 6-4 Mike De Decker
George Killington 6-3 Michael Flynn
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Robert Grundy
Brett Claydon 6-5 Tom Bissell
Luke Woodhouse 6-5 Niko Springer
Mervyn King 6-5 Pero Ljubic
Mickey Mansell 6-5 Danny Noppert
Jarno Bottenberg 6-4 Gilbert van der Meijden
Stefaan Henderyck 6-2 Joe Cullen
Owen Bates 6-2 Steve Lennon
Ryan Searle 6-0 Florian Hempel
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Ryan Joyce 6-2 Connor Scutt
Radek Szaganski 6-4 Lukas Wenig
Martin Schindler 6-2 Keane Barry
Adam Paxton 6-3 Leon Weber
Stefan Bellmont 6-2 Ritchie Edhouse
Rhys Griffin 6-4 Tavis Dudeney
Gerwyn Price 6-0 Danny Lauby
Ricky Evans 6-4 Dominik Gruellich
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Jimmy van Schie
Martin Lukeman 6-0 Benjamin Reus
Josh Rock 6-4 Joshua Richardson
Aden Kirk 6-5 Thibault Tricole
Andy Boulton 6-3 Michael Smith
Jim Long 6-4 Adam Lipscombe
James Hurrell 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Patrick Geeraets 6-4 Nathan Rafferty
Gabriel Clemens 6-1 Kevin Burness
Matthew Dennant 6-3 Marvin van Velzen
Chris Dobey 6-5 Matt Campbell
Cor Dekker 6-3 Jitse Van der Wal
Peter Wright 6-1 Richard Veenstra
Kevin Doets 6-5 William Borland
Wessel Nijman 6-3 Martijn Dragt
Stephen Burton 6-3 Dennie Olde Kalter
Ryan Meikle 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Carl Sneyd 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
Damon Heta 6-1 Tytus Kanik
Dom Taylor 6-2 Karel Sedlacek
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Ian White
Nick Kenny 6-2 Haupai Puha
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-4 Jonny Clayton
Thomas Lovely 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Rob Owen
Justin Hood 6-3 Maximilian Czerwinski
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Darren Beveridge
Niels Zonneveld 6-2 Jelle Klaasen
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Jose De Sousa
Christian Kist 6-2 Max Hopp
Gian van Veen 6-5 Greg Ritchie
Wesley Plaisier 6-0 Jules van Dongen
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 Oskar Lukasiak
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Darryl Pilgrim 6-0 Ross Smith
Alan Soutar 6-4 Dylan Slevin
James Wade 6-4 Kai Gotthardt
Andy Baetens 6-3 Adam Warner
Rob Cross 6-2 Cam Crabtree
Callan Rydz 6-4 Berry van Peer
Second Round
William O’Connor 6-4 Bradley Brooks
Dave Chisnall 6-0 Darius Labanauskas
George Killington 6-2 Scott Williams
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Brett Claydon
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Mervyn King
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Jarno Bottenberg
Owen Bates 6-4 Stefaan Henderyck
Ryan Searle 6-2 Mensur Suljovic
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Radek Szaganski
Martin Schindler 6-3 Adam Paxton
Stefan Bellmont 6-4 Rhys Griffin
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Ricky Evans
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Martin Lukeman
Josh Rock 6-2 Aden Kirk
Andy Boulton 6-4 Jim Long
James Hurrell 6-1 Patrick Geeraets
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Matthew Dennant
Cor Dekker 6-4 Chris Dobey
Kevin Doets 6-1 Peter Wright
Wessel Nijman 6-1 Stephen Burton
Ryan Meikle 6-2 Carl Sneyd
Dom Taylor 6-4 Damon Heta
Nick Kenny 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-2 Thomas Lovely
Justin Hood 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
Cameron Menzies 6-1 Christian Kist
Wesley Plaisier 6-5 Gian van Veen
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
Darryl Pilgrim 6-5 Alan Soutar
James Wade 6-1 Andy Baetens
Callan Rydz 6-5 Rob Cross
Last 32
William O’Connor 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 George Killington
Mickey Mansell 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Ryan Searle 6-1 Owen Bates
Ryan Joyce 6-4 Martin Schindler
Stefan Bellmont 6-4 Gerwyn Price
Josh Rock 6-4 Brendan Dolan
James Hurrell 6-4 Andy Boulton
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Cor Dekker
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Kevin Doets
Dom Taylor 6-2 Ryan Meikle
Nick Kenny 6-5 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Justin Hood
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Wesley Plaisier
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 Darryl Pilgrim
James Wade 6-3 Callan Rydz
Last 16
William O’Connor 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Ryan Searle 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Stefan Bellmont 6-5 Ryan Joyce
Josh Rock 6-3 James Hurrell
Gabriel Clemens 6-2 Wessel Nijman
Dom Taylor 6-0 Nick Kenny
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Stephen Bunting
James Wade 6-5 Maik Kuivenhoven
Quarter-Finals
Ryan Searle 6-4 William O’Connor
Stefan Bellmont 6-2 Josh Rock
Dom Taylor 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Cameron Menzies 6-3 James Wade
Semi-Finals
Ryan Searle 7-6 Stefan Bellmont
Cameron Menzies 7-4 Dom Taylor
Final
Ryan Searle 8-3 Cameron Menzies
