Searle Seals Second Players Championship Crown of 2025 with Gritty Leicester Triumph

Ryan Searle picked up his second Players Championship title of the year with a determined 8–6 victory over Mario Vandenbogaerde in Tuesday’s final at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester. The Englishman battled back from 6–5 down in the closing stages to secure the seventh PDC ranking title of his career — a perfect boost ahead of next week’s BoyleSports World Grand Prix.

Searle began the day strongly, seeing off reigning European Champion Ritchie Edhouse 6–4 in the opening round. He followed up with a routine 6–2 success against Jamai van den Herik to progress comfortably to the last 32.

The Somerset thrower was then pushed all the way by 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in round three. In a tight contest that went the distance, Searle held his nerve to edge the deciding leg and book his place in the fourth round.

Two more close battles followed, as he squeezed past Karel Sedláček and Darren Beveridge by narrow margins to set up a semi-final meeting with Kevin Doets. Once again, Searle found himself under pressure, trailing 4–3, but produced four consecutive legs to complete a superb turnaround and win 7–4, sealing his spot in the final.

The title decider was another hard-fought affair. Belgian veteran Vandenbogaerde landed the opening blow and matched Searle stride for stride through the early stages. After 11 legs, the 52-year-old led 6–5 and looked poised for a maiden PDC title. But Searle dug deep, reeling off the final three legs to close out an 8–6 victory and claim the £15,000 top prize.

“It was difficult,” said Searle, reflecting on the day’s play. “I’ve been in really good positions and missed a few chances, let people back in, and made harder work of some games than I should have. I missed a chance to break in the first leg of the final, and from then on I was just trying to hang in. I’m happy to have got over the line.”

The win adds to his Players Championship Four success earlier in the season — the first time in his career that Searle has won multiple titles in a single year.“It feels a bit weird,” he admitted. “There have been plenty of times where I’ve won early in the year, then get to quarter-finals playing well and I’m already planning what I’m going to say — then I end up losing! It’s nice to finally break that duck and get a second one. The draw opened up a bit today too, which is usually Chris Dobey’s trick.”

Vandenbogaerde may have fallen just short in the final, but his run was one of the stories of the day. The Belgian stunned 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith in the opening round, then followed up with victories over Daryl Gurney and Nick Kenny. In the last 16, he edged out Ross Smith 6–5 before surviving four match darts to turn around a 5–3 deficit against Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals. He sealed a spot in his first PDC ranking final by defeating Brendan Dolan 7–3 in the semi-finals, producing two ton-plus finishes along the way.

Doets also impressed, beating world number six Jonny Clayton 6–4 in the quarters to meet Searle in the semis. Clayton had been in excellent form earlier in the day, defeating Mensur Suljovic, Christian Kist, Krzysztof Ratajski, and Wessel Nijman, averaging almost 111 in his last-16 victory.

The event also saw a trio of nine-darters. Germany’s Niko Springer hit perfection in round one against Dimitri Van den Bergh, while Swiss star Stefan Bellmont fired one during his round-two clash with Nijman. Adam Hunt completed the hat-trick by delivering a nine-darter in his victory over Bradley Brooks.

Notably, it was a day to forget for some of the sport’s biggest names. World number one Luke Humphries and rising star Josh Rock both suffered first-round exits, while top seed Stephen Bunting was whitewashed 6–0 by Wattimena in the last 16.

The Players Championship action continues in Leicester with two more events on Wednesday and Thursday, before attention turns to the BoyleSports World Grand Prix, which begins on Monday, October 6.

Searle Seals Second Players Championship Crown of 2025 with Gritty Leicester Triumph

2025 Players Championship 28

Tuesday September 30

Mattioli Arena, Leicester

Last 16

Jermaine Wattimena 6-0 Stephen Bunting

Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5 Ross Smith

Michele Turetta 6-3 Richard Veenstra

Brendan Dolan 6-5 Cameron Menzies

Kevin Doets 6-2 Callan Rydz

Jonny Clayton 6-3 Wessel Nijman

Ryan Searle 6-5 Karel Sedlacek

Darren Beveridge 6-3 Gian van Veen

Quarter-Finals

Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena

Brendan Dolan 6-2 Michele Turetta

Kevin Doets 6-4 Jonny Clayton

Ryan Searle 6-4 Darren Beveridge

Semi-Finals

Mario Vandenbogaerde 7-3 Brendan Dolan

Ryan Searle 7-4 Kevin Doets

Final

Ryan Searle 8-6 Mario Vandenbogaerde

Nine-Darters!

Niko Springer hit a nine-darter in Round One against Dimitri Van den Bergh.

Stefan Bellmont hit a nine-darter in Round Two against Wessel Nijman.

Adam Hunt hit a nine-darter in Round Two against Bradley Brooks.