'The first day was really bad' - Ryan Searle comes out of summer break rusty after vacation with kids

Ryan Searle admits his form has left much to be desired in recent months. The Englishman had another strong start to the season by winning Players Championship 4, but then the engine stalled.

Since then, there has been only one quarterfinal on the Pro Tour and success on the Euro Tour has failed to materialize. By comparison; last year Searle reached at least the quarterfinals at eight of the thirteen Euro Tours. This year, after ten tournaments, the tally stands at only one quarterfinal.

The current world number 20 is remarkably open about his dip. According to Searle, part of the explanation lies in the lack of regular training at home. “My form is not that at the minute. I was putting a lot of focus into the World Matchplay, and I draw Luke Littler first round," said Searle. "He plays like he did against me and goes on to win it. The rest is history I can’t do much about that."

During the summer, the darter from Devon deliberately chose to spend more time with his family, but that left traces at the plate.

“In the summer holidays I spent a lot of time with the kids not really throwing many darts. That’s what I chose to do so I was a bit rusty at the ProTour’s last week. The first day was really bad. But I know when I find my range when things start going, I am dangerous.”

On the big stage, Searle has not been able to make a deep run for some time. His last quarterfinal at a major dates to the 2023 World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens. Still, he showed last week at the Flanders Darts Trophy that his class is still there.

In the second round, he recorded an impressive 6-5 win over Raymond van Barneveld after falling behind 4-1. With an average of 100.43, Searle worked his way back to win the match. One round later he faced Luke Littler again, against whom he went down 6-3 with an average of 104.22 and a nice 144-finish.