Darts news: Ryan Searle wins Players Championship 4 as Michael van Gerwen misses home event

Ryan Searle secured his sixth ProTour title with an emphatic victory over Cameron Menzies in Players Championship 4, as Michael van Gerwen sat out the event on home soil.

Searle produced a host of top-quality displays at the Autotron on his way to the final, where he thrashed Menzies 8-3 to become the first non-Premier League player to win a ranking title in 2025.

A first-round whitewash over Florian Hempel was followed by convincing victories over Mensur Suljovic and Owen Bates, with Searle continuing his charge with hard-fought wins over Irish pair Mickey Mansell and William O’Connor.

Searle came through a final-leg decider to edge Stefan Bellmont 7-6 in the semi-finals, then converted eight of his 12 attempts at double to beat Menzies in the final with a 100.7 average.

“I’ve been playing really well in practice, so to prove it this week is fantastic,” Searle said. “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.”

Van Gerwen opted not to compete in Tuesday’s event, a day on from a shock loss to amateur Michael Flynn at Players Championship 3, with Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Gary Anderson among the other Tour Card Holders not in action.

How Searle beat Menzies to Dutch victory

Menzies kicked off proceedings with a brilliant 145 outshot – sparking a sequence of four consecutive holds – before Searle registered legs of 13 and 12 darts to establish a 4-2 buffer.

Following back-to-back holds, Searle then followed up a crucial 110 kill with a brilliant tops-tops 100 finish to move to the brink of victory, which he sealed via his trusted tops in leg 11.

Menzies enjoyed a breakthrough year on the PDC ProTour in 2024, and the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finalist impressed on Dutch soil to reach his third Players Championship final.

The Scot fought back from 5-2 to deny Jose de Sousa in a dramatic first-round tie, with Menzies recording successive 6-3 victories over Stephen Bunting and James Wade during his run to a runner-up finish.

What’s next?

The Premier League continues with Night Three at the 3Arena, Dublin on Thursday February 20 as Bunting meets Humphries in the evening’s opener, while reigning champion Littler takes on 2023 runner-up Price. Watch Night Three of Premier League Darts live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+.

Sky Sports will once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.