Dazzling Dirk van Duijvenbode seals first PDC ranking title of 2023 with superb win over Searle in Players Championship 4 Final

Dirk van Duijvenbode has sealed a first PDC ranking title of 2023 winning Players Championship 4 in Barnsley in an 8-2 win over Ryan Searle.

Van Duijvenbode also broke the record for most 180's hit in a day at a Players Championship previously and denied Searle a second title in as many weekends of ProTour action. It is a fourth ranking title with two won last year and his first back in 2021.

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Van Duijvenbode missed three darts at double 20 obviously distracted by noises but Searle couldn’t pin 88. Three more darts were missed by the Dutchman and Searle picked his pocket for 1-0.

The referee went down to sort it out and Searle restarted throwing for 2-0 leaving double 20 after nine. He missed three darts to hold and Van Duijvenbode took aim for 96 and the Dutchman took it out for 1-1.

A second 180 and 145 free flowing from ‘The Titan’ saw him hit a 10 darter for 2-1. Searle responded with a 124 on the bull for 2-2.

A third 180 for Van Duijvenbode saw him again leave 36 after nine with another 145 and he had to settle for two visits this time with Searle way back, but it was 3-2 to the Dutchman.

With Searle sat on 54, Van Duijvenbode hit 110 to make it 4-2. A fourth 180 for Van Duijvenbode and he was one away from equalling the record for most in a day at a Players Championship and he hit double 16 from a seemingly impossible angle to make it 5-2.

Van Duijvenbode saw a treble 18 drop out on 128 but Searle continued to miss on the outer ring and the former went two away at 6-2.

That record was broken with a fifth of the match and he hit 132 to leave double 20 to go one away and he sealed it with a 57 checkout.

Players Championship 4 Results

Last 16

Maik Kuivenhoven (95.78) 6 | 2 (93.38) Keane Barry

Ryan Searle (103.04) 6 | 3 (97.60) Jeffrey Sparidaans

Krzysztof Kciuk (93.30) 6 | 4 (92.22) Martin Schindler

Dave Chisnall (95.34) 6 | 4 (96.27) Josh Rock

Jim Williams (98.03) 6 | 3 (96.61) Dimitri Van den Bergh

Joe Cullen (105.68) 6 | 2 (96.95) Raymond van Barneveld

Stephen Bunting (90.31) 6 | 5 (95.72) Simon Whitlock

Dirk van Duijvenbode (108.08) 6 | 3 (104.48) Jonny Clayton

Quarter-Finals

Ryan Searle (105.73) 6 | 5 (97.27) Maik Kuivenhoven

Dave Chisnall (104.86) 6 | 0 (94.77) Krzysztof Kciuk

Joe Cullen (108.84) 6 | 3 (99.17) Jim Williams

Dirk van Duijvenbode (89.79) 6 | 5 (89.84) Stephen Bunting

Semi-Finals

Ryan Searle (96.48) 7 | 4 (90.65) Dave Chisnall

Joe Cullen (99.2) 6 | 7 (100.72) Dirk van Duijvenbode

Final

Ryan Searle (88.66) 2 | 8 (100.18) Dirk van Duijvenbode