"He could win the worlds this year easy" - Ryan Searle blown away by practice partner Gary Anderson's current level

Ryan Searle made an excellent start to the World Grand Prix. In the opening round, he overcame Damon Heta after a true thriller.

Searle had to come back from a 1-0 deficit in sets to eventually win 2-1. "It was tough obviously," recaps Heavy Metal post-match in conversation with Online Darts. "I felt like I was playing really well and I lost the first set. He was just starting so well with the throw and you know, in this format it's all about starting. If you can start you can do damage. It was tight. I was twitching a bit too fast so I'm happy with how I held on."

Searle has been training with Gary Anderson for some time. "He absolutely batters me in practice he's unbelievable. But I'm not that far away," Searle says of Anderson. "He could win the worlds this year easy."

The 35-year-old Englishman is having a stable year and is firmly in the top-16 of the world rankings. "The main thing that matters to me is just playing well. I know that if I play well then I'll win, it's basically as simple as that."