"I bottled it" admits Ryan Searle after 7 missed match darts in Swiss Darts Trophy final

Ryan Searle will be scratching his head, wondering just how he isn't leaving Basel as the inaugural Swiss Darts Trophy champion. In the final of the European Tour event on Sunday night, the 36-year-old Englishman wasted no fewer than seven match darts before opponent Martin Schindler walked away with the victory in a deciding leg.

Searle, who had already defeated Daryl Gurney and Callan Rydz on Sunday en route to the final, seemed to have everything under control for the majority of the contest. He gained a 4-0 advantage early on, before then moving into a 7-4 lead. But seven chances at a double across the following legs were not enough to grab the win as it eventually became 8-7 for Schindler, who thus captured his second title of the year on the European Tour. Searle meanwhile, is still waiting for his first taste of Euro Tour success.

"It's just one of those things, I bottled it a bit," Searle admitted bluntly in his post-match interview afterwards. "That's the way darts goes sometimes; for me it's a case of onto the next one."

'Heavy Metal,' who has already won a Players Championship tournament this year, is now keen to move on quickly and look ahead to the many upcoming majors in this busy part of the season. "I've been in this position before where I've thrown games away and I've come back stronger, so I'll be looking to respond in the same way again," concludes Searle.

He can do that as early as this week. After all, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday already mark the next block of Players Championships action in Wigan.