“I’m just on autopilot” – Ryan Searle admits waning motivation in 2026 but rediscovers fire for World Matchplay

Ryan Searle has admitted that his motivation has dipped during parts of 2026, but the World Matchplay has restored the competitive edge missing from some of his ProTour and European Tour appearances. The Englishman began his campaign by defeating Irish debutant William O’Connor 10-6, although the 11th seed believes he has considerably more to offer in Blackpool.

“As far as the European Tours and ProTours go, I feel as though I’m just on autopilot when I’m there,” Searle told DartsNews.com. “Especially on the European Tour, I turn up and there are no finger points or fist pumps when I take out shots. I’m just there to be there, basically. You can tell when I’m here that I’m up for it. I want to win and I know I can be dangerous going forward.”

Searle was satisfied with a controlled opening performance that brought few moments of concern. “Yeah, it was very solid,” he said. “Going into the second break, I wanted to be 7-3 up. That was what I was aiming for and I managed to do it."

“To be fair to Willie, he started playing some decent darts to get back into the game," Searle added. "I was just happy to get over the line in the end.”

Searle entered the match with a clear plan. With O’Connor appearing on the Winter Gardens stage for the first time, he wanted to make the Irishman uncomfortable from the opening exchanges.

“Obviously, the game plan was to put him under as much pressure as possible from the start because it isn’t an easy place to come and play, especially for your first time,” he explained.

Searle’s own difficult introduction to the tournament shaped that approach. “I really struggled during my first appearance here, so I know what it’s like. I managed to put him under pressure and I’m happy to get over the line.”

He established an early advantage and forced O’Connor to chase the match throughout. Although the debutant reduced the deficit during the closing stages, Searle’s initial work proved decisive. “This is a really tough place to come if you’ve never played here before,” he added. “That’s why I wanted to put him under pressure early. I managed to do that and got the win.”

Searle has experienced a mixed period since reaching the semi-finals of the most recent World Championship. He has nevertheless won a Players Championship, contested another ProTour final and reached a European Tour final.

“I’ve won a ProTour this year, made another final and reached a European Tour final,” he said. “I’ve tactically missed a few of the events. At the end of next season, I’m defending a load of money, so the season after that it’s going to make things a bit easier when I’m defending nothing. I’m taking a bit of Gary’s advice.”

That approach has eased any pressure surrounding his position in the rankings. Searle remains confident that his results away from the major televised stages would be enough to secure qualification even if he dropped outside the world’s top 16.

“Even if I’m not in the top 16, I feel I do enough on the floor and at the European Tours to qualify for these events,” he explained. “Obviously, when you get into these events, you want to be in the top 16 so you can try to avoid the two Lukes and a few others, just to make things slightly easier. But we’re doing all right.”

Searle’s close relationship with practice partner Gary Anderson has continued in Blackpool. The pair travelled to the Winter Gardens together on Sunday, although Anderson completed his emphatic 10-2 victory over Ryan Joyce before Searle arrived.

“We were in the car on the way here when I think he was 8-2 up,” Searle recalled. “We thought we might get here and catch the end of his game, but he played so well that we missed it.”

Searle arrived in time to see Anderson return to the practice area. “I saw him when he came into the practice room and he wished me good luck.”

Anderson’s tournament-high average of 109.96 did not come as a surprise after what Searle had witnessed on the practice board. “We came here yesterday morning and I think we were practising by half past nine, which probably isn’t really Gary’s style, but I try to push him,” he said. “We were playing 101 and things like that, and he was hitting everything. I was expecting big things from him today and he produced them.”

Their preparation will continue between matches. “We’ll be here tomorrow for another throw and then we’ll be here the following day. We’ll keep getting ready for our next matches.”

Searle describes the World Matchplay as his favourite tournament of the year, placing it above even the World Championship. The atmosphere inside the Winter Gardens is central to that preference. “The crowd is great and it’s difficult to know what this place is like until you’ve played here,” he said.

While European Tour events regularly attract substantially larger crowds, Searle believes the nature of the Blackpool audience creates a different test. “We play on the European Tour all year in front of five or six thousand fans, but this is more of a real darts crowd,” he explained. “Compared with the Worlds, where it’s more like a football crowd and everyone is chanting throughout the game, this is different. You need a bit of experience to get used to it.”

That affection for the tournament has also led Searle to increase his preparation. “I’ve been on the board a lot,” he said. “Like I said, this has always been my favourite tournament and I try to put as much preparation in as possible.”

Searle offered an immediate response when asked what it would mean to make a deep run in Blackpool and eventually lift the Phil Taylor Trophy. “It would mean a lot,” he said.

Searle often travels alone to European Tour events, meaning there is rarely a familiar face in the audience when he needs encouragement. Blackpool offers a different environment. “I travel around Europe for the European Tours on my own,” he explained. “I don’t have anyone to look towards in the crowd for encouragement or when things aren’t going right. It’s nice to look over at someone and have that bit of familiarity. I get that here, so it’s great.”

The presence of that support is another reason the tournament holds such significance for Searle. It has also strengthened his belief that he can improve considerably on his opening performance. “I know I can produce a lot better than I did today going forward, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Searle continues to display the Cure ADOA Foundation patch on his shirt after his World Championship run helped raise awareness and money for the organisation.

“It’s going well. We’ve managed to raise a lot of money,” he said. “Obviously, we’re always looking to raise more, but it has been really good.”

After five or six appearances at the World Matchplay, Searle now feels far more comfortable on the Winter Gardens stage than he did during his debut. Asked whether he had returned to Blackpool as a better player, his answer was unequivocal.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not,” he said. “I have a lot of experience at this venue. I feel that’s something you need unless you’re a real freak of the game. Like I said, I feel I have a lot more that I can produce going forward.”

His World Championship semi-final has also provided evidence that he can contend deep into the biggest tournaments. Searle does not, however, expect that result to change how his rivals approach matches against him.

“You’ve got all the really experienced players and they don’t care what you’ve done in the past,” he said. “If anything, they want to smash you because you’ve done that. I’ll just keep moving forward and see how it goes.”

Searle has previously acknowledged that he is not the most dedicated practiser during the busiest parts of the season. With regular Players Championship and European Tour appearances already keeping him at the board, he does not always feel additional sessions are necessary.

As the season goes on, I’m not the hardest practiser because you’re playing so much anyway,” he explained. “You’re at European Tours and ProTours, travelling here and there, so you’re throwing pretty much all the time.”

The World Matchplay was important enough for him to change that routine. “I made a conscious decision to practise a lot coming into this. It didn’t quite show there, but, like I said, I have loads more in the tank that I can show.”

Searle will continue practising with Anderson before turning his attention to Wednesday’s second-round match. He may also arrange another session once his regular practice partner begins his own preparations to face Jonny Clayton. “Gary and I will be here tomorrow and have a good throw. We’ll get him on the board,” Searle said. “I’ll be here on my own on Tuesday and might try to meet up with Luke Humphries for a little practice ahead of Wednesday.”

Having safely negotiated an awkward opening assignment, Searle will next face former World Matchplay champion James Wade for a place in the quarter-finals.