Ryan Searle booked his place in the third round of the Dutch Darts Championship on Saturday evening, defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 in Maastricht. The Englishman was unfazed by the passionate Dutch crowd, who gave Van Duijvenbode their full backing at the MECC. Searle drew extra motivation from the noisy atmosphere, and referee Kirk Bevins even had to intervene during the match, asking the crowd to stop whistling. Searle was barely affected and eventually claimed victory in the deciding 11th leg.
After the match, Searle said he had enjoyed the unusual conditions in Maastricht. "It was a good game. Obviously, the crowd were trying to play their part, but, to be fair, I absolutely loved it," he said. According to "Heavy Metal", the support for his opponent helped him focus even more on his own game. "It made me focus more, try to keep them quiet and a great finish in the end to win it under big pressure." The Englishman was especially proud of his mental strength during the tense closing stages. "I was proud of myself under that pressure, using new darts as well."
Searle revealed after the match that he had made a notable change to his equipment shortly before the tournament. The Englishman has only been using his new darts for five days. "I've only been using them for five days and I have got a lot more that I can do," he said. Although the new darts look much like his previous set at first glance, Searle said a significant change has been made. "It's just a whole new dart. Same shape, same weight, just a completely new grip. Just felt like I needed a bit of a change."
The Englishman decided to change his equipment because he felt he needed something new. He hopes it will help him stay motivated and put more time into practice. "My problem is getting a bit bored of using the same dart, I need something to get me a bit more focused and get me practising and these are going well. And I can do a lot better than that."
The crowd's behaviour also came under discussion after the match. The Dutch supporters made their voices heard as they tried to spur Van Duijvenbode on. Searle, however, felt that as a professional darts player, he simply had to accept those conditions. "I think you just have to take it, basically. This is a big place, there's a lot of people in here and you'd do well to be able to block this out. So it's just one of those where you take it on the chin and try and do your best."
