Ryan Searle vs William O’Connor (World Matchplay): odds and bets 19.07.2026

Ryan Searle begins his World Matchplay campaign against William O’Connor in a first-round fixture that may be more competitive than the rankings suggest. Searle is the clear favourite after an excellent twelve months, but O’Connor has enough experience and resilience to punish any drop in the Englishman’s level.

I expect Searle to control the scoring phase, particularly through his greater frequency of 140-plus visits and maximums. O’Connor’s route into the contest is to keep holding throw, finish efficiently and force his opponent into a long evening. Over a race to ten legs, however, I believe Searle’s heavier scoring should eventually create the decisive break opportunities.

Ryan Searle

Searle arrives in Blackpool as the world number 11 and with a 64% win rate across the 2026 season. His most significant result came at the World Championship, where he defeated Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals before his run ended against Luke Littler in the last four. That campaign showed that he is capable of reproducing his best darts across a demanding televised format.

He has also added another ranking title this year, winning Players Championship 7 with an 8-3 victory over Alan Soutar in the final. Searle later reached the International Darts Open final, so this has not been a season built around one isolated tournament. When his first dart settles in the treble 20, he remains one of the most naturally powerful scorers outside the very top group.

His latest ProTour appearance produced three victories before a 6-4 defeat to Dave Chisnall. The result was disappointing, but Searle still averaged 99.85 in defeat. He had previously beaten Damon Heta 6-5 and produced averages above 100 in two of his four matches at Players Championship 22.

There is still an element of inconsistency to his game. Searle can move from sustained 100-plus scoring to a loose sequence of visits without much warning, and he occasionally allows missed doubles to affect the following leg. That volatility has contributed to some underwhelming performances on major stages.

Nevertheless, his World Matchplay experience is valuable. This will be his sixth appearance at the Winter Gardens, with a quarter-final in 2023 representing his best run. He was beaten 10-2 by an exceptional Littler performance last year, but this is a considerably more manageable opening assignment.

William O’Connor

O’Connor makes his World Matchplay debut after qualifying through the ProTour rankings. That is a notable achievement for a player who has spent many years on the circuit without previously reaching Blackpool, and I would not underestimate the confidence generated by finally securing his place in the field.

His standout result of 2026 was a run to the Players Championship 20 final. O’Connor eventually lost 8-5 to Ross Smith, who averaged 107.01 and checked out at 73%, but reaching the final confirmed that the Irishman can still string together several high-quality performances in a single day.

There have also been some encouraging recent victories. At Players Championship 23, he defeated James Wade 6-4 and Peter Wright 6-5 before losing heavily to Cristo Reyes. Those wins demonstrate why he is dangerous in this fixture: O’Connor is comfortable against established opponents and rarely becomes flustered when a match turns scrappy.

His immediate numbers are less convincing. Most of his recent averages have fallen between 85 and 91, including an 84.93 average in a 6-5 defeat to Sebastian Białecki at the European Darts Open. That level may be sufficient to keep individual legs competitive, but it is unlikely to hold Searle across an extended race to ten.

O’Connor’s strengths are his composure, experience and willingness to use the full board when setting up finishes. His main weakness is that he does not always generate enough scoring pressure before reaching the outer ring. Against Searle, repeated visits without a treble could quickly turn holds of throw into break opportunities.

Format and key match-up data

The first round is played as a race to ten legs. A player must normally win by two clear legs, although the tie-break is limited before a sudden-death decider becomes possible. That longer format should favour Searle because his scoring advantage has more time to influence the result.

Searle has won three of the four most recent meetings between the players, although O’Connor took the latest encounter in a deciding leg. I therefore expect the Irishman to remain competitive during the opening sessions, but Searle should gradually gain control if he maintains an average in the mid-to-high 90s.