Searle claims city triumph after seeing off Super Mario in the final

RYAN Searle claimed his second Players Championship title of 2025 after beating Mario Vandenbogaerde 8-6 in a closely contested final at Leicester's Mattioli Arena.

- JOHN WALTON/PA

(JOHN WALTON/PA)

The 37-year-old came from 6-5 behind to seal the win and mark the seventh ranking title of his career ahead of next week's World Grand Prix.

It was a disappointing day for Luke Humphries and Josh Rock, who both exited in round one, while top seed Stephen Bunting crashed out at the last 16 stage following a 6-0 defeat by Jermaine Wattimena.

Searle got his afternoon off to a strong start, beating European Champion Ritchie Edhouse 6-4 in round one, before sealing a routine 6-2 victory over Dutchman Jamai van Den Herik.