Charlie Manby is expected to make a winning start to his 2026 Grand Slam of Darts campaign when he meets Ryan Searle on 14 November 2026 at 2:45 pm. The debutant arrives with momentum, while Searle comes in having won only one of his last five matches, which is why Manby is being backed to come through the group-stage opener.
It is a meeting that puts recent form at the centre of the discussion. Searle is the more established name and did beat Manby 6-3 twice earlier in 2026, but that picture has changed in the build-up to this one. Manby won his first PDC title at Players Championship 31 a fortnight ago and also enjoyed a run to the last 16 at the PDC World Championship, giving him the sort of confidence that can matter in a short-format tournament match.
Why Manby carries the momentum
Manby’s recent rise makes this a very different contest from the earlier meetings between the two players. Those 6-3 defeats will be in the record, but they do not tell the full story of the player Manby is now.
Winning Players Championship 31 was a major step, and it came after he had already shown he can cope on a bigger stage at the PDC World Championship. For a debutant, that combination of form and belief is often enough to shift the balance in a first-round group match.
Searle still has the pedigree
Searle cannot be written off, of course. He won Players Championship 7 in March 2026 and has the kind of experience that can trouble a debutant if he starts quickly.
But the concern is simple: his results have dipped, and that leaves little margin for error against a player who is arriving in better rhythm. In a group-stage match, that matters just as much as reputation.
So while Searle has already shown he can handle Manby, the form line points the other way this time. If Manby brings the level he has shown in recent weeks, he has every chance of making his Grand Slam debut a successful one.
