Ryan Searle is the only player yet to drop a set at the Darts World Championship, with ‘Heavy Metal’ coming through clashes against Landman, Dolan, Schindler and Hurrell without a scratch.

Searle seems to be improving with every round, he averaged 93.29 in his opener against Landman, but since then has averaged in excess of 98.0, including clearing ton plus averages in each of his last two games. Searle has always had the scoring power and quality to go deep in tournaments, but his attitude is what has held him back. Searle admits himself that he can be a bit too casual at times on stage, but notably seems very relaxed this year - and has his family with him at the tournament.

Clayton managed to move up to fourth in the world rankings with victory over Andreas Harrysson in the last round, but the Ferret was very fortunate to come through that tie. Clayton only averaged 92.79 in that game, and wasn’t punished by Harrysson, who let him win what proved to be a crucial fourth set with an average of only 87.33.

I can’t see Searle being as forgiving as Harrysson, he’s putting away 52.25% of his doubles at the tournament so far, with tops and tens being a reliable route for Searle. I think Searle settles the better of the two here, and will be able to keep it together a little more than Clayton, based on what we’ve seen from the pair at the World Championships so far.

Clayton hit two 100+ checkouts in his fourth round triumph over Andreas Harrysson, with these being spectacular 141 and 160 finishes. Clayton also left 121 on five separate occasions against Harrysson, and came close to taking out that checkout, which is one of his favourites to set up.

The two 100+ checkouts against Harrysson take Clayton’s total tally at the tournament to six across his three games. Clayton has played a game fewer than the rest of the field after being handed a bye through the second round due to Dom Taylor being suspended. Clayton hit three 100+ checkouts in his opening game of the tournament against Adam Lipscombe, and it could be a key factor in this game if both players play to their tournament numbers.

Clayton hasn’t been as strong in the scoring phase of the game as Searle at the World Championship so far. He matches Searle when looking at their seasonal numbers, but his performances at the tournament would indicate that Clayton may be forced to take out a few 100+ finishes to stay in the contest, with how impressive Searle’s scoring has been.