RYAN Searle scored a nine-darter on his way to beating Nathan Rafferty 5-3 in Group D of the Grand Slam of Darts at Aldersley Leisure Village.

It means he has qualified for the knock-out stages of the competition for the very first time.

Searle began playing in the Wellington Darts League before becoming a full time professional and taking on the best in the world.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price continued his impressive form in the competition with a storming 5-1 win over Gian van Veen, which included four 100+ finishes.

The KO stages begin next Monday.