New Forest darts ace Scott Mitchell will be stepping on new ground when he toes the oche at famous Frimley Green today.

For although the star of the oche has appeared on the Lakeside World Championship stage many times before, this is the first time he has appeared in a quarter-final tie.

Six years of trying – he has lost out in the first round three times and the second twice – has given the determined Bransgore man a chance to move into the last four.

Nicknamed ‘Scotty Dog’, Mitchell put in a dogged performance against fellow England player Tony O’Shea in a nailbiting first round match that was finally decided in a one-leg, sudden death play-off, with the winner claiming it against first throw advantage.

Mitchell then went on to win another tricky game, defeating Belgian Geert de Vos 4-2 to set himself up with a quarter-final clash against England’s Brian Dawson.

The two met in the Swedish Open last year with Mitchell, now the top seed in the top half of the draw, just edging out the Yorkshireman 5-4.

Mitchell said: “He (Dawson) has tried to qualify for the Lakeside before and came close on a couple of occasions and has had the character to bounce back and get in this year.

“He is like a Yorkshire Terrier and will keep biting at your ankles and not give up.

“He is by no means in awe of me and will probably look on the quarter-final as a bonus game and he will be happy to be the underdog.”

And the landscape gardener added: “People are saying that the top half of the draw is opening up for me and that I’m the top seed.

“But they can think and worry about that, I will just keep throwing the darts.

“My game has been consistent with a 92 and almost 94 average – I couldn’t really ask for more than that.”