DARTS ace Scott Mitchell admitted he had struggled to meet sky-high expectations since his Lakeside triumph but insisted: I can be a three-time world champion.

The Bransgore thrower enjoyed the greatest night of his career when he sunk three-time winner Martin Adams at Frimley Green in January.

But since then the 44-year-old has missed out on progress beyond the quarter-finals of a British Darts Organisation ranking tournament.

However, Mitchell, who captained England to British Internationals glory earlier this month, insisted his form had been as good as ever and added that he had ambitions of further success on the world stage.

The Dorset county star told the Daily Echo: "When you make the last 16 and the last eight at tournaments, I know that's good. But when you have won a world championship, everybody expects you to reach semi-finals and finals on a consistent basis.

"The way people raise their game against me means it doesn't quite happen like that.

"The prime example was the Dutch Open a week after Lakeside. I had tops to win the game and my opponent took out 170 to win 3-2. That was a tournament with 3,000 people in so I was over the moon to get to the last 128 but the way people perceived it was different.

"I know that I'm playing well and now that I've got one world championship, I know how to win it. I think I can win another one and probably another couple.

"I always said that one would be enough for me and that I'd be happy with that but now I'd really like two.

"You can hit a purple patch over four or five years and you'd like to think you could win it two or three times during that period and, hopefully, that will happen for me."

Lavished with unprecedented attention since securing glory at Lakeside, Mitchell has his eyes set on a return to tournament success in what promises to be a busy 2015.

"I've had four quite strange months," he added.

"I'd like to win a couple of tournaments before the end of the year and get myself back on track to where I feel I should be.

"I've got the Grand Slam to look forward to in November as well as lots of exhibitions and taking the trophy to as many people as possible.

"If I can do all of that then I will feel I have achieved."

Mitchell is set to represent his county this weekend when Dorset travel to Cleveland.