SCOTT Mitchell warmed up for the Grand Slam of Darts by hammering 16-time world champion Phil Taylor – and then insisted he would head into the £450,000 tournament in “exhibition mode”.

Bransgore thrower Mitchell will tomorrow afternoon begin his Group G campaign when he faces Austrian powerhouse and number six seed Mensur Suljovic at Aldersley Leisure Village.

Clashes with fellow former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting and dark horse Martin Schindler will follow on Sunday afternoon and Monday night, with the order yet to be determined.

Scotty Dog, 48, thrashed arrows legend Taylor 6-1 at an exhibition in Norwich last weekend to give him a timely confidence boost ahead of the cross-code Grand Slam.

Discussing his build up, Mitchell told the Daily Echo: “I was 4-0 up against Phil Taylor and had to pinch myself. I kept looking at the scoreboard and thinking ‘is this real?’.

“I was playing really well and wasn’t missing any doubles. I think I actually bullied Phil, which I’ve never done before in my life.

“Then I beat my good buddy Scott Waites in the final, so it was nice preparation going in.

“I’m under no pressure and I very rarely experience that. It’s not classed as a BDO tournament as such and there is nothing on it in terms of ranking points, so I can go into it in exhibition mode.

“The other guys are supposed to beat me. That’s the way I will be looking at it and trying to turn them over, as I have done with a few in the past.”

This will be Mitchell’s fourth straight year at the Grand Slam.

He is yet to get out of the group phase but has lowered the colours of big names such as Dave Chisnall and two-time PDC world champion Adrian Lewis.

Last year he was denied progress by Bunting in a final-leg shootout.

Reflecting on his draw, Mitchell said: “I think there were worse groups I could have been in but maybe there were a couple of games I would have preferred.

“It is what it is and I’m happy to be there, more than anything. I’ve done the right thing in the BDO and have been in the position to qualify.

“You head there to play one game at a time and get out of the group.

“If you lose your first one then that makes the group very difficult to get out of, not impossible but difficult, mentally.

“It’s all about getting some legs on the board. Even if you lose the first game 5-4 or 5-3, you are not out of it. If you can get a good start, it does relax you a bit.”

Dorset county star Mitchell has never met Suljovic in a competitive match.

“I’m not sure the pace will suit me, that’s my one fear with the game,” he said.

“It’s probably one of the most open groups. I think it’s going to be tight and it may be a group which is decided on countback.”