DORSET darts star Scott Mitchell believes he has a “more vital role to play” within the sport than ever before.

After two years competing in the PDC, the 53-year-old is this year not part of the lucrative circuit, having failed to win back his tour card at Q School in January.

That has opened plenty of other doors for the Bransgore thrower, who recently helped Dorset reach the top tier of county darts and impressed in the Modus Super Series, online event.

That is on top of exhibitions, representing his country, World Seniors events and also keeping his hand in at the PDC, competing in the second-tier Challenge Tour.

Mitchell is set to get a crack at the big boys again in September, coming through a qualifier to compete in a Euro Tour event in the Hungarian Darts Trophy.

Having failed to regain his tour card in January, Mitchell admits he did briefly consider packing in darts altogether, before a quick change of heart.

“I think what we tend to forget and the way I feel about it is the older players like me, we need to try and stay in it to see if these younger players really are as good as they say,” 2015 Lakeside winner Mitchell told the Daily Echo.

“They’ve got to be taking us on. I think I have a more vital role to play within darts now than I’ve ever had, to try and help out the youngsters that are coming through and get to play them.

“The same as I did with the (Darryl) Fittons and (Tony) O’Sheas of the world when I started on the circuit.

“Q School this year had a lot of Dorset contingent, it had many players up there from Dorset, it must’ve been seven or eight.

“We’ve never had that before. So there is a little legacy of me doing what I’ve been doing for the last eight or 10 years, we’ve now got a bunch coming through that can start to take it on.”