DORSET darts star Scott Mitchell landed the French Open title and then admitted it had been one of his sweetest successes.

The 43-year-old thrower followed in the illustrious footsteps of the likes of Rod Harrington, Peter Manley and Martin Adams by claiming the crown.

Bransgore-based Mitchell, who works as a landscape gardener, signed off with a 13-dart last leg to earn a fine 5-4 victory over Tony O’Shea in yesterday's final.

Mitchell, who has represented Dorset 114 times, pocketed the 1,850 Euro top prize after winning the tournament, which attracted 256 entrants.

He told the Daily Echo: “Your latest title is always special but this is particularly special because I defeated Tony O’Shea in the final. He is probably the highest ranked player I have ever beaten in a final.

“Tony is a three-times Lakeside runner-up and is sixth in the BDO rankings at the moment.

“I also beat Jim Williams and Alan Norris on the way through, so I had to take some big scalps just to get to the final.”

O’Shea is widely regarded as one of the leading players on the BDO circuit, while Mitchell is currently number 20 in the BDO Invitation rankings.

Mitchell was particularly pleased with his latest victory as it came using a new set of arrows, supplied by Red Dragon Darts.

He was also keen to express his thanks to his other sponsors Motor-vation Garage, Branksome Carpets and Design by Sazz.