ROBERT THORNTON has set his sights on winning a place in the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts.
The Scotsman had his first taste of the Premier League Darts stage last Thursday, when he took on James Wade in a Challenge Match in Aberdeen.
Although he lost 7-2 to Wade, Thornton - who reached the final of the coral.co.uk Players Championship in January and has won two PDC Pro Tour events so far this year - is determined to learn from the experience.
Thornton has reached 19th in the Order of Merit after less than a year on the PDC circuit, and is hoping to emulate Mervyn King and push for a place in next year's Premier League.
"James deserved to win and played out of his skin, but it was absolutely brilliant on Thursday and I loved it," said Thornton.
"It was unbelievable, absolutely immense. It's the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of and I've never had a reception like that.
"The crowd were brilliant. Because James is popular I thought it would be mixed but they went mental when I was announced.
"I didn't have as much preparation as I would have liked, I only had 24 hours notice about playing, but it was a great experience."
Wade averaged 105 and left Thornton in no doubt about the improvement he needs if he is to challenge for major honours on a regular basis.
"James deserved to win it and I didn't play as well as I wanted to," he said.
"It's down to players like myself to raise our standard to what James and Phil are throwing, and it's a case of getting used to this stage.
"Hopefully I'll keep improving and get back up there next year!"
Tickets for Thursday's Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts are still available from the Sheffield Arena Box Office on 0114 256 5656.
See highlights from the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts in PDCtv
Click here for your chance to win FREE FLIGHTS with Virgin Atlantic - the Official Airline of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Click here to purchase the official Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Programme