MUCH has changed in a year for Droitwich darts ace Dave Honey.

Since he moved into the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) the 38-year-old has been scoring bullseyes.

He said: "I train up to five hours and day now so that I am ready for the tournaments.

"I find myself playing some of the biggest names in darts and it's very exciting."

Honey though is not dazzled by the likes of eleven time champion Phil Taylor. In his first season he finished a respectable 133rd, out of 600, in the rankings.

Now Honey aims to seal his position in the top one hundred and ensure his place in the Budweiser UK Open finals this June in Bolton.

He said: "I really want to make it into the top one hundred so I can compete in Bolton.

"It would be the biggest tournament I have played in and is being covered by television.

"At the moment I think I am on course to make it, but there are quite a few tournaments to go."

Dave's appetite for success has been whetted by his success in the Scottish regional final in November 2004, where he reached the last 32.

He said: "It was a big boost for my position to do so well in Scotland, it must have added ten ranking points."

Honey though met his match in the North East finals at the start of January when Wesley Newton, ranked 104 places higher, beat him 5-3 in the second round.

He said: "I had been running late and came in a bit unprepared and out of sorts.

"It was never going to be an easy match but I was not in the right frame of mind."

Mentor Eric Bristow will lock horns with the Droitwich player in a special exhibition night at the Springmeadow, which also sponsors Honey, on April 12.

Honey said: "Eric was very good to me. It was his idea that I go full time into darts so I owe him a great deal."

Honey has been setting the Warwickshire Super League alight with team Birmingham Midland Red.

The Droitwich player tops the individual rankings, while his team are leading the league.

He said: "I'm up against the likes of Steve Beaton, so to be doing so well is excellent."

ON TARGET:Droitwich's Dave Honey has lofty ambitions in the PDC this season.