A MAIDEN major, a text off Alan Shearer and a place in the prestigious Premier League...it hasn't been a bad 2023 for Chris Dobey so far.

And that was all before his beloved Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League.

"Special" is how he describes the year in which he made a major breakthrough on the oche. And while the football club he supports were quiet on deadline day, Dobey made a high profile move of his own earlier this month when he signed for Target Darts, joining the likes of former world champions Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross in the hugely respected stable.

He'll throw a new bespoke dart and wear a new shirt - black and white, obviously. Fittingly, he was unveiled as a Target player at St James' Park.

Now, as Newcastle prepare for the Champions League and the huge months to come, Dobey too is looking ahead to the business end of the darts campaign, culminating in the World Championships in December.

"Winning my first major and getting selected for the Premier League, to play with the elite week in, week out was something special," Dobey tells the Northern Echo.

"I think it's only brought my game on a lot more. I'm more consistent now. Even in defeats, I've been losing with ton plus averages. I'm playing better stuff.

"I'm hoping to now kick on and pick up some titles throughout the rest of the year. I want to be pushing on. I'm going into the worlds looking to be around 17 in the world, but that's without having good runs in the TV competitions before then.

"So I want to be pushing the top 16 and if I can have a good run at the end of the year then push on for maybe the top eight.

"I want a couple more titles on the floor but why not another major? I'm a big believer in my game and feel I have the ability to win every competition I play in. I'll keep fighting and playing my darts and hopefully I can go up in the rankings."

Dobey described his Premier League experience as the opportunity to rub shoulders with the "elite" but he too, as a major winner, is now in that category - even if he doesn't see it that way himself.

He says: "It's hard to think like that because I'm still just outside the top 16.

"Playing on the biggest stage of them all week in, week out, it was great to be part of that. I want to now become a regular in the Premier League rather than someone who's just linked or in the conversation."

READ MORE:

The 33-year-old finished seventh of eight players in the Premier League but the experience of travelling across the UK and Europe over 16 Thursday nights was hugely beneficial.

Dobey says: "I learnt a lot. I take my hat off to Michael (van Gerwen) and some of the other lads.

"They're not just travelling from Liverpool to Nottingham, they're on a plane every week and I realised after the first few weeks when I was travelling to play in European tours, it was tough but that's what I play darts for.

"The travelling was tough but I loved every single minute of it and I'll work hard to try and get back there."

Dobey believes the move to Target will help him fulfil his ambitions on the oche.

"They're the biggest manufacturer in darts," he says.

"They were the first set of darts I ever used so it's a pleasure to be on board with them now and have my own darts made. They've been brilliant. We sat down and we've worked on getting the right barrel and the right dart for myself.

"To be unveiled at St James' was just amazing. It still doesn't feel real that I get to do this sort of stuff. It's been an incredible year for myself and for Newcastle so far - hopefully there's still more to come."