SUPER STAR Pool player Chris Melling has continued his attack on the game with a string of successes which have left him ranked third in the world.

He lines up behind fellow Yorkshiremen Mick Hill and Darren Appleton, but the Keighley player's commitment to snooker means he has played fewer tournaments than the top two players.

His success has brought a contract for 28 exhibition games for sponsorship giants Embassy, and on Monday he is travelling to Northern Ireland for six exhibition matches with top snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan.

In the coming weeks he will also be attempting to defend his Home International title and taking part in the Glasgow Open and the European Championships in Malta.

His latest triumph was in the European Grand Prix at Great Yarmouth where he beat 1998 World Champion Carl Morris 8-4 in the quarter-final and set the tournament alight with an 8-4 victory over former snooker pro Kevin McCallom in the semi-final. The match was the fastest 15-frame game ever recorded, taking just 37 minutes.

In the final he beat 1995 World Champion Daz Ward of Sheffield 9-5.

He had hoped to make it a clean sweep of TV events, but was beaten in the quarter-finals of his latest contest, beaten 8-7 after his opponent lined up a shot into the bottom corner, missed but saw the ball roll round the table and go down at the opposite end of the table. After the fluke he cleared up to knock Chris out of the event.

Earlier this year Chris was crowned Embassy World Pool Champion and now has his sights set on hitting the headlines on the professional snooker scene.

"It's been a brilliant year so far," he said.