Craig Butler is on next season's main snooker tour - regardless of the result of the Rileys UK Tour Event Four Final Stages tournament at Swindon next week.

The Clubhouse In Cue Gardens member, who only narrowly missed out for this season, said: "My dad has worked things out on his personal computer, and the worst I can do is come 20th overall."

Butler, currently joint 11th with the top 20 going through, has drawn Scot Kearney from barnet in the first round at Swindon on Monday (2.30pm). "I have heard of him, but I have never seen him play," said Butler.

On Sunday Butler is in action in the last 16 of the Strachans English Amateur Championship.

He plays in the Northern Section at the Executive Snooker Club in Sheffield (11am), and meets fellow international Justin Loftus (Derby).

Former professional Colin Morton (Accrington) faces Craig Taylor (Thorne), with the winners squaring up in the national quarter-finals.

Eight players will play down to one at Sheffield, and the same will happen at Swindon where the Southern champion will emerge.

The other Northern ties are holder david Lilley (Hebburn) against Ricky Walden (Bagillt), David Taylor (King's Lynn) playing David Gilbert (Derby). All matches are the best-of-seven frames.

"I really want to win this title as I had a bad experience in 1998 when I lost 8-3 in the final to Tim Bailey," said Butler.

World No 22 James Wattana has moved from Bradford to Northamptonshire. He is now based at Wellingborough.

Wattana is likely to finish the season about 28th, depending on results from the current Regal Scottish Open and the forthcoming Embassy World Champion-ships.

Eurosport are to cover the World Championships for the first time, showing live action in the morning and highlights in mid-evening. "This reflects the increasing interest in the sport in Belgium and Iceland, who have a qualifier in Kristjan helgason," said Matthew Finn, press officer for the WPBSA.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.