A KEIGHLEY pool player believes he has what it takes to be crowned world champion once again.

Chris Melling, a two-time winner in the 8-ball version of the sport, is hunting a maiden 9-ball title in Milton Keyes next week, with a tough first round draw pitting him against eighth seed Joshua Filler.

The star potter is fresh from winning the Rasson Scottish 9-Ball Event 2 at the weekend and feels that preparation will put him in good stead for the big one.

He said: “I have not really played a great deal of 9-ball lately.

“I gained a bit of confidence from playing the Euro Tour a couple of weeks ago in Slovenia, where I reached the last 32 and beat a couple of highly ranked players along the way.

“I played in (Glasgow) to give me some good match practice going into the worlds.

“I did not really know what to expect because it was not the biggest field but there were a lot of good players in it.

“You still had to play really well to win it and fortunately that is what I did.”

Melling exited last year’s worlds by the smallest of margins.

He started well, surviving a scare against American female April Larson (9-7) and “not missing a ball” against Denmark’s Bahram Lotfy (9-3) to fly through the group stage.

A tight 11-9 victory over Badar Abdullah Alawadhi meant another Kuwait potter stood in his way from a quarter final spot.

In a back and forth last-32 contest with eventual finalist Omar Al-Shaheen, Melling lost a tense decider.

The 43-year-old knows he will not be able to just rely on his superb talent, with a bit of luck needed to go all the way in the one every player dreams of winning.

He added: “It is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, 9-ball event in the world.

“I have played in it about five times. I lost in the quarters once and the last 16 twice, so I have been close a few times but just been pipped.

“You just need that bit of luck on the day and you have got to play well.

“I have got the home crowd on my side, so hopefully that will give me a bit of an advantage.”

The tournament – which features 128 players battling it out across 16 tables – runs from April 6-10.

Although Melling has experience at the highest level, he thinks the draw on April 5 will play a big part in dictating his chances of glory.

“The draw is a big part of it,” he added.

“If you can get a few nice matches early on to break your way into the event and then kick on from there.

“I have been close in the past and I have won other world ranking events.

“I am positive that I can go all the way.”