Keighley’s Chris Melling will be dining at Europe’s top pool table next month when he takes part in the Mosconi Cup.

The event is known as the Ryder Cup of pool, pitting the best from Europe and America against each other in a team tournament.

Melling says he is honoured to be following some snooker luminaries by competing at the event in Las Vegas and has hailed the achievement as better than his triumph at the China Open in June.

He said: “It’s fantastic – the people I’ve followed to get on the team are the likes of Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis.

“I won the China Open this year, which is one of the biggest ranking events on the tour, which was nice because it showed people that I wasn’t just a good potter and that I could do it over the course of a tournament, so it was good to get that ghost off my back.

“But for me, it’s bigger than (winning) that because it shows people that I’ve been the most consistent player in Europe.”

Melling narrowly missed out on the team last year but his selection was assured this time around after an outstanding season which culminated with him topping the European rankings list.

The 32-year-old’s recent record is made all the more remarkable considering the heartache he has faced away from the game.

He lost his mother and his manager this year, as well as six close friends, but Melling has put that agony to one side and displayed some superb form.

He said: “I’ve had the worst year of my life off the table. My mother died and then my manager died about a month ago from a heart attack – he was only 42.

“But on the table it couldn’t have gone any better. I always knew I had the game, it was just a case of putting it into practice.

“It’s weird, I feel like something inside me has pushed me on. My mum always said ‘don’t look back, always look forward’ but I’ve always reacted quite well to adversity.”

Melling admits his trip to Vegas will be something of a journey into the unknown, but is confident about Europe’s chances of retaining the trophy.

“I’ve played in similar tournaments in English pool but never on such a big scale before. Individual pressure is different to team pressure but I definitely feel ready for it.

“Over the past few years Europe has been winning every tournament so the pressure’s on the USA really. If we can play our A game then we’ve got a great chance.”