A TEENAGER whose ambition is to turn professional has won a place with the world's top snooker players in York next month.

Tom Harris, aged 16, won the Harrogate Knockout Competition at the Manhattan Snooker Club last weekend and will play at the Barbican Leisure Centre on Saturday, December 15 before one of the UK Championship semi-finals.

His opponent in a Best of Five Frames Match will be billiards professional Gary Rogers, who won the York Knockout Competition at the Cueball Club. The special challenge match has been set up by World Sports Group who are staging the championship for the World Snooker Association.

Harris beat Kevin Robinson 2-1 in the Harrogate final and included breaks of 52, 54 and 55. His highest break was 100 made in a friendly frame at the Manhattan Club.

A former pupil at Rossett School, Harrogate, Harris now works at the Manhattan Club where he is coached by Steve Prest, who will be the official coach at the UK Championship, giving free lessons to the public.

Harris was giving 30 points start to Robinson in each frame of the final. In earlier rounds he gave his opponents 25, 32 and then nine points.

"I have been playing snooker for about three years," he said. "I got interested in the game from watching it on television. My ambition is to turn professional."

Updated: 11:41 Thursday, November 22, 2001