UNSWORTH taxi driver Steve Higton is swapping his cab for a cue after potting himself a place in the World Pool Championships.

The nine-ball event, being held in Taiwan on July 2, runs for nine days, with Steve one of five players who came through the qualifying events held in London.

He is no stranger to playing the world's best after representing Great Britain in the European Championships in Holland, and is provisionally ranked number two in Great Britain by the British Professional Pools Players Association (BPPPA).

However, 33-year-old Steve is cautious about his chances: "I am not going half way across the world for nothing," he said.

"There are some top class players out there who havent even qualified and would wipe the floor with me every day of the week."

Steve practices at Whitefield Snooker Club but travels around the country in competitions throughout the year in a sport he has been playing for ten years.

"I have a top break of 141 on the snooker table but it took me three years to raise my game to even compete to the level required in nine-ball," he said.

Top snooker players Steve Davis and Tony Drago are taking part in the event, which is broadcast live on Sky Sports, but Steve has a warning for snooker hot-shots who may think nine-ball is easy.

"Steve Davis will tell you how hard it is and there are many snooker players who think the bigger pockets mean an easier game, but they are wrong!" he said.

The players are split into 16 groups of eight during the opening stages of the Championships, with the top four from each group going through to the knockout stages.

The prize-fund stands at US$350,000 and 128 players from an estimated 40 countries will be going head-to-head for the top prize of $75,000.

Steve's trip to Taiwan is being sponsored by Bury-firm RS Commercials, who specialise in Commercial Vehicle Deals.