IAN McCulloch is aiming for a place in world snooker's elite players after his success in making it to the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Championships.

The Preston player's dream of making the final ended when he was defeated 13-3 by seven times world champion Stephen Hendry at The Crucible in Sheffield.

But his victories over the 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon 10-8 in the first round and Alan McManus 13-6 in the next will gain him valuable points which will help him in his bid to win a place in the top 16 in the world snooker rankings.

McCulloch who has put his success this season down to an improved mental play since employing a sports psychologist, is currently ranked at 22 in the world, four places above his positioning at the start of the season but hopes to make the top 16 for the start of next season.

This would mean he would gain automatic entry to next year's Embassy World Championships.