PROLIFIC potter Chris Melling has achieved his second big win on the world stage in 2018, adding the World Pool Series 8-Ball Classic Championship title to his collection in Romania.

The Keighley star, who emerged victorious in the 9-Ball event at the Derby City Classic in America in January, came out on top in Bucharest after a tense final against Scotland's Jayson Shaw.

Remarkably, Melling had not picked up a cue in well over a month before the tournament began, and he admitted that contributed towards his struggles in the earlier rounds.

He said: "I'd had about six weeks off before the tournament and I was feeling a bit rusty. I only won my first game 11-10 in a shoot-out.

"There was a ball placed on the pink spot and we had five attempts to pot it, all with the cue ball in various positions behind the line. Luckily, I made all five attempts whereas my opponent only managed four.

"I then lost my second game but I started to hit my stride when I beat one of the European favourites Wiktor Zielinski 11-3. I won my next match 13-4 and in the semi-finals I had a 13-5 victory."

The final looked to be heading the same way as Melling raced into a 10-2 lead. However, Shaw stormed back, and was only one behind after 23 frames. Fortunately for the Englishman, he found a second wind to win 17-12.

Melling said afterwards that his good friend Shaw was "very unlucky with his breaks", and that not potting from half of them cost the Scot the title.

He also confessed that a previous bad experience was playing on his mind as Shaw mounted his mid-match comeback, saying: "I lost like that in the Chinese World Pool 8-Ball Championship final earlier this year.

"I was 19-14 up (in a best of 41 match) but I ended up going down 21-19, so as Jayson got close, I was thinking 'please don't let it happen again.'

"Also, earlier in the week, I'd been practising at the venue with him and he beat me 11-10 after I was 9-3 up. But I've always been good under pressure so I just relied on my technique and the fundamentals to get me over the line."

Melling has no time to bask in the glory of his Romanian success, as he has a packed schedule ahead. He said: "I've got the Supreme Pool Series in Stoke tomorrow.

"I also go to Asia the week after for the China Open 9-Ball Championships. I'd say I've got at least another seven or eight big tournaments before the end of the year.

"To give you an idea of how busy I've been up until now, my flight home from the tournament in Romania was the 36th one I've caught this year."

Melling has enjoyed a distinguished career, winning the prestigious Mosconi Cup twice and having been crowned World 8-Ball Champion on two separate occasions, in 2001 and 2003.