A KEIGHLEY pool star beat a cue sports legend on his way to missing out on overall success at a prestigious tournament.

Arfan Dad defeated World Snooker champion Mark Selby on his way to reaching his first Ultimate Pool final at the Ultimate Pool Pro Series V competition, held in Blackpool last weekend.

Dad eliminated Selby 7-5 in Saturday’s contest to book his final place.

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But Dad lost out to Stevie Dempsey in the Pro Series final. This was Dempsey’s first Pro Series title and his third championship victory with Ultimate Pool.

The 2023 Ultimate Pool Pro Series is made up of 10 events at five double-header long weekends throughout the year. The Pro Series events follow a straight knockout format.

This was one of a number of different tournaments played at Blackpool over the course of the weekend as some of the world’s best pool players battled it out at the table.

The victory over Selby was a major coup for Dad. Despite making his name in snooker, most famous as a four-time world champion, Selby, 40, has also starred at the pool table. The 40-year-old was the 2006 World Eight-ball Pool Federation champion, making him the only man to have been world champion in both snooker and pool.

Nicknamed β€˜The Daddy’, the Keighley potter has starred in Ultimate Pool after he was one of six chosen as Ultimate Pool professional players for the 2022 season after moving from the International Pool Association (IPA).

Dad has this week flown out to China to compete in the Lanzhou Open pool competitions to be held over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, fellow Keighley potter Chris Melling was also in action at the Ultimate Pool Pro Series Event Six, also held at Blackpool last weekend.

Melling lost to Cormac Kerr in the last 64 of the tournament. Kerr would eventually lose out in the last 16 of the event. Despite the defeat, Melling was happy with the way he played at the event in Blackpool.

Melling said: β€œI played well, to be honest. I’ve been putting the hours in.

β€œArfan played brilliantly at Blackpool. I share a room with Arfan on away trips.

β€œI’m going to China a week today (Thursday). It is a good opportunity to earn a living really.”

Melling is clocking up the trips to the Far East in 2023, after already making three trips to China for pool events so far this year.