CHRIS MELLING produced a stunning run in the WEPF World Eight-Ball Championships over the past week.
He won seven games on his way to the quarter-finals, before coming up just short against one of the events top-ranked players in Karl Sutton.
The tournament got underway for the Keighley native last Wednesday, as he demolished Hanis Gany 7-1 in his opening game.
Melling was not troubled in his second qualifying round game either, beating Toby Clack by the same scoreline.
He faced a trickier task against regular Ultimate Pool rival Shane Thompson, but came through that encounter with a 7-4 win.
Melling’s final qualifier came against Owen Amato, which he managed to win 7-5 after a fierce battle against his Maltese opponent.
Those four victories put unranked Melling into the last-64, where he produced his best performance of the tournament yet in demolishing fifth seed Josh Kane 8-2.
The Keighley man was on song by this point, and he thrashed Matthew Ryall by the same scoreline in the next round.
Melling’s last-16 clash came against Kristi Caulfield, where he managed to defeat the Irishman 8-7 in a thriller.
That put him into a quarter-final clash on Tuesday evening against Sutton, who he had beaten en route to the Ultimate Pool Champions League final a few weeks ago.
But fourth seed Sutton exacted revenge on his Keighley rival at the Worlds, beating him 9-5 to make the last-four.
Sutton made the final after beating Giuseppe D’Imperio 10-6, where he faced Ronan McCarthy, who had obliterated Jordan Shepherd 10-1 in the other semi.
And in a titanic final, played on Thursday, sixth seed McCarthy came out on top against Sutton, winning a magnificent match 11-9 to be crowned world champion.
Melling’s fellow Keighley native Arfan Dad had been pencilled in to play at the Worlds, but he pulled out, giving first qualifying round opponent Damien Grondin a walkover victory.
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