A fifteen-year-old boy from Keighley gained a place in the England U-18s pool squad last weekend.

Thomas Smith, the only Keighley player to qualify this year, did well at a regional tournament held in Barnsley, winning six out of eight matches in a play-off to gain a place in the squad.

Thomas, a pupil at Oakbank School, will now play for the country as well as the West Yorkshire team.

He will be able to play in the World Junior Championships at Blackpool in June and the National Junior Championships in November.

And his mum Julie said he could get selected to play at the European Championships in Malta.

Thomas is a member of the first team at VQ's, where he plays on a regular basis.

He was one of the few lucky people to get a chance to play against snooker legend Steve Davis.

Although the game against Davis was snooker, pool is Thomas' speciality.

Julie said of her son: "He's self-taught but he's had a lot of support from various players at VQ's, including Chris Melling."

Thomas also said VQ's manager Lee Vause has given him a few pointers.

Commenting on his weekend matches that qualified him for the England squad, Thomas said: "I was really, really nervous on Sunday. As soon as I potted the last black I was so relieved."

On his match against Davis, Thomas said: "It was good experience for me to play a professional. Steve said my cue action was similar to Chris Melling's, and he said if I carry on with pool I'm going to be a good player."

His mum Julie seems to agree, saying: "Pool's been a passion he's had for the last four years."