GREEN baize wizard Craig Harrison is following the path to the top taken by two world champions.

The Scala Snooker resident professional beat his old mate, Wayne Brown, 5-2 to lift the Merseyside individual crown at Old Swan, Liverpool.

It's believed this was the first time that two St Helens players have contested the Merseyside final.

Previous winners include three-times world champ John Spencer (1964) and John Parrott (1982).

It was the climax of a great year for Craig.

He reached the last 32 of the British Open at Plymouth before crashing out to Mark Williams. But it means he is now among the top 128 players in the country and he has qualified for all next season's ranking competitions.

The new season starts with the Grand Prix event at the Guild Hall, Preston, in September.

And Craig, sponsored by Regency Design, is raring to go.

He said: "Over the past couple of years a lack of self belief has let me down.

"That's behind me now and I think I can do the business this season."

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