Alfie Burden, who has been making great progress in his fourth year as a snooker professional, lines up alongside the game's giants in the World Championships next month.

It's the first time he has made it to the Crucible, Sheffield, for the final stages, after earning a place in the last 32 with a fine 10-3 win over Rob Lawler in the final qualifier at Telford on Friday.

Now Alfie's attention will be focussed on BBC TV's Grandstand on Saturday when the first-round draw is made.

"Obviously, I want to avoid the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and John Parrott in the early rounds," he said.

"But I feel I would have a chance of beating any of them."

In the 19-frame qualifying match against Lawler, Alfie, 6-3 up at the interval, polished off his opponent in splendid style by taking the first four frames of the evening session in just 35 minutes.

Last November, Burden (22) of Kenton, was ranked only 122nd, before causing a few upsets in the Grand Prix at Bournemouth, reaching the last 16.

Following a fine win over world-ranked Gary Wilkinson, which featured a 143 break, Burden claimed another significant scalp, knocking out Nigel Bond who had won the Regal Scottish Masters a fortnight earlier.

That hoisted Alfie more than 40 places in the world ratings to 80th, and he's looking to cause a few more surprises at Sheffield to earn a slot among the leading 64.

That would give him an automatic entry into the top eight tournaments and guaranteed earnings of £15,000, with the prospect of more to come.

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