SNOOKER: A young snooker star's dream of turning professional is getting ever closer to reality.

Lee Page, 14, has been selected for the English juniors to play in the home internationals at Prestatyn's Pontins in September.

Since 1995, eight of the boys chosen for the team have gone on to qualify for World Snooker's main tour.

Kidderminster-based Page has been called up to his country for the first time to join a team who have won the title every year since 1996 and lost just one match in that time.

Page will join Ben Woollaston, of Leicester, Bristol's Judd Trump, Chris Norbury, of Accrington, and Rushden's Jamie O'Neill with three places still to be filled.

He recently lost 3-2 to Woollaston in the final of a national U-15s series event.

Page won the first frame but missed a simple blue to surrender the second frame.

However, he dominated the fourth when 2-1 down to finish off with a break of 56.

But Woollaston clinched the decider with a 92-break after poor safety from Page who had beaten John Barton, Liam Highfield and Nima Yazdani 3-1 before defeating Trump 3-2.

Woollaston and Page are now well ahead of Trump in the rankings with the Wyre Forest youngster 39 points off the lead.

Page was due to face Bromsgrove's Kevin Ellis yesterday in the Worcestershire Inter-League final at Redditch.