NORTH Yorkshire snooker teenager Steve Gregson is set to play for England.

The 15-year-old from Stockton-on-the-Forest has been chosen to make his international debut in the Pontin's Under-21 Home Internationals at Prestatyn, Wales, in September.

Gregson, whose Harrogate coach Steve Prest also coaches new world champion Shaun Murphy, has been selected for national honours thanks to his high Pontin's tournaments' rankings list.

He boosted that earlier this month by reaching the final of the Pontin's Under-21 Series involving the top 64 players from last season. This has put him into number two spot in the new rankings.

A brilliant series of round-robin group matches, in which he beat several England senior players, took him through to the last 32. He won four more matches to reach the final, where he lost 3-1 to Ben Wollaston, who used to play on snooker's former Challenge Tour.

In his previous tournament, Gregson reached the Plate final of an Under-21 tournament at Coalville club, Leicester, the day after having made several breaks of 50-plus to reach the semi-finals in the main event of the under-16s tournament at the same venue.

Last weekend he got through to the Plate semi-finals of another under-16s tournament at the Coalville club.

Gregson, who will be 16 in August, has now finished his education at Burnholme Community College and is gearing his snooker practice to being in peak form for his international debut.

Updated: 09:57 Friday, June 24, 2005