YORK darts ace Chris Thompson is gearing up for a big month in which he hopes to get the best of both worlds.

The Yorkshire county star will compete in the qualifiers for the Lakeside World Championship on October 20 and, 24 hours later, will line up in the televised World Masters event to be held at Bridlington Spa.

Thompson, from Acomb, qualified for the Masters after a wonderful finish in the British Grand Prix table. He came tenth overall but fifth out of those not already guaranteed a place in Bridlington, with the top eight going through.

He is now hoping it will be third time lucky at the Masters after going out in the last 64 on his two previous visits.

"I'm hoping to do a lot better this time," he said. "I'm playing really well at the moment and if it was this weekend I would fancy my chances."

The 34-year-old, who works for and is sponsored by York firm Corries Solicitors Ltd, will also need a bit of luck in the draw for both world competitions.

Each group in the Masters has a seed - the number one seed being the legendary Dutch maestro Raymond Barneveld - so it is best to avoid the top men, while Thompson was unlucky to draw a man in form on his last visit to the World Championship qualifiers.

"I played really well last year but the guy who beat me, John Henderson, went to the Lakeside and got to the quarter-finals," he explained.

"I would fancy my chances this time, though, on my current form."

That form has seen Thompson again win the recent York Individual League and help his Acomb pub side Sun Inn to the top of the York Thursday league and to second place in the Monday league - in which he has rewritten the three fastest finishes record books with three 12s.

He has also helped Yorkshire, for whom he has been representing for nine years, become the first team to win three consecutive Inter-Counties titles.

Updated: 11:52 Friday, August 12, 2005