A month ago, Harrogate snooker professional Sanderson ‘the Panda’ Lam walked out at the International Championship in China to play the greatest player in history — Ronnie O’Sullivan.

In front of a packed crowd and TV cameras, Lam won the first frame, then hit a century break to go 2-0 ahead.

“It was surreal,” he recalls. “Ever since I was a child, I loved watching him play. He’s such a legend of the sport.”

O’Sullivan went on to show how good he is by reeling off the next six frames to win 6-2.

Since then, Lam, 31, has been back in Harrogate coaching at the Park View Club, formerly the Conservative Club, on East Parade in between trying to qualify for another taste of the spotlight.

Being a snooker pro on the fringes of the big time is an unusual life. One day he can be playing in front of near-empty rooms and, if he wins, he gets to step into the TV limelight.

Only the top 32 in the world rankings automatically qualify for most tournaments. Lam, who is ranked 63, has to play qualifiers for the chance to regularly rub shoulders with the likes of O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Williams.

Competition is fierce: Lam got knocked out in the third of four qualifying rounds for the UK Championships in York, which stages its final today (December 7), so missed out on a BBC appearance this week.

He's taken on most of the stars during his career, but nobody compares to O’Sullivan, who he has now played twice.

Lam says:

Crucible dream

Lam, who lives with his girlfriend Aimee just off Cold Bath Road, was born and raised in Leeds.

His dad introduced him to pool at the age of nine. He soon graduated to snooker and made his first century break aged 12. 

Soon he set his eyes on making a career from the sport and in 2011 qualified for the Paul Hunter Classic — his first taste of the big time. The following year he made it on to the main WST tour. His career-high ranking is currently 57.

Lam, who has played at the UK Championships in York five times, says beating ex-world champion Neil Robertson at the English Open is his career highlight so far. His ambition? To play at the world championship at The Crucible in Sheffield. 

“It’s every player’s dream to walk out at The Crucible. If it happens, I will die a happy man," he says.

He moved to Harrogate three years ago but remains a big Leeds United fan and frequently returns to the city to practise at the Northern Snooker Centre, which is one of the best cue sports clubs in the country. 

While he dreams of the big time there, he makes his bread and butter living coaching at the Park View Club, which he says has the two best snooker tables in Harrogate.

Nearby Masham claims to have the oldest snooker club in the world and Harrogate was home to coach Steve Prest, who helped many top players before his death at the age of 43 in 2009. Shaun Murphy regularly practised at The Manhattan club in Harrogate under Prest’s guidance on his way to the 2005 world title. 

But Harrogate is hardly a snooker hotspot. Lam is by far the best player in town and anyone who follows the sport knows it’s quite something to have such a highly ranked player available for coaching.

Next up is January’s Snooker Shoot Out in Blackpool, in which the world’s top 128 players engage in a single frame knockout format. There’s also more qualifying events, culminating in the season-ending world championship in spring, and the chance to make it to the Crucible.

He's also got an exhibition at the Fulford Club in York tomorrow night (December 8) where local fans can see him display his talents.

Harrogate is his bolthole away from it all.

“It’s so lovely and chilled out here,” he says. “I used to live in Leeds, close to the Northern Snooker Centre, so I used to hang out there all the time. Now I practise there and when I come to Harrogate it feels like a totally different world. I can get away from the chaos.”

You can find out more about Lam here.