Promising Portslade prospect Scott Miller is on cue to make the big time.

The 17-year-old has already made a maximum break and defeated two players ranked in the world's top 70.

Now he is determined to make the ultimate break into the pro game and line up alongside the likes of Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White.

Ironically Scott, who recently made a 147 break against best friend and Southwick rival Neal Gozzett, pulled off his greatest result against Allister Carter and didn't realise his opponent was ranked 65th in the world.

"I beat him 3-0 in an East Anglian pro-am match last September and had never heard of him," said Scott, who funds his snooker by cleaning tables and cooking food at Riley's Snooker Club in Brighton.

"It wasn't until a week later when I switched on the television and saw him beating Stephen Hendry in the British Open that I realised. He went on to reach the semi-finals.

"I was gobsmacked and it showed it is possible to keep company with the top guys."

Only a month before pulling off his famous win, Scott defeated under-17s national champion Mark Selby, who has since turned pro and climbed into the world's top 70.

He beat him 3-0 before reaching the East Anglian Under-17s Open Champion-ship final, where he lost to Bristol's Ben Hancorn.

"My ultimate ambition is to go on to the pro circuit," said Scott. "I know it can be done. I perhaps need a bit more experience to bridge the gap."

Snooker is divided into two main sectors - the top world players and then semi-pros on the national circuit. Scott is well placed in the second rung and with two major scalps has already proved his ability.

As well as playing against Carter and Selby, he had a best-of-five frames contest with former Embassy World Champion Ken Doherty on Riley's opening night last year. Scott won a frame, but the Irishman showed too much experience and triumphed 3-1.

However, Scott is at a disadvantage compared with up-and-coming talent in the north and west. Only a small pool of players are coming through in the south, which means he has to travel further to find decent competition.

He explained: "The game's not strong down here and to get better I need to be playing against good opponents more regularly."

Travelling to events outside Sussex costs money and, because of his lack of sponsorship, funds his snooker directly from his wages.

Riley's manager Nigel Brown said: "I'm pleased we've been able to find him a job. Frank Sandell, Scott's coach, contacted me last year and said he had a good player who needed some part-time work. He was 16 then and I told him once he turned 17 I'd get him started. Now he's at the club almost all the time."

If Scott's not frying chips and grilling burgers, he is putting in hours of practice on the tables.

His maximum break was achieved in a friendly match and was marked with a special engraved trophy from his coach.

Scott admits he felt the pressure growing as the break began to build.

He said: "It was a nervous finish. I potted a long red to start and with my break on 65 split the pack off the black, which proved the crucial shot.

"My last black was hard. The cue ball was on the siderail; I potted it and then came off two cushions.

"I was nearly left behind the blue, but the cue ball just nudged it and I could see the yellow. You can imagine at this point I was getting very nervous, but I potted it good and the rest was easy.

"I phoned up my mum and coach and it was nice to get a trophy at a Grand Prix tournament a couple of weeks ago."

Scott started playing when he was 11 after his dad, Derek, bought him a table, and he joined 147 in Hove for four years.

The previous year has seen him at Riley's Brighton branch.

He won the Sussex under-15s at 14, the under-18s at 15 and enjoyed his first 100 break at 14.

Scott, who has now made 144 century breaks, won the Frank Sandell Grand Prix in 1997, a competition that includes 128 juniors countywide, and is on course to win it a second time this season.

On top of all that, Scott finished runner-up in the Sussex under-21s, reached the quarter-finals of the national under-15s and the quarters of the national under-17s.