A LITTLE known snooker player who found himself without a bed for the night after unexpectedly beating the world champion found a good Samaritan right on cue.

Irish world number 62 David Morris stunned fans of the sport by wrapping up the biggest victory of his career by defeating Mark Selby 6-4 in the second round of the Coral UK Championship, in York.

The 26-year-old admitted that he became jittery after going in front in the match, but as the joy of the victory sunk in, his anxiety returned as he realised he hadn't booked anywhere to stay for the night.

After setting off in pursuit of overnight accommodation in a taxi from York Barbican it emerged there were no vacancies at any hotel or bed and breakfasts due to visitors flocking to the city for the annual St Nicholas Fair.

He said: “I couldn’t find anywhere - basically the whole of York was booked out.

“The closest place was about 13 or 14 miles away and it was still £200 a night.

"I didn’t want to pay that so I just asked a taxi man to take me to a few different places and we would try and do it by word of mouth.

“We didn’t find anywhere so he offered, if I hadn’t found anywhere by the night-time, to give him a ring and stay with him - he would more than happily accommodate me.

“He said he had a spare room and it was a lucky break.”

Mr Morris said he rang the cabbie, who works for Streamline Taxis and lives in a village north of York, at nearly 1am and told him he was stuck.

The snooker player said: "The taxi man said ‘no problem’ and that he would come and get me and had the room and everything already ready, it was perfect.

“He was brilliant, he put me up for the night and cooked breakfast in the morning.

“It was really homely and everything was good so it was happy days."

David Rhodes, chairman of the Cumberland Street-based taxi firm, said: “The driver doesn’t want to be named but he is one of the real good guys. He is one of our nicest drivers.”