TAMWORTH snooker ace Dave Gilbert will be heading to the Far East next month for the final stages of the Shanghai Masters.

Gilbert last week defeated Brendan O'Donoghue 5-2 and then whitewashed former world top ten star Alan McManus 5-0 in the qualifying rounds at Pontins.

Gilbert's final qualifying game against Liang Wenbo, however, has been held over until the tournament stages itself to give the home crowd a chance to see the Oriental player in action.

Last week's wins were a big boost for Tamworth Snooker centre man Gilbert, who dropped out of the world's top 48 last season and now stands 51st in the rankings.

He recovered from 2-0 to beat O'Donoghue, winning five frames on the trot with top breaks of 60 and 65.

Gilbert then overwhelmed McManus in the next round, scoring heavily in every frame as breaks of 72, 53, 62, 82 and 67 left the Scot with no answer.

Wenbo has been a thorn in Gilbert's side in the past but if the Tamworth man can get past him in China, former World Champion Peter Ebdon would be next up in the last 32.