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Merchant's Magical Moments ...
Those
Magnificent Men and their Magical Moments!
Courtesy
ALLSPORTS Magazine |
Friends.
On the very first day of 2009, we are starting a series for ten
days where we will introduce you with the 10 most defining moments
in Cue Sports identified by the
Snooker Specialist - Yasin Merchant.
Introduction:
The mysterious atmosphere is the first thing that hits you as you
walk into the billiards hall of any gymkhana or club, or for that
matter even a corner side parlour. The lush green top of the table,
the multi coloured balls artistically placed upon the green canvas,
and the continuous clicking sounds as the balls dance to the
commands of the cueists – you could be pardoned for thinking that
you have just walked into the realm of fantasy, where magic envelops
the enchanted atmosphere, with a draw so magnetic, it keeps bringing
you back over and over again.
Could you now imagine that this is where the legends
of Billiards and Snooker spent endless hours perfecting their art,
without taking their eye of the ultimate prize? It was the Numero
Uno position that they yearned for, as nothing else would do. Of
course, after a few million hours of practice, you wouldn’t settle
for anything but the best in terms of results.
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1. Wilson
Jones winning World title
Wilson Lionel Garton Jones was one such Indian who
set a very high target for himself and to the joy of all Indians
went on to achieve it, not once but twice. To be India’s first world
champion in any sport is no mean feat, and Jones used the royal
sport of Billiards to take India on to the world map in sports. The
year 1958 will certainly be an unforgettable year for any gentleman
from India who has harboured dreams of being on top of the world.
For he need not look any further than Wilson Jones for inspiration.
Hailing from a simple family, Jones brought Cue
sports its first defining moment, when after a disastrous world
championship the previous year, he showed commendable grit and
fortitude to lift the world title in his
very next attempt in 1958 at the Great Eastern Hotel,
Calcutta.
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2. Mike
was first to cross 1000 barrier
Jones started it all……and the legacy
continued. A young lad who answered to the name of Michael Joseph
Ferreira went a few steps further than his predecessor and dominated
the world scene with four world titles, accumulating a few
unmatchable records en route.
Mike won his first
world title in 1977, but the jaw dropping achievement which he would
be most remembered for, would be his 1149
break in the National Championship in 1978.
No other player, amateur or professional had
ever crossed the 1000 barrier before this and Mike had just done the
unthinkable. Ferreira at his best was pure poetry in motion
and I have been fortunate enough to see him grounding opponents to
dust with just his presence on the table.
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3. Geet -
a step ahead
If
Ferreira was all aggression, then Geet Sethi, the next in line of
the legacy, was artistry at its best. Since the 1982 Nationals,
Sethi took over the mantle and went on to become India’s most
successful Billiards player ever, and one of the finest the world
has seen. Sethi’s mastery at the table was a
delight to watch as he played the postman’s knock to perfection – a
positional ploy which earned him a
break of 1276, which under modern rules remained the
world record for many years, only to be bettered now by an effort of
1346 in New Zealand from the cue of English-men Peter Gilchrist
(Singapore).
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4.
CROWNING GLORY - A Complete Package
Given
the option to choose my magical moment of Geet Sethi’s career, then
without even batting an eyelid, I would rate
his ‘147’ break in snooker as the
CROWNING GLORY of his illustrious
career.
Being a snooker
player myself and having achieved it only once in practice, no body
would be in a better position to pass judgment on the enormity of
that magical figure, which stands unrivaled on Indian shores to date.
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5. World
Acknowledge INDIA in Snooker
Omprakash
Bankelal Agarwal
(OB to friends)
was not the archetypal snooker player. Brash, in your face and full
of beans, this young man had talent dripping from all parts of his
body – of course whenever he did allow the talent to surface; for he
was known as much for his talent, as his volatile behaviour, both on
and off the table.
Terry Parsons, the defending champion
from the previous year, would have slept well a day before the 1984
World Amateur finals, having seen his relatively unknown opponent
from India. Little did he realize that this young, but cocksure man
from Parel, Mumbai would be the reason of his nightmares for years
to come.
With the score
reading 7-7, and with an entire session to go, not many in the world
would have the audacity to tell a legend like Steve Davis (six times
world professional champion and the celebrity spectator of this
world amateur final), that he would win the next four frames and
take the trophy to India. OB said it
and did it. The World Amateur title belonged to him now,
and for all the aspiring snooker players in India, he was the
inspiration that spoke to us in lucid terms, that there was life
beyond Billiards.
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6. Yasin
Merchant - 89 triumph
Not
many gave me a chance for the Asian title in 1989 and after losing
the first match of the event 0-4, even I was desperate to go back
home, leaving the tournament midway. Little did I know that two
weeks later, I would be holding the winner’s cup to become the
first Indian to be crowned Asian Snooker
Champion. Fate had compelled me to stay on. Twelve years
later I won the title again in 2001, but it was the
’89 triumph which I shall treasure all my life.
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7. First
Gold Medal for Snooker in Asian Games
The
Asian Games gold medal at Busan 2002,
which I won along with Rafath Habib, could not duplicate the elation
that I had experienced as the 22 year old winning the Asian
Championship, but it did come pretty close. Winning India its first
gold medal at the Asian Games and snooker’s first and only gold
medal will definitely rank very high in my register of
golden moments
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8. Ashok
Shandilya - Superlative Show
The
burly Ashok Shandilya did not disappoint his coach Wilson Jones’
confidence in his ability. His superlative
show at the 1998 Asian Games where he comprehensively
outshone every other participant shall remain etched in every sports
fan’s memory for a long time. His winning the
doubles gold medal partnering Geet Sethi was only
bettered by his own individual single gold. This catapulted him
into the league of champions
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9. First
World Title to Shandilya
Winning a world
title is every player’s dream and Shandilya was fortunate to live
out that dream of his, when he captured the
time format IBSF world title in 2002, firmly cementing
his spot as a top rung performer on the Billiards circuit.
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10. Birth
of a Genius - Pankaj Advani
JiangMen
city; China. Pankaj Advani decided to write his destiny in this very
city. In an epic final, the 18 year old Pankaj Advani, got the
measure of Pakistan’s Saleh Mohammad to transport the world of
snooker to a state of frenzy, for he had
just crowned himself the new world amateur snooker champion of
2003. When people were beginning to write off India’s
chances in World Snooker, Pankaj has brought in renewed hope.
This would be my no. 1 magical moment,
for, whilst watching the finals in person, I had witnessed the birth
of a genius.
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