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National Billiards & Snooker Championship
The Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium
Yousuf Guda - Hyderabad
:: Report - 14.12.2007 ::
by CSI Correspondent
Isthmit Singh Malik
Hyderabad: 14.12.2007 - Reigning World billiards champion, Pankaj Advani from Karnatka pocketed the coveted title in the Seniors billiards event easily accounting for Railway's Ashok Shandilya by 1325- 853 points on Friday evening here at the Kotla Viaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor stadium, Yusofguda even as the 18 day cuesports national competition reached the midway course.
Earlier on Thursday night, TamilNadu's Vidya Pillai finally managed to overcome her traditional rival, Anuja Chandra from Petroleum Sports Promotion Board in five fully extended frames by 81-03, 41-52, 49-59, 54-46 and 32-23 points to anexe the Ladies snooker title in a marathon four hours duel.
It was somewhat of a disappointment for the sparse crowd assembled in the large converted billiards hall out of the stadium when the thre balls game finally concluded in a victory for the " Wonder boy of the green baize ".
When the first two hours session of the four hour senior billiards final began in the morning , it was a mediocre displa by the cueists especialy Ashok who just kept on missing sitter positions. Pankaj was only one better playing well below par but enough yo take a vital 577-290 points lead at the breather. The second half saw both the players improving their display. If Ashok got a 115 break then Pankaj consolidated his position further with a 199 missing a regulation pot of the red into the top pocket playing along the top cushion to the dismay of everyone. Ashok on this day had no stomache to put up a fight caving into the pressure. Pankaj signed off with a 115 to romp home.
If the men's billiards final was almost a damp squib the ladies snooker final was an enthraller and the cynosures of the game who dared to stay back el into the night on Thursday enjoyed the fight thoroughly. Vidya began from where she left of in the semis potting in a whirlwind fashion to take the frame before Anuja had even settled down. With both the cueists having had long semifinal victories one expected low key performances but it was not so. Anuja came back hard to wrest the second and third frames in close contests on the black ball decider's. The crucial fourth frame saw Vidya keeping a check on her nerves to snatch the frame to restore parity at 2-2.
The loss of this vital frame appeared to shake up Anuja who made some mistakes and Vidya capitalizing fully wrapped up the deciding fifth frame, match and title. It was sweet revenge for Vidya who had lost two successive times in the finals of the Chennai and Bangalore in the couple of preceding nationals . It must be stressed here that Vidya's victory was the culmination of al her hard work , solid potting in the entire duration of the event and her unflinching determination to bag the top honours which eventually fetched her the laurels at the end of it all. A proud and worthy winner.