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National Billiards & Snooker Championship
The Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium
Yousuf Guda - Hyderabad
:: Report - 23.12.2007 ::
by CSI Correspondent
Ishtmit Singh Malik
Hyderabad: 23.12.2007 - Pankaj Advani, the 22 year old " wonder boy of billiards " is on the threshhold of a grand double in the 2007 National billiards & snooker championship here at the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor stadium, Yousufguda when on Sunday evening he beat back the strong challenge of his PSPB teammate, Sourav Kothari in the second semifinal to set up a clash with the very talented, Aditya Mehta of Maharashtra in the final of the Seniors snooker nationals championship. Having won the national billiards title last week he is in line for the rare acheivment.
In the first semifinal in the morning, Aditya never gave any chance to in-form, Manan to find his usual rythm. He throttled the brilliant but erratic Delhi player's style cramping him for space. Playing to a plan and supplementing it with effortless potting, sound positional play and a good temperament to match, Aditya kept Manan away from the table for long periods. Manan semed to lose his composure even as the victor kept up the pressure scoring relentlessly and decisively with a superb selection of shots which turned out to be the key factor in the win of Aditya and if his display in the semis is any indication , Pankaj, the former world snooker champion will have to raise the level of his game a notch if he has to overcome what looks to be a unsurmountable challenge.
Eventually, Aditya won by 60-09, 39-71, 59-52, 72-08, 78-20 and 65-55 points. The break of 72 by Aditya in the crucial fifth frame was the last nail in the coffin of Manan,s defeat.
On the other hand the semifinal between Advani and Sourav was in stark contrast. The match between the two PSPB cueists was a real grinder till the fifth frame of the best of nine frames tie. Sourav matched his famed adversary stroke on stroke before Pankaj managed to wrest the vital fifth frame. However, it is to the credit of Pankaj that he stood upto the pressure very well and performed like a champion thereafter. Playing in full flow, Pankaj consolidated by easily pocketing the sixth. Sourav valiantly attempted a comeback with some resilient display in the seventh but Pankaj quelled the challenge by holding his nerve admirably to snatch the frame and match for a confident entry into the final beating Sourav by 14-72, 82-19, 68-15, 33-81, 61-46, 88-12 and 68-50 points.
In the Juniors snooker event, Shravan Mohta looks set to bag the coveted title as he first overcame the stiff oposition provided by Haryana's Aneesh Soni in one of the semifinal league matches defeating him in five frames in the best of seven frames affair by 10-55, 93-59, 65-24, 54-44 and 70-43 points and then he got the better of West Bengal's Shoaib Khan in six frames by 63-53, 30-74, 28-46, 18-58,65-29 and 59-30 points in a match which saw the absolutely confident manner in which Shravan goes about his task whereas Shoaib seemed to be apprehensive at times which was the ultimate difference betwen the two talented youngsters.
Manish Jain of west Bengal also playing with a calm assurance set up a clash with Shravan in the Juniors snooker final on Monday when he also won his two league ties with identical four-one verdicts against Shoaib by 68-30, 52--28, 55-56, 70-51and 67-19 points while he put it across Soni by 44-27, 40-64, 72-38, 61-47 and 51-45 points. The Manish - Shravan clash promises to be a roller coaster.