ADVANI LEADS CHENNAI
Pankaj Advani inspired Chennai Strikers to a comprehensive 5-0 win over Hyderabad Hustlers in the Indian Cue Masters League at Rajpath Club here on Tuesday.
They are currently at the top of the five-team standings with 13 points after finishing all four ties in the Cue Slam which is being organised in association with Billiards & Snooker Federation of India.
Dharminder Lilly rallied to beat Hyderabad’s best bet Amir Sarkhosh 2-1 in the pool singles encounter. This was first defeat for Sarkhosh on the pool table in three matches.
Advani and Vidya Pillai accounted for Hyderabad Hustlers pair of Lucky Vatnani and Amee Kamani 2-1 (53-13, 26-33, 45-0) in the 6-Red Ball mixed doubles snooker to extend their lead to 2-0. Chennai English woman Kelly Fisher is creating waves in the newly-floated Cue Slam here by beating top men’s icon players like Welshman Darren Morgan and the fancied Iranian Amir Sarkhosh. Her only loss in icon players’ snooker so far was to Pankaj Advani where she gave a tough fight but both ran out of time.
Fisher, a 9-ball pool specialist, hadn’t played snooker since 2003 when the UK government stopped sponsorship of tobacco companies which impacted women’s snooker tournament world over.
The Delhi Dons captain
Strikers dominated the first frame giving Hustlers no chance to pot the balls. In the second frame too was circumspect before the event on taking on some of the best men’s players in snooker, a game she had left 14 years ago. But she is rejoicing at the moment and putting men under immense pressure. “I was little nervous and uneasy about playing snooker with icon players. I am happy I have beaten some of them. Men are under pressure to play me and it is a sort of another tactic for me,” she said. The 38-year-old stunned Kamal Chawla and Amee Kamani in the mixed doubles 6-Red ball snooker partnering Malkeet Singh. Dons beat Hyderabad Hustlers to register their first win in three ties.
they were ahead but consecutive fouls by Advani and Vidya gifted Hustlers eight points. However, Vidya recovered just before time to pocket the brown ball and tie the second frame 26-26. Both teams were left to pocket the black ball for winning the frame. After five-minute dual Vatnani finally claimed it to tie the match 1-1.
In the third frame, Chennai Strikers made no errors to claim the match with ease.
In pool doubles, Vidya and Pandu Rangaiah prevailed over Amee and Anuj Uppal 2-0 to take a decisive 3-0 lead for Chennai Strikers.
Advani steamrolled Sarkhosh in the icon players snooker clash 2-0 (35-18, 45-3), while Faisal Khan outclassed Kamal Chawla 32-14 in singles clash to win his first match of the tournament and bag the tie 5-0 for the Strikers.