Billiards: Teen Rayaan scrapes into main draw
Sixteen-year-old Rayaan Razmi of Elphinstone Cricket Club exhibited solid willpower and plenty of grit and gumption to clinch a tight win against Malabar Hill Club’s seasoned cueist Manav Panchal in a third and final qualifying round match of the Bombay Gymkhana Handicap Billiards Tournament.
The Maharastra junior number one ranked billiards & snooker player Rayaan (135 handicap) and Panchal (120 handicap) both gave it their best shot in a tense and nerve-wracking encounter, in which the scores ran close and the lead changed hands repeatedly. In the end, both Panchal and Rayaan had their chances to close out contest, but they both wasted the opportunities, before Rayaan managed to gather his nerves to cross the finish line, recording a 200-197 points win in the race-to-200point contest at the Bombay Gymkhana billiards hall. The win helped Rayaan secure a place in the roundrobin league main draw.
Khar Gymkhana cueists, Kreishh Gurbaxani and Sparsh Pherwani, both smoothly won their third round matches to join Rayaan in the main draw. Gurbaxani (-225) played steadily to outplay Railways K. Vijay Kumar (-120) 200-122, while Pherwani (-160) compiled substantial breaks of 60 and 53 and easily defeated Chembur Gymkhana’s Nikhil Lalwani (-30) 200-157. Results: Qualifying (third round): Kreishh Gurbaxani (Khar Gym, -225) beat K Vijay Kumar (Railway, -120) 200-122; Sparsh Pherwani (Khar Gym, -160) beat Nikhil Lalwani (Chembur Gym, -30) 200-157; Rayaan Razmi (Elphinstone CC, -135) beat Manav Panchal (Malabar Hill Club, -120) 200-197.