Chuan Leong and Keen Hoo fluff it in search for Games boost

PETALING JAYA: National cueists Thor Chuan Leong and Moh Keen Hoo have failed to give themselves a much-needed fillip ahead of the SEA Games.

They won the snooker gold at the Singapore Games in 2015.

The 29-year-old Chuan Leong’s early-season woes continued as he struggled for form on the World Tour.

The four-time SEA Games gold medallist failed to qualify for the World Open – to be held Yushan, China, from Sept 19-24 – for the second year running after losing 5-1 to England’s Kyren Wilson in a onematch qualifier at the Guild Hall in Preston, England, on Tuesday.

Last week, Chuan Leong also sought to qualify for the Indian Open in Visakhapatnam (Sept 12-16) and European Masters in Lommel, Belgium (Oct 2-8).

He failed to get into the Indian Open after losing 4-3 to England’s Mark Allen but managed to qualify for the European Masters after beating another Englishman Ashley Gill 4-3. Both the Indian Open and European Master qualifiers were held in Preston.

Chuan Leong is desperate to keep his playing privileges on the World Tour as it will expire next June. He must make enough money to be ranked in top 64 of the Order of Merit to secure a one-year extension. He’s now ranked 85th.

In Hurghada, Egypt, Keen Hoo and Mohd Reza Hassan failed to reclaim the World Amateur Team Championship after losing in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Keen Hoo and Reza overcame Jordan’s Moath Almajali and Sharaf Maaita 3-0 in the opening match but went down 3-1 to second seeds Mohamaed Ibrahim- Hesham Shawk after that.

Malaysia last clinched the team crown in 2015 in Karachi, Pakistan, through Keen Hoo and Lim Kok Leong.