Susantha Boteju (16 times national snooker champion)

Ihave seen many individuals come in and go during the past three decades or so, as players and officials. My heart knows that I owe a lot to many in the trade, for guiding me to become the national snooker champion in Sri Lanka at 16 occasions. I have been ranked fourth in Asia and 16th in the world. If I should give any credit to anyone, it should be my fellow players and the former greats who kept my momentum intact. Why I say that is, except for a handful of officials at the Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka, many of them in the past and even now, are just mere passengers.

They are here on a tour, just trying to enjoy their tenure in office to the maximum, while sightseeing every possible glimpse. What they have failed to understand is the most important cog in the wheel, the player. The player, who is I, fight, thrive, sweat and in the end try to bring some glory to the sport and at the same time to the country. By simply doing nothing, the officials come in numbers to take all credit on to their platter. The main drawback in billiards and snooker nowadays is the inefficiency of its officials. This has made the BSASL a dead entity in Sri Lankan sports.

There was a time when billiards and snooker was the pick of sports in Sri Lanka. But the gradual death it is yielding into, has given us players nothing but broken hearts. Besides creating a bunch of unhappy players, the officials have failed to secure the trust of other stakeholders, such as sponsors. The main reason be- hind this is the sluggishness and uninspiring conduct of the officials. As a player who has won 16 national snooker titles, took part in 10 World Cups and being thwarted of taking part in 10 more World Cups, I don’t see any other reason than the shortsightedness of the officials.

The only redemption I personally see at the moment is that we need the more experienced young ones to take the reins in office. Of course there were times we as players could have at least hoped of being revived. We thought it was on the verge of taking place in 2006 but unfortunately it never occurred. Since then the situation is just dragging one step farther into the depth.

Oddly the present day players are experiencing all the woes that they could experience in a lifetime. What is mistakenly underrated is the value of players, who are the asset in any sport. But in billiards and snooker the players are treated like culprits. In addition the officials don’t go beyond the national billiards and national snooker tournaments. And there were occasions when they skipped doing both.

At the moment apart from one or two individuals, most of them bare outdated strategies. We need new thinkers, who are young, energetic and with a long term vision. Unlike those in office at present, who are champions in ducking out at all their responsibilities and jumping off to grab the honours for whatever they never did, the ones who take over should take the responsibility. They should be serious in what they do.

Above all the magic word that is needed to enact is ‘respect’. Nowadays officials do not respect the players and as a result they don’t get the due respect in return. It’s also important to respect others’ opinions, which is hardly taking place at present. Things will all dilute once officials start thinking positively. It will routinely enhance the players and others following.

Then there should be a series of good and effective competitions, so players will be engaged the whole year. When it’s in place sponsors will have the trust to come forward and grant their support and at the same time youngsters will have the confidence to take into cue sports. All these must support with a good and friendly environment for players to continue in their endeavors. My opinion is that it’s time that billiards and snooker turn professional in Sri Lanka. It’s being far too long hanging around hoping for the best. Our officials are waiting till the wonder to take place, but in reality it’s their responsibility to perform the wonder and take the sport into greater heights.

I’m engaged in billiards for the past four decades. I’ve been privileged to meet and talk to the great maestro M.J.M. Lafir, who won the first World Cup for Sri Lanka in 1973 in person and even got tips from him. Then for me as a youngster it was a big achievement. The game despite of not having the best of luxuries was a well respected and well recognised sport in Sri Lanka. Then there were competitions, which we took pride in competing at and the fact if one won it or lost it was immaterial. Players took great pride in taking part, especially alongside the greats of the game.

Today I’m considered as the best in billiards in Sri Lanka but I really do not think I can boast about the development of the game the same way as the great Lafir did. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not we must accept the fact that the game has deteriorated to a greater degree. Everyone including I should equally take the blame for it. But as players there is a limit we can offer. We cannot go beyond our authorities, who are at the Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka (BSASL).

What is evidently seen today is the lack of competitions in Sri Lanka, besides the national billiards and national snooker championships. These are the core tournaments of BSASL. I have travelled to other countries and in India, for instant; the players are highly engaged in competitions throughout the year. Their structure is so powerful that they have the capacity of grooming world class players every now and then.

Besides that, even if there were more competitions players are not guaranteed with reasonable prize money. There were regular sponsors who continued to support the national events but as far as I’m concerned funds were barely sufficient to cover the overheads and the winners were not guaranteed with reasonable prize money. Today we have got a new sponsor but still the problem stagnates. My opinion is that these barriers should change in order to give the sponsors more prominent, the players more confident and as a result the game would grow, especially among the youngsters.

In addition officials who were in office and those who are in at present should treat the cue sports with broader vision. There were times when national championships were not held in the past due to reasons better known to them. But at least today it is a pleasing fact that at least the two main competitions in our calendar are being held. But the question is if these things really helped the game to expand, to reach among the next generation.

I love this sport and I could engage in this sport because I am employed by a sport-friendly institution. My employers were flexible in my sporting endeavors and that helped me reach this height. But what about others, in the past and at present. There were many, highly talented than me, who opted to leave the country and look for greener pasture in the West. Some of them are now professionals in Europe. I would rate them as true winners in a way.

If the local officials really had the genuine desire to overcome the issues and take billiards and snooker to a far better level, the two sports would not have been at this level today. My view is that the BSASL should include officials with genuine desie to develop the sport. They should have a comprehensive blue print to develop the sport. They may have their plans but it should be transparent and they should make use of the top players to help the younger talent groom. If they can do it, conducting more tournaments with good quality sponsors will be an easy fact. These developments may take time to cement, but it will give the outsiders a positive picture on the sport. If we can get together to paint that picture, everyone will like to look at it and admire it.