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Points format to be followed at IBSF World meet

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI OCT. 21. The traditional `time bound' billiards will take a backseat to keep pace with the changing times. The IBSF World billiards championship in Hyderabad, from November 17 to 23, will follow the point format, a faster version designed to accommodate more countries and make it television friendly.

Forty-eight players from 18 countries will vie for the International Billiards and Snooker Federation's (IBSF) top prize in billiards — the Sir Arthur Walker Trophy.

While the visiting countries will have two players each, India being the host has the right to field eight entries. With Geet Sethi competing as a professional, in effect, India will have nine players in the fray.

Sethi, the seven-time World champion, thrice as an amateur, is top-seeded and heads Group `A' in the eight-group draw. Sethi had finished runner-up to Mike Russell of England in the 2002 World championship in Sydney, albeit in the time format. In Sydney, the organisers conducted the championship in both the formats. In the 50-up point format, India's Ashok Shandilya had emerged the champion.

"The time format does not find many takers hence we have decided to have the Championship in point format,'' said the President of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI), P.N. Roy.

The championship is an open event with both amateurs and professionals competing together. Besides Sethi, India will have National champion Alok Kumar, the runner-up Dhruv Sitwala, Pankaj Advani, Siddharth Parikh, Ashok Shandilya, Devendra Joshi, B. Bhaskar and Rishabh Thakkar. But for the absence of Mike Russell, the field is strongest ever to play in India.

The groupings:

Group A: Geet Sethi, Mathew Bolton (Aus), Alexander Borg (Mlt), U. Kuaw Oo (Mya), Peter Francisco (RSA), Huang Chul-Ho (Kor).

Group B: Praput Chaithanaskun (Tha), B. Bhaskar (Ind), John McIntyre (N.Ire), Rishabh Thakkar, Hekta (Ina), Eduaruo Guillem (Esp).

Group C: Devendra Joshi, Robby Foldvari (Aus), Wayne Carey (NZ), Mohammad Yousuf (Pak), Mark Anthony Boyle (Sco), Hasan Manfaluti (Ina).

Group D: Dhruv Sitwala, David Causier (Eng), Roy Lattimer (N.Ire), Martin Spoormanns (Bel), Tauriq Samsodien (RSA), Loon Hong Moh (Mal).

Group E: Nalin Patel, John Hartley (Eng), Eugene Hughes (Ire), Pankaj Advani, Thawat Sujarijthurakaran (Tha), Kim Do-Hoon (Kor).

Group F: Joe Minici (Aus), Ian Williamson (Eng), James Moore (Ire), Siddharth Parikh, U Aung San Oo (Mya), Glenn Yeo Teck Shin (Sin).

Group G: Ashok Shandilya, Paul Bennett (Eng), Gary Oliver (NZ), Khurram Hussain Agha (Pak), Duncan Bezzina (Mlt).

Group H: Steve Mifsud (Aus), Alok Kumar, Lee Lagan (Eng), Stephen Baillie (Sco), Friddie Soh Chye Hian (Sin).

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