Sport - Billiards & Snooker   

Advani puts it across Hartley

By V.V. Subrahmanyam

India's Pankaj Advani lines up a shot against John Hartley of England in the inaugural match of the World billiards championship in Hyderabad on Monday. __ Photo: H. Satish

HYDERABAD NOV. 17. It is not always easy to face one of your best friends and that too in the inaugural match of a prestigious event. But, 18-year-old Pankaj Advani put sentiments firmly behind him to record a 150-53, 152-69, 150-56 win over John Hartley of England in the best-of-five frames inaugural match of the World billiards championship here on Monday evening.

Advani was not in his now-familiar form but he was still good enough to beat an opponent he was facing for the first time in competition. By their own confession, both players took time to get used to the new tables.

Obviously aware of the significance of a winning start both started cautiously. Advani got off with a fine 41-point break on his first visit though his next four fetched him very few points. To his delight, however, Hartley too struggled to find rhythm. His highest break in the first frame was 25 that too on the fifth visit.

Advani's strategy of playing it safe and going for the cannons paid handsome dividends. He was fully in control of the frame and his unfinished 60-point break clinched the issue for him.

In the second frame Advani had four blank visits and it was only on the 12th visit did the young genius come into his own. Potting the red with unerring regularity and opting for the cannon when the position suited him, Adavni reeled off points at will.

He reeled off a 90-point unfinished break, crossed the baulk-line at 80 and never looked back. He ensured that his opponent need not visit the table again. The precision and class was there for all to see and suddenly Advani seemed to move around with lots of confidence.

The story was no different in the third frame. The start was once again sluggish for both of them. The Indian had three blank visits and could manage only a score of 60 from 11 visits. Hartley's only notable break was of 18 on the 18th visit.

Advani then raised the level of his game with a clinical display to notch up an unfinished 77-point break and put the issue beyond doubt. When he walked across to acknowledge his opponent's greetings the relief on his face was palpable. "I was very keen to start off with a win in this round-robin league match," he confessed later.

Earlier, the championship was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu.

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