The Hindu : Sport / Billiards & Snooker : Alok Kumar qualifies for World pool championship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 01, 2004

Sport

Sport - Billiards & Snooker

Alok Kumar qualifies for World pool championship

NEW DELHI, MAY 31. Former National pool champion, Alok Kumar, would be the lone Indian representative in the World pool championship to be held in Chinese Taipei from July 10 to 18.

Alok Kumar made it to the World championship by virtue of a 10th place finish in the five-leg Asian 9-ball pool championship which concluded on Sunday.

The top 10 ranked players from the Asian event earned a direct entry into the World championship.

The Indian had made an impressive start to the Asian tour when he upset World No. 1 Fransisco Bustamante of Philippines in the first leg in Singapore on way to the semifinals.

Alok also reached the last four in the second leg at Vietnam but then failed to keep the momentum going and lost in the first round of the next two legs.

The 33-year-old lost in the first round to Hung Lu Kung of Chinese Taipei. But since Alok's close contenders also failed to cross the first round hurdle, the Indian cueist managed to keep his place among the top 10 players and made it to the World championship, according to information received here on Monday.

The other Indian in the fray, National champion Manan Chandra, managed to reach the second round of the final leg and finished 19th in the Order of Merit. — PTI

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