The Hindu : Sport / Billiards & Snooker : Sensational win for Alok Kumar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

Sport

Sport - Billiards & Snooker

Sensational win for Alok Kumar

By Michael Ferreira

AQABA, JUNE 9. "I have beaten a Thai player only once in my life," remarked national snooker champion Alok Kumar gloomily on Tuesday night at dinner when he learnt that he had drawn Issara Kachaiwong in the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian snooker championship.

He could have hardly guessed that he was to improve that dismal record with a sensational 4-1 victory over the Thai number 2 on Wednesday afternoon.

It was a triumph of sheer concentration and determination, qualities that have made Alok such a formidable player. The hapless Thai could find no effective answer to the many incisive questions posed by his implacable opponent. In the quarterfinals, Alok meets Alex Puan who shocked Supoj Saenla of Thailand, one of the definite contenders for the title, 4-1.

Alok's senior colleague and former Asian champion Yasin Merchant overcame a rocky start to beat Imran Shahzad (Pak) 4-1. The Pakistani number 2 served notice of intent with a fluent 73 in the first frame but lost the plot after that splendid break despite innumerable chances to keep pace with Yasin.

Pakistan's hopes of finding at least one place in the quarterfinals through veteran Mohammed Yousuf were dashed when the 53-year-old former world and Asian champion was beaten 4-1 by the promising Habib Subab (Bahrain) who earned a quarterfinal meeting against Yasin.

India's Pankaj Advani joined his two countrymen on the victory trail with a 4-0 defeat of Ibrahim Aqel (Jordan) though his performance was not up to the standard one has come to expect of him. However, he is sure to get back in the groove in the quarterfinal, where he meets Keith Boon Ee (Sing) who inflicted a 4-2 defeat on Malaysia's young Moh Keen Ho.

The ouster of Thailand's two star players in the last 16 means that

Thailand, a country that has put Asian snooker on the map, has recorded their worst performance ever in the Asian championship. It also amply demonstrates that others in the region who have laboured under their shadow for so long are at last coming into their own.

The usual Indo-Pakistan tension in Yasin's match was much in evidence in the first frame but Imran recovered first, ramming in a 73 to draw first blood. The bespectacled Indian then grabbed the initiative with an early 58 in the second, and after a nervy miss by Imran, swallowed the frame 122-1 with a 57 clearance to pink.

The third saw Imran open up an initial 41-16 advantage, which he increased to 53-28 with three reds left. Yasin closed to 51-53 after a 23, only to miss the blue with the frame at his mercy.

Fortunately this lapse did not prove expensive as he potted the blue and pink the next visit to move 2-1 ahead. A 49 after Imran went in off on the opening stroke gave Yasin the springboard to secure the fourth 76-14 and move to within one frame of the match. The fifth could have gone either way with Yasin 52-27 ahead with one red on the table.

The young Pakistani looked good for a clearance, but at 26, twitched horrendously on the black. Two equally horrendous safety shots later, he left the black on the pocket and immediately proffered his hand without bothering for Yasin to pot the ball.

The results: pre-quarterfinals: Yasin Merchant bt Imran Shahzad (Pak) 4-1 [44-80(73), 122 (58, 57)-1, 62-53, 76(49)-14, 59-53]; Habib Subab (Bah) bt Md. Yousuf (Pak) 4-1 [89(48)-23, 61-26, 67-53, 8-65(51), 79-2]; Alex Puan (Sing) bt Supoj Saenla (Thai) 4-1 [103(36)-0, 63-39, 34-63(32), 72(38)-35, 73-53(43)]; Alok Kumar bt Issara Kachaiwong 4-1 [67-53(33), 53-13, 90(59)-35, 24-77(64), 64-42]; Pankaj Advani bt Ibrahim Aqel (Jordan) 4-0 [67-23, 61(32)-60, 71(43)-8, 95(49)-45]; Keith Boon Ee (Sing) bt Moh Keen Ho (Mal) 4-2 [39-47, 17-59(39), 66-46, 66(41)-31, 90(56)-28].

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