The Hindu : Sport : Asian billiards championship from today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

Asian billiards championship from today

Indore: Defending champion Pankaj Advani and Singapore's Peter Gilchrist will vie for top honours in the seven-nation Asian billiards championship to be played here from April 7 to 15.

Veteran Geet Sethi, Devendra Joshi, Ashok Shandilya, Dhruv Sitwala and Rupesh Shah will form part of the Indian contingent in the nine-day event, which was originally scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan.

But, keeping in mind the volatile security situation in that country, the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), the sport's Asian governing body, decided to shift the event to India.

“In this event, players from countries like India, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Singapore will participate in the billiards category,” Madhya Pradesh Billiards and Snooker Association President Bholu Mehta told reporters here.

Advani will take on compatriot Rupesh Shah in his first Group ‘A' encounter. He had won the Asian billiards championship for the first time in 2008 in Myanmar and last year in Pune, defeating Singapore's Gilchrist 5-3.

Mehta said along with the billiards event, the under-21 snooker championship will also be held, in which Shahbaz Khan, Mundir Sherazi, Vipin Premi, Manjot Singh and Varun Madan will spearhead the Indian challenge.

“The events will carry a total prize money of $5,000,” he added.

In the under-21 snooker tournament, 36 players from 13 countries will participate. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport