Joshi makes grade despite second loss

By Geet Sethi

CHRISTCHURCH, SEPT. 19. Some dramatic moments, some high quality billiards and yet another upset were the highlights on the final day of the league matches in the 2001 Rockpool IBSF World billiards championship at the Hornby Club here on Tuesday (as briefly reported).

A 495 from yours truly, including other breaks of 268, 156, 218, 396, 205, 121, 339 and 157, was clearly the high point of the day in terms of the standard of billiards on display. Playing against Rex Swain and with no pressure whatsoever, I accumulated 3135 points with a match average of 74.6.

Devendra Joshi, having already lost to Dhruv Sitwala on Sunday, lost yet another match, this time to Joe Minichi, an Australian whose immense knowledge of the game has never been converted into victories. But on Tuesday, the Aussie exhibited guts, retaliated effectively to dispose of the challenge of the current Indian National champion.

The dramatic part of Joshi's loss was the fact that despite finishing No. 3 in the group, behind Sitwala and Minichi, he still managed to qualify for the last 16 knock-out phase of the event.

Keenly contested encounters to decide the No. 1 and 2 spots in the respective groups saw Ashok Shandilya shrug off early resistance from Alok Kumar while Nalin Patel provided a glimpse of professionalism in routing B. Bhaskar 1606-674. When Kumar commenced his match against the former IBSF world runner- up, he enjoyed a comforting 200-point advantage after 40 minutes. However, the bespectacled cueist from Mandi Gobindghar in Punjab was at the receiving end of a great fightback from Shandilya.

The 32-year-old, whose crowning glory was the two gold medals he won in the Asian Games in 1998, responded first with a run of 150 and then with two efforts of 204 and 264, he converted his deficit into a 300-point lead. The icing on the cake was a quick- paced 337, which ensured an emphatic victory for him.

Patel was never in any trouble against Bhaskar. The Bangalore- based cueist had displayed his break building capabilities in the earlier matches, but against a seasoned rock- solid performer like Patel, Bhaskar failed to make any impact. Patel's qualification as the No. 1 of his group was with typical lack of fuss. Ranked eighth in the professional rankings, the 41- year- old has proved his credentials in the professional circuit for the last four years. Against Bhaskar, he just raised his game a notch and disdainfully discarded off his worthy opponent's challenge. Breaks of 156, 279, 197 and 273 provided evidence of his solidity and given his gradual improvement in the tournament so far, Patel seems a serious contender for the title.

What can one say about Devendra Joshi! The 35-year-old started with a bang, recording the first four hundred break of the championship on the second day itself. His form dipped dramatically subsequently. One thought that his low point was his loss to Dhruv Sitwala but Tuesday's defeat against Minichi has clearly taken its toll on the National champion's morale. He must consider himself lucky to have qualified for the knock-out stage despite finishing third in his group. Clearly, he has been unable to respond when the pressure has been applied and that is not a good sign for the former world professional runner-up.

Mathew Bolton scored a comfortable 1670-906 victory over Manoj Kothari, the former world IBSF champion. The 22-year- old Bolton compiled six century breaks and a 337 to reconfirm his status as one of the realistic contenders for the title. Malta's Paul Mifsud accounted for Arun Agrawal with runs of 106, 189, 281 and 152.

Wednesday was a rest day and the organisers had arranged various sightseeing tours, including a memorable whale watching trip to Kaikoura.

The last- 16 pairings: Geet Sethi-Paul Stocker; Alok Kumar- Joe Minichi; Mathew Bolton-Arun Agrawal; Devendra Joshi-Nalin Patel; Paul Mifsud-Vishal Madan; Joe Millen-Dhruv Sitwala; B. Bhaskar- Manoj Kothari and Frank Humphries-Ashok Shandilya.

The results: Nalin Patel 1606 (156, 279, 197, 273) bt B. Bhaskar 674 (148); Joe Minichi 1367 (285, 243) bt Devendra Joshi 1265 (127, 201, 113, 108, 147); Paul Mifsud 1506 (106, 189, 281, 152) bt Arun Agrawal 949; Geet Sethi 3135 (268, 156, 218, 396, 205, 121, 339, 157, 495) bt Rex Swain 290; Ashok Shandilya 1750 (150, 204, 264, 108, 337) bt Alok Kumar 927 (195, 146); Mathew Bolton 1670 (104, 170, 120, 172, 310, 120, 183) bt Manoj Kothari 906 (143).

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