Saleh steals show on day two
Afganistan’s Saleh Mohammed set the tongues wagging on an action-packed second day of the IBSF World Snooker Championship, conjuring the tournament’s highest break with a sizzling 141-point clearance here on Tuesday.
Mohammed, who represented neighbouring Pakistan for nearly two decades before shifting base to his country of birth Afghanistan in 2008, notched up the impressive break in his 4-0 trouncing of Vladimir Bykov. Smarting from Monday’s 0-4 drubbing to Hossein Vafaei Ayouri, the 40-year-old veteran was absolutely in his elements on Tuesday as shots kept oozing from his cue like a smooth-flowing river.
After breaking open the bunch in the second frame with his fourth consecutive black pot, the 2003 runner-up sunk another six blacks, four pinks and one blue before clearing the colour balls off the table to a huge round of applause.
“I played really well today,” said the soft-spoken Mohammed. “Initially, after I broke the bunch, I had no idea that I would be able to do it. I just wanted to play ball by ball, and luckily everything fell in place.
“After losing to Ayouri yesterday, I felt really disappointed. It was a match I could have won, although results indicate I lost 0-4. However, I felt very happy with the way I played today and getting 141 is really motivating,” added Mohammed, who has played on the professional circuit for a short while and has achieved the maximum break of 147 once at the 2008 Asian Snooker meet in Dubai.
