Awesome Ayouri reigns supreme

Teenager fights past Walker in thrilling final to become first ever Iranian champ

In a nerve-racking IBSF World Snooker Championship finale that seemed headed completely one way before turning on its head post the lunch session, the 17-year-old Iranian alternated between brilliant and ordinary before outlasting the ice-cool Lee Walker 10-9 (81-30, 5-121 (116), 72 (49)-0, 103 (56)-8, 76 (40)-49 (48), 5-83 (43), 62 (57)-59 (45), 74-15, 0-92 (87), 66-9, 53 (53)-75, 73 (59)-24, 5-123 (78), 14-80 (76), 46-80 (45), 73-43, 39-79, 52-57, 58-52 (51)) at a packed Karnataka State Billiards Association hall.

“I am completely shocked,” said Ayouri through a translator after becoming his country’s first world champion in snooker. “My  mind is still blank. I am really lost for words. I feel I am in a completely different world. It will take sometime for me to savour this victory.”

Tipped as the next big thing in Asian snooker with a game that belies his age, Ayouri had the audience spellbound early on with his remarkable display of attacking and defensive snooker. Shots flowed freely, cue ball appeared to stop exactly where he intended it to and balls kept rolling into pocket without any hitch.

While he breath-takingly precise in attack, Ayouri was marvelous in safety play too that even drew applause from his rival, the former pro Walker. Quick in assessing the table and the situation, Ayouri hardly gave any opportunities to the seasoned Walker.
Ayouri took the opening frame with a break of 49, seized the third with another 49-point show and blasted a 56 in the fourth. With his confidence up and seemingly in command, the youngster was just astounding as he broke into the interval with a comfortable 7-3 lead.

While many envisaged a runaway victory for the Iranian, Walker had other plans. Master of many a battle, the 35-year-old came bouncing back, exploding into life as his young opponent began to feel the heat. Re-discovering his ‘A’ game, Walker’s cleared the table when given the smallest of openings that forced Ayouri on the back foot and made him restrategise his gameplan.

Walker won the 13th, 14th and 15th frames to haul himself back from the dead to 7-8 before being gifted the penultimate frame when Ayouri sold the black which Walker duly potted and appeared headed towards victory in the decider.

On a break of 51, Walker got lucky with the brown during the colour ball phase before he missed a regulation pink. With the audience on the edge of their seats, Ayouri took a deep breath before sinking the pink and black to seal what could turn out tobe a career-defining victory.

Result (final): Hossein Vafaei Ayouri (Ira) bt Lee Walker (Wal) 10-9 (81 (49)-30, 5-121 (116), 72 (49)-0, 103 (56)-8, 76 (40)-49 (48), 5-83 (43), 62 (57)-59 (45), 74-15, 0-92 (87), 66-9, 53 (53)-75, 73 (59)-24, 5-123 (78), 14-80 (76), 46-80 (45), 73-43, 39-79, 52-57, 58-52 (51)).