Manudev outplays Bhushan for crown

The in-form Manudev, a semifinalist at last month’s Senior National 15-red snooker championship, was in his elements against surprise finalist Ajay, coasting home to a 62(62)-0, 39(39)-0, 28-35, 38-25, 58(39)-0, 15-31, 36-2, 36(31)-0 victory at the KSBA Hall.

It was a disappointing day in office for the Bhushan brothers as Amit lost the third-place play-off match earlier in the day to MS Arun. In a thrilling match where fortunes kept fluctuating, Arun kept his cool in the decisive frame, winning it 48-0 and the contest 4-3.

Manudev and Balaji Reddy received direct entries for the 6-red Senior Nationals in Chandigarh from September 17-25, while Ajay and Arun qualified as State entrants by virtue of their performance in this tournament.

Looking confident from his very first visit to the green baize, Manudev kick-started the final with a break of 62 in the opening frame before posting a 39-point break in the second to take a 2-0 lead.

Ajay, an interior designer by profession, pulled one back with a gritty show in the third but Manudev retained his two-frame cushion after pocketing the fourth. He posted a break of 39 to clinch the fifth, lost the sixth but wrapped up the issue with fine shows in the seventh and eighth.

Result, final: IH Manudev bt Ajay Bhushan 6-2 (62(62)-0, 39(39)-0, 28-35, 38-25, 58(39)-0, 15-31, 36-2, 36(31)-0).

Third-place play-off: MS Arun bt Amit Bhushan 4-3 (21-36, 35-1, 47-0, 4-43, 41-0, 2-37, 48-0).