KSBA all set for world tourney

Hailed as the mecca of cue sports in the country for its world-class facilities, brilliant organisational skills and unquestionable hospitality, the KSBA has burnt the midnight oil in order to get the six-day event up and running at a very short notice.

“We are immensely delighted to stage the World Snooker Championship after a gap of 24 years,” said MC Uthappa, president of KSBA, after launching the logo along with KSBA secretary R Vijaya Prasad and Billiards and Snooker Federation of India secretary S Balasubramaniam here on Wednesday.

“What gives us more joy is that, this time around, all the matches will be held at the KSBA itself. Last time, due to lack of facilities, we had to stage the event somewhere else. As you all are aware, we’ve hosted nine international events and we are completely geared up for this one,” said Uthappa.

Sixty-four cueists from 42 countries, including eight from India, will vie for the top-prize in the $16,000 event that promises plenty of action. Five cueists each have been pooled into 16 groups with the group-topper getting a direct entry into the round of 32. Second and third-placed players from each of the 16 groups will then compete in the knock-out round of 48 with the winner advancing to the round of 32, to be held on Thursday followed by the pre-quarterfinals. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be held on Friday with the final -- broken into two sessions -- scheduled for Saturday.

“As you can see, work on the new tables has began and all will be ready by Friday. Sixteen tables will be used for matches and four have been set for practice. Arrangements have also been made with a few clubs so that players could practice.”
When asked if the event will shown live on television, Balasubramaniam said talks are on but nothing is confirmed.

Indians in participation: Pankaj Advani, Manan Chandra, Yasin Merchant, Alok Kumar, Lalrina Renthlei, IH Manudev, Anuj Uppal, Kamal Chawla.