11-nation Jubilee Insurance 6-Red snooker event cues off

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The 11-nation Jubilee Insurance 3rd 6-Red Snooker Championship 2014 was inaugurated formally at Hotel Avari Towers, Karachi, on August 17. The four-day individual event will be followed by the Jubilee Insurance 2nd Asian Team Event, starting on August 21.

Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, was the chief guest in a colorful inauguration ceremony in which top officials of the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS) were also present. 

The Jubilee Insurance Group, which has been supporting the cause of cue sports in the country for quite a few years now, has renewed the pledge to have a long-term relationship. 

“It’s very heartening for us, as sponsors, to watch the game of snooker prosper with every passing year. The level of commitment of all the stake-holders is praiseworthy and we are happy to be playing our role in the further development of cue sports,” Tahir Ahmed observed. 

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), welcomed the contingent of foreign delegates, officials and cueists to Karachi, wishing them the best of luck during their week-long stay for the twin continental events, offering lucrative prize money of US$23,625. The Asian Team Event carries prize money of US$14,250 while the 6-Reds tourney will be US$9,375 at stake. 

“We have tried our level best to rope in as many teams as possible. It was never easy to achieve the goal in the present circumstances but it’s extremely satisfying to have the participation of cueists from 11 countries. We may be short on quantity but we are high on quality,” he observed while referring to the presence of some high-profile cueists on the occasion. 

While the PBSA has stolen the limelight by roping in a large number of foreign participants in a most uncertain scenario, the top cueists of the country proved their mettle on the table in the shorter format of the game on the opening day of the twin events. 

Mohammad Asif, the 2012 world champion and the top seed for the event, got off to a spectacular start, winning both his matches in the Group A on the opening day. After overpowering Mahanna Naseer Obaidli of Qatar 5-2 in his first game he demolished Katen Chawla of India in straight frames. 

Pakistan’s other seven cueists, Shahid Aftab, Asif Toba, Hamza Akbar, Asjad Iqbal, Sohail Shahzad, Abdul Sattar and Mohammad Sajjad, also recorded a victory each on the first day to make the day for the hosts. 

Second seed Hossein Vafaei Ayouri of Iran, the 2011 world champion, began his campaign on a sensational note as he whipped Majed Saeed Abdulnabi of Bahrain very quickly after registering big breaks in the first three frames. Third seed Kamal Chawla of India also started his campaign on a winning note as he tamed Lim Chun Kiat of Singapore 5-2 in his opening game.