ALL INDIA 9 BALL POOL TOURNAMENT 2016
Kelly dazzles on arrival
16-Sep-2016
Kelly Fisher
Kelly dazzles on arrival
Former women’s world No. 1 Kelly Fisher of England won back-to-back ties to storm into the quarter-finals, in the Otters Club All India 9-Ball Pool Tournament, on Friday.
Fisher endured a gruelling but rewarding day but made the transition smooth from the runway to the pool table following wins over Delhi duo Hitanshu Manchanda and Avinash Kumar and Rishabh Thakkar of Mumbai in the Pool A round robin, with only Kumar posing a stiff challenge after leading 5-3 and going down 8-9 in a thriller.
No stranger to Mumbai, having finished runner-up to compatriot Lisa Quick in the 2001 CCI Ladies Invitation Snooker, Fisher later faced another strong challenge in the pre-quarter-finals against Daksh Reddy of Karnataka. Reddy recovered from 1-4 to 4-5 before the Englishwomen surged to 7-4 and never looked back, after Reddy, trailing 6-8, missed the brown (7) in the crucial 15th rack in the race-to-nine.
“The conditions are absolutely fine,” revealed Fisher. “I’ve started off well, though I’ve not been able to practice. It was close (against Avinash Kumar), but that’s what happens in 9-ball. It’s exciting to the very end. Anything can happen.”
The former WPA world champion added: “This event is fantastic. We have top-class facilities here at the beautiful Otters Club. Hope the sport grows, which will be good for Indian cue sport. China has already raised the bar. We need more events like this. It’s the only way players can improve their game. Let’s get India on the map.”
When the sport's governing body withdrew its support for the women's game in 2003, abandoning all major women tournaments, Fisher switched to nine-ball pool, moving to the United States to play on the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) nine-ball tour, and joining fellow former women's snooker players Allison Fisher and Karen Corr.
“I love playing snooker, which is male-dominated. But certainly, 9-ball is different from snooker,” Fisher explained. “It’s exciting to watch, it’s quicker, fast-paced and very good for television. In America, nobody knows what snooker is! But, like China, in America, there’s so much enthusiasm in 9-ball…sponsorship, prize money…it’s a lot more lucrative. There’s equal prize money (for men and ladies). It’s an amazing effort. There’s even music during matches! And, I say, ‘What’s going on’.”
Fisher also believes snooker is played at a high level and should be an Olympic sport. “It will happen. Cue sport is moving in the right direction.”
In other pre-quarter-final encounters, Monu Chaudhary of Delhi shocked India No. 1 Himanshu Jain of Telangana 9-5 in the upset of the day, while Ayush Kumar of Punjab rallied from 0-5, 2-7 and 5-8 deficits to win four racks in a row for a sensational 9-8 win over formidable Rafath Habib of Railways, in the most absorbing match of the day.
Results: Pre-quarter-finals: Shivam Arora (Mah) bt Avinash Kumar (Del) 9-4; Faisal Khan (Rly) bt Sahil Nayar (Pun) 9-6; Monu Chaudhary (Del) bt Himanshu Jain (Tel) 9-5; Kelly Fisher (Eng) bt Daksh Reddy (Kar) 9-6; Rahul Sachdev (Mah) bt Dharmender Lilly (Pun) 9-8; Divya Sharma (Har) bt Sumit Talwar (Chd) 9-8; Alok Kumar (PSPB) bt Varun Madan (Del) 9-5; Ayush Kumar (Pun) bt Rafath Habib (Rly) 9-8.