Georgiou comes off as a gutsy

By Pradeep Vijayakar

Vasco:  No one gave him a chance but English lad Michael Georgiou has surprised the European contingent at the Vascon-Manisha IBSF World u-21 Snooker Championship by his gritty performances which has seen him enter the final  beating hot favourite Vincent Muldoon 8-6. It isn’t really his brinkmanship but it his  never-say-die attitude that makes him stand out in the crowd of juniors gathered here.

On way to the semi-finals after topping his group, he  has taken in his stride Malaysian Thor Chuan Leong after being 0-3 down. He then ousted top seed Passakorn  in a neck-and-neck battle on Wednesday and on Thursday put out  Chinese Yu Delu 6-1. Asked about his fightbacks, Georgiou said: "I can’t really explain. It’s just that I have faith to believe in what you know."
 

About the semi-final win Georgiou said: "I had beaten Passakorn and I carried that confidence into the semi-final." Michael once played the best shot to come out of a snooker in this event, a lovely massey shot to swerve the ball to touch the object green lying close to the black on the cushion. Asked where his confidence came from because one has seen  him play more gutsy shots under pressure, Georgiou said: "If you have trained  your are bound to succeed."

About the Chinese he says: "They have the discipline, they are always hard to beat." He lost to Anda Zhang. He wouldn’t meet another till the final, if he makes it. Michael began playing since the age of nine. Football, table tennis are his other sports. His parents boost him and his mother Eva  has accompanied him on this trip. "My parents are always behind me in everything I do."

One doesn’t know whether he will win the title here and get a ticket to the pro  Main Tour next year but he said: "I am planning to make  frequent trips to the academy at Sheffield. There are some brilliant players out there." He hasn’t had a coach for the past three years. But he keeps going back to his coach in Cyprus where his family comes from--Mehmet Husnu. "When he is not around I try and remember what has been telling me in the past."

His best performance has been reaching the quarter-finals of the European u-19. He had beaten Robbie Williams a title contender here. Win or lose the title, this is his best show of all.