IBSF World Billiards Championship 2008

Starting from Monday the 1st September 2008 for next 10 Days.

S. Balasubramaniam, Vice President - BSFI

Billiards is back to India with its destination in India's top-most Billiards Club i.e. KSBA in Bangalore next week hosting the ONGC-IBSF World Billiards Championship 2008 from 1 - 10 September 2008.

24 cueists from 10 countries will compete for top honours in the 10-day event. The championship will be conducted in the time and points format. India is Defending the championship in both the events as Pankaj Advani defending the time format whereas Rupesh Shah was the points format winner last year.

Cue Sports lovers can witness the grace of points and time format from 1 to 10 September. With as many as five-world champions in fray 10-days of exhilarating billiards action is assured. The players have been divided into 6 groups comprising four players each.

Reigning World Billiards time format champion Pankaj Advani said, he was looking forward to enjoying competition in his home conditions and not thinking about a hat-trick at the moment. "I haven't thought about it. I just want to go out there and enjoy my game. Winning a title for the country is always nice," said the 23-year-old who returned from Pakistan after annexing the 6-ball snooker title along with his team mates Yasin and Manan.

Pankaj rated Gilchrist (Singapore) and Praprut C. (Thailand) as tough opponents. Other Indians who are participating are Eight times World Billiard Champion Geet Sethi, Defending Champion (Point Format) Rupesh Shah, Dhruv Sitwala, Mohd. Asim and Sourav Kothari.  With two more places in the groups to be filled by Indians and the qualifying round for the same will be held on Friday and Saturday.

CSI Correspondent - Bangalore

Thursday 28 August 2008