Date:21/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092160611700.htm

Sport

Pankaj takes on Manan in final

Sports Reporter

Geet Sethi stunned in the quarterfinals

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

EYE ON THE TITLE: Manan Chandra ended R. Girish’s dream run in the tournament with a 5-2 victory in the semifinals.

Chennai: Pankaj Advani set up a title clash with Manan Chandra in the Alliance Group-ASCA snooker tournament, with a 5-0 semifinal demolition of Alok Kumar here on Saturday.

Alok hardly got off his chair in the fourth and fifth frames, as Pankaj stormed them with breaks of 81 and 70, ending the game with a triumphant gesture to the audience, which had given each of his clinical pots thunderous ovations.

With that display, Pankaj maintained his record of not having conceded a single frame in the tournament. Calling it one of his best ever performances, Pankaj said: “It was one of those days when everything you touch turns to gold.”

In the first semifinal, Manan Chandra ended R. Girish’s dream run in the tournament winning 5-2. Girish had earlier accounted for another big name of the tournament, knocking Geet Sethi out with a 4-2 quarterfinal win.

Bright start

Girish began the nine-frame semifinal brightly, taking the first 74-38 with a 42 break. A crucial missed pink while 51-40 ahead handed Manan the second 53-51. In the third, Girish potted the cue ball while ahead 35-31 and Manan grabbed the opening and the frame with a 20 break. An early 40 break gave Girish the fourth, but only after Manan clawed uncomfortably close.

Trailing 48-56 in the fifth with just pink and black to go, Girish attempted to snooker Manan, but both cue ball and pink bounced off the top cushion either side of the black to leave Manan an easy pot into the top left to win 67-48.

A 44 break halfway through the frame gave Manan the sixth 93-44 and a highest break of 24 was enough for Manan to win the seventh, a scrappy frame where neither player displayed any fluency.

Earlier, Sethi took the first frame of his quarterfinal against Girish, beginning with a 65 break. Girish won the second with breaks of 36 and 44 and the third at 61-21.

Trailing 37-43 in the fourth, Sethi inadvertently brought the cue ball to a rest between the black and the top cushion. Having collected seven points from the resultant foul, Sethi snookered Girish again, intentionally this time, behind the pink, and Girish missed the ‘on’ green thrice, making contact with the blue with his first attempt. Sethi finally won the frame 66-52.

At 42-57 in the fifth, Sethi potted the blue at the top right, but watched aghast as the cue ball stopped with black bisecting its line on pink. Sethi missed the pink with his rebound off the top cushion, and Girish potted it at the top left corner to take the frame 69-47. Ahead 3-2, Girish sealed the match emphatically in the sixth, ending the frame with a break of 50.

The results:

Semifinals: Pankaj Advani bt Alok Kumar 62-30, 85-17, 70-24, 81-0, 70-0; Manan Chandra bt R. Girish 38-74, 53-51, 55-35, 46-57, 67-48, 93-44, 52-23.

Quarterfinals: Pankaj Advani bt Rishab Pandya 90-35, 68-1, 61-57, 63-34; R. Girish bt Geet Sethi 8-87, 80-12, 61-21, 52-66, 69-47 69-21; Manan Chandra bt Devendra Joshi 72-1, 68-24, 58-17, 67-17; Alok Kumar bt Rupesh Shah 80-31, 63-64, 72-61, 58-48, 76-70.