PUNE: Pankaj Advani is a champion of many hues. In a format of billiards that hardly justifies his talent, this Pune-born cueist on Sunday won his 10th international title when he beat two-time World champion Peter Gilchrist in the final of the Asian billiards championship here.
Both billiards and snooker comes to him as a habit, but Advani no doubt prefers classical time format—English billiards as it is better known—over the 100-up point format that has now become a norm in Asian Games and championships.
“It feels great to rewrite records and I am doubly happy to have gone past Peter Gilchrist this time around,” said reigning double World champion Advani after beating now naturalized Singaporean Englishman 5-3.
“Gilchrist was playing well, but I chanced on the openings that he left after missing some in-offs. I was particularly happy with my touch because in point format you can’t take any risks, can’t twitch a bit,” said Advani.
In the best-of-nine frame final, Advani and Gilchrist traded the first two games after the Indian took the first. As if trying to test each other’s weakness rather than strength, Advani handed Gilchrist a crucial lead when he lost the scrappy fifth game 11-101 when the Singaporean came up with an unfinished break of 89.
In the next also Advani let go chances galore, but lived on when Gilchrist missed a red pot at the top left of the table in his break of 84. He was just 14 points from taking the sixth game, but Advani gladly lapped up the chance and closed out for 3-3.
“He was too good today and I missed too many. Callous shots really, but overall I am happy to have reached the final,” said Gilchrist. “I will now focus my energies on World Professional Billiards championship that’s coming up in July in London.”
There was a steadied silence after Advani got back into the match and soon found his footings in the seventh game.
“I like taking risks, but I don’t play gallery game because I know there is a thin line between foolishness and risk-taking,” is how Advani analyzed his game.
Advani missed an in-off when on 8, but saw to it that Gilchrist had no chance to assimilate any break. On returning to the table, a cautious Advani compiled what could be the crucial unfinished break of 92 as he nudged ahead.
It was make or break situation for Gilchrist and he seemed up to the task when Advani missed a canon when on a break of 54. Gilchrist had readymade positions at the top table and he went about playing fluently.
At 39, Gilchrist missed an in-off and that ended his hopes. Advani went about constructing an unfinished break before potting the winner—a yellow in-off at the top left of the table.
Pankaj is a sign of a true champion. He is too good and age is on his side no doubt,” summed up Gilchrist, who had beaten Advani in the quarter-finals of Doha Asian championship in 2007.
“In this present do or die game, I wanted to prove a point,” said Advani.
Zhang wins U-21 snooker Anda Zhang of China, the junior world snooker runner-up, lived up to his reputation to beat Noppom Saegkham of Thailand 5-1 to win the Asian under-21 snooker title later in the day. Zhang remained the lone unbeaten cueist of the meet-having won all the league matches —followed by three in the knock-out rounds.
There was no real threat to the Chinese as Saegkham failed to match Zhang’s precision play and lost rather tamely.
ASIAN CHAMPS
- Billiards: Pankaj Advani (India) beat Peter Gilchrist (Singapore) 101(74)-50, 8-102(84), 100(98)-23, 20-101, 11-101(89), 100-86(84), 100(92)-0, 100(54)-39. - Snooker: Anda Zhang (China) beat Noppom Saegkham (Thailand) 86(57)-0, 89(67)-8, 19-84, 63-17, 83-23, 74-30.