Top players to perform in snooker and billiards Mumbai league

Mumbai, July 28 (UNI) With all top players expected to take part in the snooker and billiards Mumbai league tournament which cued-off last weekend, the event is slated to become more competitive and tough every week.

A total of 56 teams from 33 clubs, including two clubs from Pune for the first time, will be vying for top honours in this prestigious tourney, which has been renamed as the Sandesh Memorial Mumbai Billiards and Snooker League 2006, in memory of cueist Sandesh Kokane who passed away recently.

Among the top players taking part in the tournament include - Omar Balsara and Anuja Thakur (Bombay Gymkhana 'A'), Meenal Thakur (Bombay Gym 'C'), Aditya Mehta (Chembur Gymkhana), Ashok Shandilya and Dhruv Sitwala (P J Hindu Gymkhana 'A'), Siddharth Parikh (P J Hindu Gym 'B') and Devendra Joshi (Shivaji Park 'A'). The only two names missing will be - Yasin Merchant and Geet Sethi, who have previous commitments to honour, it was announced at a press conference here last night.

The tourney, organised by the Billiards and Snooker Association of Maharashtra (BSAM), will also this year see a new format to make the event more competitive, as well as encourage players and clubs.

One of the features of the competition this year is the inclusion, for the first time, of two clubs from Pune -- the PYC Hindu Club and Poona Club.

The league, to be played on a handicap basis, includes a best-of-five-frames competition. The new format includes one frame of snooker singles and one frame of 100-up billiards singles alternatively, and a final frame of snooker doubles (joker).

The organisers explained that the doubles snooker (joker) can be used at any stage of the match. A captain can even start his first frame with a game of doubles snooker and thereafter follow the alternative pattern of snooker and billiards.

Each team will consist of a maximum of six players and a minimum of four. All six players can play in the match. A player can play a maximum of two frames, but cannot at any time play two consecutive frames.

The winners of each match, to be played home and away, will earn two points. Two teams from each section with the maximum number of points will qualify for the Super League.

There are 12 groups in the league, from 'A' to 'L', with two teams from each group qualifying for the Super League of 24 teams.

These 24 teams will be divided into eight groups of three teams, with one team from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The total prize money is Rs 75,000, the highest-ever offered in the league. The winning team will receive Rs 25,000, while the runners-up will earn Rs 15,000, it was further stated at the conference.

UNI GS/VD GK DH DS1657