3rd SAARC Snooker Championship: Fourteen cueists battle for SAARC M.J.M. Lafir snooker title

By M. Shamil Amit

All arrangements have been finalised by the Billiards and Snookers Association of Sri Lanka to conduct the SAARC Snooker Championship scheduled to be held from January 7 to 12 at the Moors Sports Club billiards table in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The tournament organised by the South Asian Cue Sports Association, which is the third in the series, will see 14 cueists from six nations flexing their muscles to lay their hands on the late M.J.M. Lafir Memorial Trophy, which is on offer.

The two previous tournaments were hosted by Bangladesh, with the first in the year 2019, which was won by Asjad Iqbal of Pakistan when he defeated compatriot Mohammad Bilaal, while the second tournament was held in 2022, which was won by Ishpreet Singh Chadha of India, who defeated compatriot Brijesh Damani.

Malship Group, along with Pyramid Wilmar, Olanda Villas, National Olympic Committee, AutoMobile Association, and Crown Billiard International, have joined hands as sponsors by coming forward to support making this event a successful one.

The tournament will see host participation of 14 cueists, with four from Sri Lanka and two each from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal.

Representing host Sri Lanka are four players: Susantha Boteju, who has won 19 national snooker championship titles. Irshath Thaha, the reigning national billiard, six red ball snooker and the national snooker champion of Sri Lanka, who no doubt will be one of the contenders, Murugesu Prathap and Mohamed Musharaf.

Pakistan possesses a strong duet in three-time world snooker champion Mohammad Asif, who is also the reigning world snooker champion, which he won in Qatar, and Naseem Akhta, while India will have Saurav Kothari and Paras Gupta. The Bangladesh duo is Ahmed Nizam Uddin and Asif Imran, while Afghanistan’s will be Salih Mohammad and Mohammad Rahim, and Nepal’s pair is Ayush Gautam and Ankit Man Shrestha.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Moors Sports Club billiards parlour in Colombo 2 on January 7 at 9:00 a.m., and the closing ceremony is slotted to be held on January 10 at 5:00 p.m.