By M. Shamil Amit
Army’s M.M. Mubeen emerged champion of the Open Six Reds Snooker Championship when he defeated a gritty Shashika Perera of The Cue Café by six frames to four in the final played at the Moors SC billiards table in Braybrooke Place yesterday. The champion was given some anxious moments by the up and coming youngster who was playing in a major snooker final for the first time, as he went into the lead of the 11 frame final by winning the first two frames before Mubeen made it two-each by winning the third and fourth frames.
However Shashika struck back to take the lead with a fifth frame win but Mubeen used his experience to the hilt to win the sixth, seventh and eighth frames.
Shashika reduced the deficit taking the ninth frame but the experience of Mubeen was too much for the youngster to handle as the champion wrapped up the game with an easy tenth frame win and emerge champion and in the process to win his first major snooker title.
Earlier in the day Mubeen and Shashika won the semi final encounters with ease defeating Losaka Perera of SSC and M. Sheriffdeen of Army with frame scores of 5-0 and 5-1 respectively in the nine-frame encounter.
In the third-place play off Losaka got the better of Sheriffdeen in the five-frame match with a three frames to one victory.

Semi-Finals – M.M. Mubeen (Army) beat Losaka Perera (SSC) 5-0 (42/18, 37/17, 46/16, 50/14, 38/28); Shashika Perera (The Cue Café) beat M. Sheriffdeen (Army) 5-1 (38/10, 35/15, 44/05, 18/38, 47/20, 37/11)
Third Place Play-Off – Losaka Perera (SSC) beat M. Sheriffdeen (Army) 3-1 (27/44, 44/22, 37/27, 41/04)
Final – M.M. Mubeen (Army) beat Shashika Perera (The Cue Café) 6-4 (07/40, 28/47, 41/00, 35/23, 21/41, 44/08, 41/19, 32/19, 25/28, 33/17).