60th National Billiards Championship :

Sirisoma bags his 20th title

Anuradha ABEYSEKERA

Local billiards supremo K.H. Sirisoma of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) made history by clinching National Billiards title for the 20th time, beating one-time National Champion (2009) S.H.M. Aslam of Moors SC in the 60th National Billiards Championship concluded at the Sugathadasa Sports Hotel yesterday.

The Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka (BSASL) conducted the championship with a first time main sponsorship of Singer Sri Lanka PLC.

Sirisoma proved his excellence in the game defeating Aslam comfortably in the final by six frames to three (101/19, 46/101, 100/27, 84/103, 101/59, 101/44, 100/84, 90/101, 101/33).

The final seemed to be very competitive at the early stage with the game scaling towards both players frame by frame. But the experienced Sirisoma took the control of the game winning consecutive three frames in fifth, sixth and seventh frames.

Even though Aslam won the eighth frame Sirisoma did not allow him to continue as he folded up the game, winning the following frame and walked away with the Singer Trophy.

Sirisoma earlier beat Anil Rohana (AA) by five frames to one (84/100, 101/54, 100/54, 100/70, 100/52, 100/98) in the first semi-final while Aslam defeated A. Jayarathna (YMBA) by five frames to two (100/85, 37/100, 72/101, 100/52, 100/60, 100/40, 100/44) in the other semi-final.

Aslam created a major upset in the quarter-finals by beating defending champion Abdul Sattar in a toughly contested game which dragged till the final seventh frame to decide the semi-finalist. Aslam tamed the reigning champion by four frames to three (75/100, 100/56, 101/65, 84/102, 25/102, 102/11, 101/94).

Singer Sri Lanka Sales Director L.N.K.S. Samarasingh was the chief guest at the award ceremony and gave away the awards.