NBP Ranking Snooker C’ship begins today

KARACHI: The top 28 cueists of the country, including four most promising juniors, will be in action during the eighth edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2016 which cues off here at the NBP Sports Complex on Monday (today).

The draws of the tournament were revised at the eleventh hour by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) in order to accommodate Mohammad Haris and Mohammad, who were due to proceed to Belgium for taking part in an international event but could not go because of visa delay.

“The draws stand revised as the two junior players who were proceeding to Belgium for participation in the IBSF World U-18 and U-21 Snooker Championship 2016 did not receive visas from the Belgian Embassy in Islamabad. Therefore, they have been inducted,” Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), said on Sunday.

The cueists have been divided in four groups for the preliminary rounds which will be spread over five days.

The winners and the runners-up of each group will qualify for the knockout rounds, starting with quarter-finals.

The league matches will be best-of-seven-frame contests. The quarter-finals will be of best-of-nine-frame matches; the semi-finals best-of-11-frame; and the final best-of-15-frame.

The semi-finals and the final will be telecast live on Geo Super, the premier sports television channel of the country.

The championship will be offering prize money of Rs150,000 with the winner to take home Rs60,000 and the runner-up to receive Rs35,000. The losing semifinals will be getting Rs15,000 each while the losing quarter-finalists will be given Rs5,000 each.

The highest break carries a purse of Rs5,000.

Ovais Asad Khan, who heads the Strategic Marketing and CSR divisions of NBP, promised more facilities for snooker at the NBP Sports Complex.

“Upon the completion of the multipurpose stadium for indoor games greater space for cue sports will be available,” he said in a brief chat.

The NBP sports chief has also announced the bank’s plan to engage a couple of emerging cueists to reinforce their snooker squad.