National Snooker from March 12

KARACHI: The presence of the larger-than-life figure of Ali Asghar Valika highlighted the media launch of the Jubilee Insurance 42nd National Snooker Championship 2017 here at the Karachi Gymkhana on Wednesday.

Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, hailed Valika as a living legend for having revolutionised cue sports during his 20-year tenure as the helmsman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) from 1988 to 2008.

PBSA president Munawwar Hussain Shaikh and co-chairman Alamgir Anwar Shaikh also expressed similar sentiments while welcoming their worthy predecessor.

It was after a long time that Valika, laid low by health issues over the years, appeared at a media briefing of a national event although he has been serving the PBSA in the capacity of the chairman since 2008.

“Obviously I am thrilled to be here,” he remarked in his brief discourse on the occasion. “I have dedicated the major portion of my life for the development of snooker and Karachi Club. I will continue to be associated with snooker as long as I live. I am the happiest man on earth watching Pakistan snooker grow,” he added.

Valika recalled his meeting with Tahir Ahmed at Karachi Club in which the historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the PBSA and Jubilee Insurance was inked more than a decade ago on the eve of the Asian Snooker Championship 2007. The relationship between the two entities has gone from strength to strength over the years.

Meanwhile, it was announced that a record number of 56 cueists from all over the country, including five juniors, will take part in the 42nd edition of the Jubilee Insurance National Snooker Championship 2017 which will be staged at the Karachi Gymkhana from March 12 to 21.

Meeting the demands of the cueists, the PBSA has decided to enhance their daily allowance from Rs1,500 to Rs2,000 and the total expenditure of the biggest event on the national snooker calendar is expected to cross the figure of Rs2 million.

The prize money will be Rs272,000 with the winner to take home a purse of Rs100,000 and the runner-up Rs50,000.

The losing semi-finalists will get Rs20,000 each, the losing quarter-finalists Rs10,000 each and the losing pre-quarter-finalists Rs4,000 each.

The highest break will fetch an award of Rs10,000.

The 56 cueists have been divided in eight groups for the preliminary rounds at the end of which the top two cueists from each group will advance to the pre-quarter-finals.

The league matches will be best-of-seven-frame contests. The pre-quarter-finals and quarter-finals will be best-of-nine-frame duels. The semi-finals will be best-of-11-frame matches. The final will be a best-of-15-frame clash.

The winner and runner-up of the event will represent the country in the 33rd Asian Snooker Championship 2017 to be held at Doha, Qatar, from April 22 to 28.

Defending champion Mohammad Bilal, Babar Masih, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sajjad, Sohail Shahzad, Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir, Shahram Changezi and Asjad Iqbal are the eight seeded cueists. Sultan Mohammad, Mohammad Saqib and Ahsan Javed have been granted wild card entries.