Top cueists receive cash awards

KARACHI: In a historic and unprecedented move, the top performing cueists in various continental and international snooker events during the last one year were presented cash awards in excess of Rupees one million by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) in a ceremony held here at the Karachi Gymkhana Banquet Hall the other day.

The Executive Committee of the PBSA, headed by its President, Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, successfully implemented the plan of rewarding the cueists which it had approved after coming into office last year.

The total cash award disbursed during the first-ever ceremony of its kind was Rs1,025,000 with the beneficiaries being Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sajjad, Asjad Iqbal, Babar Masih and Mohammad Naseem Akhtar.

Mohammad Bilal received Rs50,000 for winning bronze medal in the ACBS 6-Red and another Rs50,000 for the bronze medal in the Asian Snooker Championship. He received a further Rs 37,500 for the silver medal in the ACBS Team Event.

Mohammad Sajjad earned Rs 150,000 for winning gold medal in the ACBS 6-Red while Rs50,000 each were awarded to him for the silver medals in the Asian Indoor & Martial Art Games and the IBSF Team Event.

Asjad Iqbal was awarded Rs50,000 for clinching silver medal in the IBSF Team Event and Rs25,000 for the bronze medal he won in the ACBS Team Event while Babar Masih got Rs100,000 for the gold in the IBSF Team Event, Rs50,000 for the bronze medal in the IBSF 6 Red and Rs37,500 for the silver medal in the ACBS Team Event.

Mohammad Asif picked up a cash award of Rs100,000 for the gold medal in the IBSF Team Event while the young Mohammad Naseem Akhtar was rewarded with a purse of Rs200,000 for winning the IBSF Under-18 Championship and another Rs50,000 for the bronze medal in the ACBS Under-21 Championship.

Meanwhile, the PBSA announced that in future the gold medallists in the ACBS Asian championships will get Rs150,000 and the silver and the bronze medallists will receive Rs75,000 and Rs50,000 respectively.

Similarly, the winner of the IBSF World Championships will be entitled to a reward of Rs200,000 and the silver and bronze medallists will be awarded Rs100,000 and Rs50,000 respectively.