Asghar Valika urges for enhancing snooker rewards

The pioneer and key promoter of snooker in Pakistan, Ali Asghar Valika, has called for enhancing the prize money in the national circuit and take it to millions so that the country could sustain its supremacy in the international arena.

“The manner in which the game has progressed and the consistency with which the Pakistani cueists have performed at the world and the Asian level the prize money of the national events merits considerable enhancement to keep them motivated,” Asghar Valika, a former President of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), observed in an interview at the Karachi Club on May 15.

“There is no major increase in the incentives and prize money for almost a decade now. We must offer at least Rupees one million as prize money in every event to make the circuit more competitive and thus raise the standard of the game,” he suggested.

Having headed the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) for a couple of decades from 1988 to 2008, he didn’t mince words in stating the enhancement of prize money of national tournaments was the need of the hour.

“Our brilliant cueists have achieved excellence in the game with a couple of world individual titles besides two team titles. They are a force to be reckoned with at the Asian level,” Asghar Valika, under whose leadership took the game to new heights in Pakistan, remarked.

The legendary Muhammad Yousuf had made the major breakthrough by winning the IBSF World Championship in South Africa in 1994 before clinching the Asian title at Karachi in 1998.


Asghar Valika was of the opinion that the PBSA should curtail their administrative expenses and only

one official should accompany the team and also manage the team and being the delegate.

He also advised the PBSA to make money through televised matches. He dispelled the impressions of disharmony in PBSA Executive Committee after Munawwar Hussain Shaikh took over from Alamgir Anwar Shaikh after his two terms as the President.

Asghar Valika said that Pakistan desperately needed a permanent coach who should train, groom and tactically prepare our cueists for international level.

“Our cueists are doing well at the international level and international coach can further harness their game and mentally toughen them,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said he doesn’t need recognition from anyone and feels proud and satisfied with whatever he contributed for the game of snooker in Pakistan.

“I don’t need any reward or award because achievement of players during my era and now make me happy and satisfied that they brought honor and glory to the country,” Asghar Valika said.

He made it clear that he was elected as the Life Chairman of PBSA by General Body and not by the executive committee.

Asghar Valika showed his disappointment over the fact that no national snooker activity was taking place at Karachi Club’s Amir Bakhsh Billiards Hall which used to be the hub of Pakistan Snooker in the past.

“Snooker activity at Karachi Club was stopped due to misunderstanding and efforts are afoot for it revival there. The Latif Masters should also be revived as it was a major event held in memory of Pakistan’s greatest billiards player, who finished runners-up in world championship in India,” he continued.

He recalled that PBSA struggled in early 1980s but sponsorship and support of Red & White and its marketing head, Shahid Ahmad Khan, changed the destiny of Pakistan snooker.

Asghar Valika, who remained the boss of Asian body for six years, said that holding of Asian Snooker in Karachi in 1991 and later staging of IBSF World Snooker Championship made Muhammad Yousuf, Yasin Merchant, Pradit Chuchat (Thailand) household names after matches were nationally live televised.

He wanted the PSBA to must open up and induct peoples from other provinces in their fold and also hold a couple of event outside Karachi.

“Snooker should not be confined to Karachi and events should be held in other provincial capitals as well on rotation basis,” he concluded

Asghar Valika regrets loss of form of top cueists

The Chairman of the Pakistan Billiard & Snooker Association (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, the father figure of snooker in the country, has regretted the loss of form of some of the top cueists of the country and hoped that efforts will be made to keep them motivated and inspired.

In the next Board meeting he plans to propose to the PBSA Executive to take measures to ensure that the once leading cueists of the country continue performing more consistently.

He was concerned with the loss of form the cueists Muhammad Sajjad and Shahid Aftab, both former champions, who performed much below par in the Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship 2018 held at the Karachi Gymkhana a few days ago.

Asghar Valika, who revived the Pakistan snooker while leading the PBSA from 1988 to 2008, didn’t mince words in stating that he was not impressed with the performance of the eventual champion (Muhammad Asif) either.

“I have a feeling that Asif couldn’t reproduce the form which had made him the world champion in 2012 and the national champion earlier the same year,” he observed.


“The youngsters like Asif, Sajjad, Shahid and a few others had first come into prominence when I

was heading the Association. They had shown flashes of brilliance in early career and we took care of them to boost their confidence and skills. They have repaid by having performed well internationally over the years but now some chinks in their armoury are becoming visible,” the PBSA Chairman added.

“Now the time has come for the management to talk to them and take care of their needs. Personally I feel that they would become much more productive if mentored by prolific coaches. They are blessed with talent and experience but they do need guidance and direction,” he explained.

“While it’s very heartening that the youngsters are emerging from every nook and corner of the country to challenge the top cueists of the country but we must not lose sight of the fact that the current lot of experienced cueists have brought us laurels in the recent past. They deserve to be looked after properly,” Asghar Valika felt.

He was optimistic that the present leadership of the PBSA, which was eager to further promote cue sports in the country, will take remedial measures without further delay.

Muhammad Asif recaptures national snooker crown after six years

Muhammad Asif, a former world champion, recaptured the crown after six years as he edged out Muhammad Bilal in an epic final of the Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship 2018 at the Karachi Gymkhana on February 21.

As expected, the all-Punjab final between the two of the top cueists of the country progressed at a brisk pace with both the combatants displaying aggressive mindset to surge ahead.

It was anybody’s game, locked up at five-all, when third seed Bilal suffered a stroke of misfortune in the 11th frame and second seed Asif made the most of it by pressing home the advantage.

Having won the national title in 2009 and 2012, Asif made the most of the lucky break in the best of 15-frame final to win it 8-5 with the scores of 83-10, 69-48, 76-19, 12-78, 28-93, 0-87, 57-77, 68-9, 79-34, 8-87, 75-51, 69-40, 66-37. The match was supervised by the eminent referee, Shabbir Hussain Daruwala.


Asif conceded that the rub of the green had gone his way in the final and he was extremely fortunate to get the opening in the 11th frame caused by an unexpected error from Bilal, who was also playing extremely well until that stage.

The 35-year-old Asif, hailing from the industrial city of Faisalabad, felt relieved at winning the national title for the time in an illustrious career during which he also won the World Championship in 2012.

“Bilal was a constant threat to me throughout the match and I had to play my top game to remain in business. It was a kind of encounter which was thoroughly enjoyed by the spectators as well as the large television audience watching it live,” he said.

The 32-year-old Bilal, a proud product of Mandi Bahauddin, was aiming to the national title for the second time, having annexed it in 2016. He seemed on course of achieving his ambition but the mishap of 11th frame proved decisive and he was unable to pull it back.

Asif drew the first blood with the help of a break of 83 and then made it 3-0 by pocketing the next two frames as well.

The breaks of 63, 60, 57 and 77 in successive frames allowed Bilal to go into 4-3 lead which was equalized by Asif with the help of a break of 61 in the eighth frame.

The momentum was with Asif and he cashed in with another break of 79 in the ninth frame to go 5-4 up. Bilal, however, drew level by chalking up a break of 87 in the next frame.

Bilal could not get back into game once he lost the 11th frame in which one of his shots proved fatal. Asif not only won that frame but also the next two to reclaim the trophy in style.

Cash prizes of Rupees three lacs were disbursed in the presentation ceremony held soon after the final. Asif collected the glittering trophy with a purse of Rs 100,000 from chief guest Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, while Bilal received an award of Rs 50,000.

The welcome speech was delivered by Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiard & Snooker Association (PBSA), while the activity report was presented by Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA. Other members of the PBSA Executive Committee present on the occasion included Zulfiqar Ramzi (Secretary), Arif Taherbhoy (Joint Secretary), Shariq Vohra, Nisar Bhagat and Rasheed Jumbo.

Cueist Bahadur Ali penalized for violating anti-smoking laws

Unseeded Bahadur Ali entered the record books as he became the first cueist to be penalized for violating the recently inducted anti-tobacco law imposed by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA).

“Bahadur Ali of Balochistan was found smoking during his match against Qadeer Abbas and he was penalized and game was awarded to his opponent as per law. The match at that stage was tied at one frame all and the final result was declared as 4-1 in favour of Qadeer Abbas,” Tournament Director, Naveed Kapadia, revealed at the Karachi Gymkhana on February 14.

“The PBSA has imposed the restriction from the new year in accordance with the directives of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) and the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) which prohibits the cueists from smoking tobacco during the course of a match. All the participating cueists of the ongoing Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship 2018 were very much informed about it and this clause was included in the contract which they have signed with the PBSA,” he explained.

Snooker’s strongman Arif Taherbhoy turns 68

The long serving official of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Arif Taherbhoy, was feted in a unique manner as his colleagues and friends arranged an unannounced birthday party of his on the sidelines of the Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship 2018 at the Karachi Gymkhana on February 14.

Taherbhoy, having turned 68, was lavishly praised by the top functionaries of the PBSA who had gathered in the afternoon to celebrate the occasion rather enthusiastically.

The PBSA Joint Secretary cut the birthday cake in the company of Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President PBSA, and Zulfiqar Ramzi, Honorary Secretary, PBSA, in the presence of other board members which included international referee Shabbir Hussain Daruwala.

“Arif Bhai has served the PBSA with distinction since 1989. So it has been more than quarter of a century, 29 years to be precise. He deserves to be recognized time and again for his dedication and services,” the PBSA President noted.

The unheralded Taherbhoy indeed has been one of the pillars of the Pakistan snooker for the past three decades and his role in the snooker development of Pakistan has been quite significant.


Upon joining the PBSA in 1989 at the behest of Ali Asghar Valika, who was on a mission to revive snooker in Pakistan, he was initially assigned the task of coordination with media but at later stage he was entrusted the responsibilities of managing the day to day affairs of the body’s secretariat which he has run for close to three decades.

 An active cueist himself since student life, Taherbhoy had played snooker, mostly at Bohra Gymkhana and Karachi Club during the days when the great Latif Amir Bakhsh was at the peak of his career whith his biggest accomplishment being making it to the final of the Wahedna Gold Cup Inter-Clubs Tournament in 1972.

As many as 52 cueists from all over the country will be taking part in the Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship 2018 which is scheduled to get underway at the Karachi Gymkhana early on February 12.

The details about the upcoming 10-day event, which will conclude February 21, were shared by Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), and Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee Insurance. Akbar Iqbal Puri, President, Karachi Gymkhana, was also present on the occasion.

“After having successfully organized both the national junior tournaments in Islamabad and the National Masters in Lahore we are all set to host the Nationals 2018 with the usual enthusiasm and intensity,” the PBSA President observed.

“As far as the breakup of the 52 participants is concerned, the top 12 ranked cueists of the last year have been granted direct entry, eight cueists each have qualified from the provincial cups of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), six and three from the Balochistan Cup and the Islamabad Cup respectively alongwith four top junior cueists and three are wild card entries,” he revealed.

The PBSA, in accordance with laid down procedures, has granted wild cards to Imran Shahzad, who recently defended his National Masters title successfully, Asif Toba and Muhammad Majid Ali, all of them from Punjab.

The participating 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 knockout phase starting with the pre-quarter-finals.

The total prize money in the Nationals 2018 will be Rs 272,000 with the winner to collect Rs 100,000 and the runner-up to get Rs 50,000. The losing semifinalists will be receiving Rs 20,000 each while the losing quarter-finalists and the losing pre-quarter-finalists will be compensated with Rs 10,000 each and Rs 4,000 each respectively. The highest break award will earn a purse of Rs 10,000 while every century break will be rewarded with an additional award of Rs 2,000.

Speaking on the occasion, Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, expressed his delight at the emergence of so many talented youngsters who have earned laurels for the country in the recent past.

Akbar Puri, President, Karachi Gymkhana, a son of Mazhar Iqbal Puri, who had spearheaded the revival of snooker in Pakistan in the 1980s, vowed to continue supporting all sports as the club was proud of its sporting history. He assured cooperation to the PBSA in holding more snooker events in future.

Asghar Valika commends Mazhar Puri’s towering contribution to Pakistan snooker

Glowing tribute was paid to Mazhar Iqbal Puri, one of the founders of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), for his monumental contribution in having revived cue sports in the country.

Ali Asghar Valika, who had succeeded Mazhar Puri as the helmsman of the PBSA in 1988 and went on the lead the body with distinction for the next couple of decades, recalled the attributes of his predecessor who had passed away after protracted illness 15 years ago.

Mazhar Puri and Asghar Valika had jointly laid down the foundation in the 1980s which has resulted in the development of snooker on such strong footings in Pakistan.

“Besides being an enthusiastic and prolific cueist himself, he was a visionary leader who was extremely passionate to promote cue sports in a big way in Pakistan. We shared the common passion and interest which prompted us to work together in order to accomplish the mutual goal of taking Pakistan snooker to another level,” Asghar Valika, now the Chairman of the PBSA, remarked in an interview at the Karachi Club on February 2.

“He had proposed me as the Vice President of the PBSA in 1986 when he was its President. His initiatives and drive inspired me greatly as we began the journey of reviving Pakistan snooker in the truest sense of the word. What happened next is history which we all know,” he recalled.


“Today Pakistan has become one of the major snooker nations of the world. Let’s place on record the

huge contribution Mazhar Puri had made in sowing the seeds for the transformation. He had initiated the revival of snooker in the country and I had the satisfaction of carrying forward his mission,” the PBSA Chairman complimented.

“He was the motivating force behind the formation of the PBSA in the early 1980s, which had replaced the Billiards Association of Pakistan (BAP) as the governing body of cue sports in the country. Today PBSA has become a household name. Its accomplishments are known to everyone. Its founders deserve to be recognized and admired,” Asghar Valika reckoned.

“I am sure Mazhar Puri would have been proud to see where the Pakistan snooker stands today as the hard work as well as the sacrifices of its founders have yielded results. He hasn’t lived long enough but his dream of bringing home the world title was fulfilled in his lifetime,” the PBSA Chairman added.

“Snooker was in his blood and his sons Imran Puri, who played in the professional circuit in England, and Akbar Puri, currently President of Karachi Gymkhana, have inherited the same passion,” Asghar Valika concluded.

Asghar Valika delighted with emergence of new snooker talent

The father figure of Pakistan snooker and the Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, has welcomed the emergence of new snooker talent which augured well for the future of cue sports in the country.

“To me it’s heartening to witness the newcomers challenge those who have been around for some time. It reflects the depth of snooker talent in our country,” he observed in a chat at the Karachi Club Annexe on January 20.

“Both the recently held twin events in the federal capital, the National Junior Under-18 Championship 2018 followed by the National Junior Under-21 Championship 2018 have brought to light quite a few emerging youngsters who can be groomed for future,” Asghar Valika, who revived the sport during his two decade long stint as the PBSA President, reckoned.

“Muhammad Naseem Akhtar can very rightly be considered as the wonder kid of Pakistan snooker. He has already won the IBSF World Junior U-18 Championship last year. With more experience and coaching he can turn out to be an asset for the country in future,” he felt.



Asghar Valika, having also headed the Asian

Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), also expressed his delight at the continuation of his policy to spread the sport by holding the national events in different parts of the country.

“In my time as the President it had been decided to hold the National Snooker Championships in the federal capital and the other provincial capitals. The present leadership of the PBSA has done a good job by sticking to the same policy and organizing the twin national junior events in Islamabad and allocating the National Masters to Lahore and the Nationals itself to Karachi,” he complimented.

“Over the years, as a direct result of our initiatives and policies, snooker has spread to every nook and corner of the country and today the youngsters from smaller towns and cities are also making their presence felt in a big way. Snooker has certainly come of age,” the PBSA Chairman believed.

Alamgir Shaikh to represent ACBS in IBSF Board

Another feather was added in the cap of Pakistan’s top snooker personality, Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, as he has been nominated to represent the continent of Asia at the Board of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF).

Zulfiqar Ali Ramzi, Honorary Secretary, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), announced that the decision in this regard was taken in the recent annual general body of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) held in Doha, Qatar, on the sidelines of the IBSF World Snooker Championships 2017.

“Alamgir Shaikh, who is the Vice President of the ACBS, has been nominated to represent the continental body at the IBSF Board while Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, PBSA, has been appointed as the legal advisor of the ACBS. Both the appointments are great honour for the snooker fraternity of Pakistan,” the PBSA official acknowledged.

In a brief chat, upon his arrival from Doha, where he had gone to attend the ACBS meeting besides watching the World Championship, Alamgir Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA, vowed to continue playing his role more effectively in the further development of cue sports at the global level.

“Indeed there are challenges to be met and I will bring all my expertise into play to promote the cause of cue sports on a larger canvas,” he added.

A recipient of the coveted Pride of Performance award, presented by the President of Pakistan, in recognition to his services in sports administration, he remained upbeat about taking the Pakistan snooker to even higher level in future.

Having served a couple of highly successful tenures of four years each as the President of the PBSA, starting from 2008 to 2016, Alamgir Shaikh, also a member of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), expressed the hope that the momentum as well as fresh efforts will continue taking the Pakistan snooker forward in the years to come.

“Cue sports in Pakistan has come a long away in the recent past and our sustained efforts have yielded the results in the form of glories in almost every international event and more importantly we have prepared a crop of youngsters who are geared to move on,” he reckoned.

Golden era of Pakistan snooker ends with Alamgir Shaikh’s tenure

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, having completed a couple of successful four-year tenures as the President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), will not taking part in the upcoming elections of the national body due to take place on December 28.


In accordance with the National Sports Policy, which restrains any official from retaining the same slot for more than eight years, Alamgir Shaikh has not filed nomination for the quadrennial elections.

The PBSA, which is affiliated to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), has been hailed as one of the best performing sports federations of the country over the years, having produced positive results on a more consistent basis than any other sport, besides cricket.

The game of snooker, it may be recalled, was revived in a big way in 1988 when Ali Asghar Valika took up its leadership and went from strength to strength.

He not only changed the nomenclature of the governing body of cue sports from the Billiards Association of Pakistan (BAP), which was dormant for the preceding decades, to the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) but brought about a revolution which witnessed phenomenal growth for snooker in particular all over the country.

In a matter of years, Pakistan came to be recognized as one of the major snooker nations, enabling it to be a preferential venue for global and continental events.

Asghar Valika, whose administrative and organizational qualities earned him worldwide acclaim, quit the leadership of the PBSA in 2008, ironically to fulfill the obligations of the National Sports Policy.

His successor, Alamgir Shaikh, having worked with him for a long time in his team, sustained the momentum and built a stronger platform for cue sports during the next eight years which witnessed more activities at national and international levels.

Once again it’s the National Sports Policy, prompting another change of guard in the PBSA. The newly elected President, however, will be hard pressed to emulate the accomplishments of his last couple of predecessors, Asghar Valika and Alamgir Shaikh, both of whom are credited to have taken cue sports to very high level.

Federal sports authorities assure support to PBSA

The Pakistan Billiards &a Snooker Association (PBSA) has been assured the allocation of a hall for setting up snooker academy at the PSB Karachi Centre besides the release of the pending cash award to the ace cueist, Hamza Akbar.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh. President, PBSA, who returned to the city after having held a series of meetings with the top functionaries of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) in Islamabad over the past three days, expressed his delight with the positive mindset and cooperative attitude of the government officials.

“The Federal Sports Minister, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, during our meeting, issued the directives to immediately release Hamza Akbar’s long pending cash award of Rupees 15 lacs for winning the Asian Championship 2015 in Malaysia. He also ordered for the allocation of a suitable hall to the PBSA for setting a snooker academy at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Karachi Centre besides advising for the release of pending special grants to the Association in which the Pakistan snooker team had participated,” Alamgir Shaikh revealed.

The PBSA President also held formal meetings with the newly appointed senior officials at the Ministry of IPC which included the Secretary, Raja Mohammad Nadir Ali, the Deputy Secretary, Fayyaz-ul-Haq, and the Joint Secretary Hussain Ahmed Madni, having briefed them on the performance and achievements of the association and the cueists.

The snooker chief of the country also had lengthy sessions with the high-ranking functions of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) including its Director General, Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera, Director General (National Federations), Mohammad Azam Dar and Deputy Director General, Syed Habib Shah.

“The matters relating to the appointment of a foreign coach were on top of the agenda in meetings with the PSB officials. After deliberations and discussions they have given their consent to the PBSA for hiring Soheil Vahedi from Iran as the coach for the Pakistan snooker squad,” Alamgir Shaikh disclosed.

 “Accordingly, as a part of the PBSA Coaching Programme, it has now been mutually decided to hold a 15-day training and coaching camp for Pakistan’s top cueists at the PSB Complex in Islamabad under the supervision of coach Soheil Vahedi next month,” the PBSA President concluded.

Jawed Karim leads Pakistan snooker contingent to Thailand

Jawed Karim, Vice President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), will lead the Pakistan contingent in the Sagnsom 6-Red World Snooker Championship 2016 being staged in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 5 to 10.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, PBSA, informed that the three-member Pakistan contingent will be boarding the Thai Airways flight TG342 from the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi, on September 3.

Babar Masih is the lone Pakistani cueist to have been invited for the Sagnsom 6-Red World Championship 2016 on the basis of his performance at the various international and regional events in the recent past.

International referee, Shabbir Hussain Daruwala, who is also an Executive Committee member of the PBSA, is the third member of the Pakistan squad for the six-day event, being staged in the Thailand capital.


Babar Masih, having emerged as one of the leading cueists of the country, follows the footsteps of

compatriots Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sajjad, Hamza Akbar and Mohammad Majid Ali, who had been invited in the earlier editions of the global tournament.

As in the past, the 48 participating cueists from all over the world have been divided equally in eight groups for the preliminary rounds with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand being the reigning champion. At the end of the league matches, the top four from each group will move into the knock-out stage.

Hailing from the city of Rawalpindi, Babar Masih has been placed in the Group alongwith Stuart Bingham (England), Ryan Day (Wales), Wayne Brown (England), Dareen Morgan (Wales) and Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm (Thailand).

The event, launched by the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand (BSAT) in 2008, was known as the 6-red Snooker International which was later renamed as the 6-Red World Grand Prix before finally being recognized as the official 6-Red World Championship with the blessings of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

Asif retains NBP snooker trophy

Seventh seed Mohammad Asif successfully defended his title by outsmarting fourth seeded Mohammad Bilal in the final of the eighth edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2016 at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi on August 22.

The 34-year-old Asif, a former world champion hailing from Faisalabad, overpowered Bilal, the 30-year-old reigning national champion from Mandi Bahauddin, 8-3 in the all-Punjab best of 15-frame final with the scores of 64-56, 5-88, 44-69, 72-34, 62-49, 60-18, 130-1, 69-36, 83-5, 29-72, 107-32.

The enigmatic Asif succeeded in extending his winning record against the mercurial Bilal, who had looked impeccable in the earlier matches including the semifinals the other day.

Asif opened his account by pocketing the closely fought first frame. Bilal responded strongly by taking the next couple of frames, firing a break of 61 in the third frame. It was Asif all the way after that as he won the next five frames on a trot to shoot into 7-2 lead. It included a break of 62 in the fifth frame and one of 130 in the seventh frame.


Fighting a lost cause, Bilal secured the 10th frame rather handsomely but it could not change the
course of the proceedings as Asif wrapped up the issue in the 11th frame.

Cash awards of Rs 150,000 were disbursed in the prize distribution ceremony, held soon after the conclusion of the final, in which Mudassir H Khan, SEVP & Group Chief, Commercial, Retail Banking Group, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), was the chief guest.
He presented a cash award of Rs 60,000, alongwith the winner trophy, to Asif while Bilal received a purse of Rs 35,000 with the runner-up trophy.

The losing semifinalists, Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir and Mohammad Sajjad, had to be content with Rs 15,000 each while the losing quarter-finalists, Babar Masih, Shahram Changezi, Sharjeel Mahmood and Mohammad Ijaz, were compensated with Rs 5,000 each.

Sharjeel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also claimed the cash award of Rs 5,000 for the highest break of the championship (140) which he had chalked up during the course of his 4-1 victory over the eventual champion, Asif, in the preliminary rounds.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), in his welcome speech, acknowledged the contribution of all the stake-holders in making the eight-day event another success story.

Ovais Asad Khan, heading the Strategic Marketing and CSR divisions of NBP, appreciated the improvement in the standard of snooker in Pakistan over the years and hoped that the cueists will bring more glories for the country in future.

Talking briefly to the media, after retaining the NBP trophy, Asif admitted that he has had to endure additional pressure because of the high expectations whenever he has gone to the table after the World Championship triumph in 2012.

“Obviously it’s not always possible to meet the expectations. After all the opponents of mine also come to the table for glories and they give their shot to it. I try my level best to keep delivering,” he remarked.


“Yes I do enjoy a kind of psychological advantage over Bilal, having beaten him a few times. That
helped today as well. He is an outstanding cueist in his own right but somehow he’s unable to do it when playing against me,” Asif reckoned.

The former world champion was full of praise, however, for Zulfiqar and Sharjeel for having fared superbly against him.

Bilal, a man of few words, conceded that the rub of the green didn’t go his way in the final unlike in the semifinal against Sajjad the other day.

“Hard work holds the key to success. Today was not my day but I will continue working hard to come up with better results in future,” he added.

A total of 27 top cueists of the country had entered the championship whose preliminary round matches witnessed innumerable upsets which continued in the knockout phase too.

8th NBP Ranking Snooker Championship from August 15

The top 24 cueists of the country, along with a couple of most promising juniors, will be taking part in the eighth edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2016 to be played at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi from August 15 to 22.

The details of the eight-day event were unveiled by Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) and Ovais Asad Khan, Executive Vice President, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), in a media briefing at the Karachi Gymkhana on August 10.

The participating 26 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 while the quarter-finals will be of best of nine frames. The semifinals will be best of 11-frame duels with the final to be a best of 15-frame affair.

Both the semifinals as well as 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 Rs 150,000 with the winner to take home Rs 60,000 and the runner-up to receive Rs 35,000. The losing semifinals will be getting Rs 15,000 each while the losing quarter-finalists will be compensated with Rs 5,000 each. The highest break also carries a purse of Rs 5,000.

Speaking on the occasion, Alamgir Shaikh acknowledged the support of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the NBP in the development of snooker while also making a mention of other sponsors.


“The institutional support of PSB and NBP in particular has helped enormously in boosting cue
sports over the last eight years. The decision of NBP to employ the cueists in its folds gave us a sort of lifeline,” the PBSA President noted.

“Geo Super, by televising the semifinals and the finals of literally every national ranking tournament over the years, has played a massive role in popularizing snooker all over the country,” he added.

Ovais Asad Khan, heading the Strategic Marketing and CSR divisions of NBP, pledged to continue supporting the cause of sports in general and snooker in particular.

“We are carrying forward the mission of our predecessors of producing champions. Besides sponsoring national competitions, we have had the policy of grooming the young talent in the field of sports who have gone on to serve the cause of the institution as well as the country with distinction. In the near future, we plan to engage a couple of emerging cueists to reinforce our snooker squad,” he announced.

To a question of creating more facilities for snooker at the NBP Sports Complex, he informed that a multipurpose stadium for indoor games was being built which will facilitate greater space for cue sports activities.

Later he presented a cheque of Rupees one million to the PBSA President, being the sponsorship fee of the 8th NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2016.

Valika welcomes Pulsirivong’s induction into world snooker Hall of Fame

Ali Asghar Vailka, having served as President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) for a couple of decades, has warmly welcomed the induction of Thailand’s Sindhu Pulsirivong into the world snooker Hall of Fame.

“It’s a matter of great pleasure and satisfaction for all of us that Sindhu Pulsirivong, the long-serving President of the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand (BSAT), has become the first Asian to be inducted into the elite list,” he commended.

“It’s equally heartening to note that he has also created history of sorts by becoming the first non-player recipient of the award, which had previously been strictly the domain of the top players from the United Kingdom and Ireland,” Asghar Valika added.

Sindhu Pulsirivong, who is also President of the World Professional Snooker and Billiards Association (WPBSA), was inducted into world snooker Hall of Fame, alongside former World Champion Stuart Bingham and Rex Williams in the sport’s annual awards ceremony in London.

“He has thoroughly deserved the recognition at the highest level that has come his way now. He has been a great supporter of snooker over the years, having played pivotal role in globalization of cue sports,” Asghar Vailka, who himself headed the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for six years, complimented.


"This is the most prestigious award in snooker and his extraordinary services have now been
appropriately recognized. I firmly believe that this would encourage the snooker administrators and organizers all over the world, particularly in Asia, which augurs well for the future of cue sports,” he added.

It’s interesting to add that the snooker careers of Asghar Vailka and Sindhu Pulsirivong have had quite a few similarities.

Both of them were elected to lead their respective federations of cue sports in the same year (1988).

The two illustrious contemporaries also went on to lead the ACBS besides holding key slots in the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF).

Both of them are revered in the snooker circles globally for their monumental contributions to the sport which merit greater recognition.