MUMBAI, SEPT 17: That India is a major force in the green baize game is a known fact. Yet, with billiards and snooker, along with Carom, 8-ball and 9-ball pool being introduced for the first time in the Asian Games, the government has turned a deaf year to the repeated pleas of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India to import pool and carom tables.``We need dozens of these tables made available all over the country,'' said Michael Ferreira, who along with Arvind Savur is coaching the country's hopefuls at the Karnataka State Billiards Association.``Each table costs about Rs 1.4 lakh. But the customs duty, etc will considerably hike the cost. The present government policy is to waive the customs duty besides releasing 75 per cent of the cost to help the association import the tables. Unfortunately, although the fourth and final camp is ending in the next couple of days, we are yet to see the light of these tables.''Both Ferreira and Savur insisted that the pool tables in use in many of the poolparlours across the country are not standard size for tournament play.``The tables should be 9 feet by 4.5 feet. Most of the pool tables in India are really mini-billiards tables of 8 feet by 4 feet dimension. The shape, size and pockets too are different in pool tables,'' said Ferreira.Speaking of the camps, four in all, interspersed over a year, Savur stated that the players ``have become fitter and move better.''``Their competitiveness has increased. They handle pressure better,'' said Ferreira who insisted that the billiards format of three best of 150 and the snooker format of best of five frames would be all about handling pressure at the highest level.The players were given points at each camp and these were added to the points added at the Nationals. Thus in billiards Geet Sethi took top position with 26 points. Ashok Shandilya (22 points) was ranked second while Nalin Patel and Devendra Joshi (14 points apiece) were joint third.In snooker Yasin Merchant (26 points) was ranked numberone. Joshi (20), Alok Kumar (18), Rafath Habib (14), Dharmender Lilly (14) followed in that order.Savur stated that India ought to field a team of 18 players for the Asian Games.``Some of the events are overlapping. It is therefore impossible for the same player to take part in more than one or two events,'' he said.The green baize events at the Asian Games are to be held from December 6 to 19. The Indian players would be involved in hectic match play from now till the conclusion of the Games. This should keep them match fit, the coaches added.The BSFI meets in Calcutta on October 10 to identify the size of the contingent.``We (Savur and Ferreira), Arun Gupta (chairman of SAI), ASV Prasad (ED) and 2 BSFI officials will select the final team,'' said Savur.The following are the events at the Asian Games:Snooker (Team, singles, doubles); Billiards (singles, doubles); 8-ball Pool (singles, doubles); 9-ball pool (singles, doubles); 3-cushion carom (singles).Incidentally both Ferreira andSavur expect India to walk away with at least eight of the 30 medals at stake at the games.
