Manan points to the cons of playing the pro circuit league

Snooker champion says English circuit achievements aren’t recognised at home, now targets Asian Indoor Games

The national 9-ball pool champion Manan Chandra of Delhi is on a high after beating Geet Sethi in the final of the All-India Invitational Snooker here at Bandra on Saturday. After the win, the 25-year-old cueist is looking forward to the October Indoor Asian Games in Macau.

But ask him about the bigger challenge of participating in the highly competitive professional snooker circuit in England, he says, it is not worth it as people in India don’t give due credit to it. Excerpts:

How do you rate this win?

• It’s a great feeling and it was really a tough competition. The standard of the tournament was very high and it gives me immense satisfaction emerging the best.

How difficult was beating Geet Sethi?

• Playing Geet is always a challenge but I enjoy a good record against him. I have beaten him in all the meetings we have had. So I went into the title clash very confident.

Now what is next?

• I’m looking forward to the upcoming Asian indoors in Macau in October. I’m eagerly awaiting the national camp for training.

Considering your age, shouldn’t you be going for a bigger challenge like playing the professional circuit in England?

• I have been to professional circuit in 2002-03. That year I finished 102. It was perhaps the second biggest showing by an Indian after Yasin Merchant who reached 67th rank. But since I couldn’t finish among top 80, I couldn’t continue that year.

Why didn’t you try the next year?

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• It’s pretty difficult for an Indian to play there. Staying and other expenses make it a very costly.

But don’t players also get government grants?

• For that you need to be national or international champion. The grant is given for coaching and training. When I was a junior national champion in snooker in 1999 and 2001, I had got a grant and that’s why I went for professional circuit in 2002-03.

You could have looked for some sponsorship?

• *No, it is not possible. Sadly, in our country there is no recognition for the pro circuit. In our country exploits in amateur category are praised. The year I came back after a better showing in the pro circuit, Panda Adjani won the world amateur championship. His achievement was rightly recognised but nothing much was talked about my playing on a bigger stage. As such you can’t even expect sponsorships.

But doesn’t playing the pro circuit give a sense of personal achievement?

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• It does, but what about the expenses? It is, indeed, very costly. Look at China and Thailand, they pick up potential players at early age and spend for their stay in England. That’s the right way. We need to change.