Waiting for a break

ONE of the popular misconceptions in Indian sport is that billiards is on the way out, pushed towards the exit by the faster, slicker snooke...

ONE of the popular misconceptions in Indian sport is that billiards is on the way out, pushed towards the exit by the faster, slicker snooker. Those who propagate this theory 8212; and there were many of them, even at the Nationals in Mumbai last week 8212; point to the lack of visibility on TV, the lower stakes in terms of prize money, the way the youth have taken up snooker. What they don8217;t mention is the fact that India has produced two world champions and two Asian champions in the past four years, a success rate that betters most top sports8230;It8217;s evidently not a statistic born out of sheer chance alone.

8216;8216;We have been hearing for the past 25 years that billiards is a dying sport8217;8217;, says Michael Ferreira in righteous indignation, a sentiment echoed by fellow world champions Geet Sethi and Manoj Kothari.

The youth haven8217;t deserted the sport. At the Mumbai Nationals, three youngsters made it to the last eight stage: Pankaj Advani, Sourav Kothari and Rishabh Thakkar. 8216;8216;Billiards is the ultimate test of skill. Those who know about the game will tell you, it is a different feeling altogether when one is in full flow. At least I get a high on billiards,8217;8217; says Thakkar, a 20-year-old B.Com student. He had Sethi pinned down in the quarterfinals until the latter produced a big break in the dying minutes to run away with the game. 8216;8216;That8217;s the best part of the game. Anyone on his day can win purely on the basis of his talent,8217;8217; adds Advani 19, last year8217;s world snooker champion, who eventually beat Sethi in the semis.

Yet they would be the first to admit that, as with most Indian sports, the successes come despite the system, not because of it. 8216;8216;The game never had a mass appeal8217;8217;, says Sethi. 8216;8216;But yes, considering the long list of champions we had, its popularity has not been in sync. We have the champions but there has been no infrastructure development where popularity can be converted into numbers.8217;8217;

There are two basic problems surrounding the sport:

Spot the difference

BILLIARDS: The classic three-ball game, played on a time-frame. Colours of the balls are white, yellow and red. Each player has a cue ball to play with 8212; either white or yellow. Red is common. Three points for potting the red. Potting the opponent8217;s cue ball after connecting the red gets two points. A cannon hitting the other two balls on the table gets a point.

SNOOKER: Much more colourful and much faster than billiards. Fifteen red balls, each worth a point while the other six balls 8212; yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6 and black 7 fetch different points in that order. The white striker ball is common for both the players. Every red-pot is followed by pocketing a coloured ball. While the reds rest in the pocket, the coloured balls return on the table until the reds are exhausted. Then the coloured balls potted in a sequence.

NATURE OF THE GAME

The game is so complex that only players or experts can figure out what8217;s happening, where a game is headed. 8216;8216;People think it is so easy to keep the three balls in motion at the top of the table8217;8217;, says former world champion Manoj Kothari. 8216;8216;The top of the table play is, in fact, the most difficult aspect where tremendous control and application is needed.8217;8217;

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It is difficult, he says, for a layman to understand the different types of shots possible in the game and get an insight into the players mind regarding position of the balls. 8216;8216;Snooker, on the other hand, is easy to understand, easy to adopt and easy to play.8217;8217;

Another reason snooker took over from billiards is because of its TV-friendly nature. 8216;8216;We can8217;t do much with billiards considering there are only three balls8217;8217;, feels four-time world Michael Ferreira.

SOLUTION: 8216;8216;I think more and more people should be made to understand the game. A lot of awareness is needed,8217;8217; says Pankaj Advani. He is unable to elaborate but Ashok Shandilya feels that bringing in marketing agents might help. He also suggests a change in format. 8216;8216;The point format in the earlier stages followed by the time format is ideal,8217;8217; he says.

8216;8216;Maybe we could set a condition wherein upon attaining a double shot, ie, a pot cannon and in-off, the player gets to win the game instantly or something like that,8217;8217; says Ferreira.

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He also suggests the game be taken to the collegiate level. 8216;8216;With tournaments for collegians we might have more youngsters in the sport.8217;8217;

INFRASTRUCTURE

The steady flow of champions, even the influx of youngsters, is from pockets like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata and that too because the British, where the sport originates from, set up clubs and tables before leaving the country. The game was set to spread through ironically pool parlours but that particular wave came crashing down a couple of years back when the government decided to levy entertainment tax on it.

8216;8216;It8217;s unfortunate that the decision to charge Rs 5,000 per table has been levied in states where the game is more popular like Maharashtra and Karnataka,8217;8217; says Ferreira. 8216;8216;Once a newcomer learns how to hold the cue, some could move on to billiards.8217;8217;

SOLUTION: The government and the national governing body, the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, should take steps to set up tables in major cities, feels Geet Sethi. 8216;8216;We are not saying that tables be set up and more tournaments be conducted in remote villages like cricket but at least do not club our sport as a form of entertainment,8217;8217; he says.