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Kathmandu Tuesday August 22, 2000 Bhadra 06, 2057.
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Wangchuk Champion of champions at the Red
15 Club
By a Post Reporter
KATHMANDU, Aug 21 - Tashi Wangchuk added one more feather to his snooker cap as he won
the San Miguel Champion of the Champions Open Snooker tournament at Red 15 Club here
Monday.
Ganga Thapa, especially after his solid performance against Suroj Singh, was expected to
give a
tough challenge to Wangchuk if not to win the best of 13 frames final. But that was not to
be.
Wangchuk, was simply devastating right from the word go. Showing some delicate potting, he
tamed Thapa with a string of useful breaks to take the opening frame, winning at 83-22.
He struggled a little bit in the second frame, yet managed to get away with a 56-25 win
for a 2-0
lead.
Just as it seemed Wangchuk would make a short work of the final, Thapa managed a 56-35 win
in to reduce the deficit at 2-1. He was in adventageous position in the fourth at one
stage but a
couple of misses at near pots saw Wangchuk make it 3-1, taking the frame on the last two
balls
for a score of 47-37.
As Thapa began to commit errors in the fifth frame, Wangchuk extended his lead to 4-1,
taking it
at 62-39. He, however, came up with a rare exhilarating 55-point break, the highest of the
competition in the middle of the sixth, to win by 83-30.
Thapa’s style of play—hurrying on to shots—served as a main cause to his
downfall as he
repeatedly lost initiative to Wangchuk from considerably comfortable position. That only
drowned
him into hot waters as Wangchuk ram home the advantage by taking the seventh by 53-48 for
5-2
lead.
In the eighth frame, Wangchuk, riding on a 5-2 cushion tried rather more courageous
potting only
to throw it away at 41-64. But for all that, Wangchuk just had a lady luck on his side on
the day.
He yet again proved his mettle under pressure, which saw him winning the tight ninth and
tenth
frames at 62-57, 47-37 to wrap up the second major title this year.
He had earlier won the Crown Prince Birthday Cup Snooker held at Lainchaur Covered Hall.
Besides trophy, Wangchuk also pocketed Rs 20,000. Thapa received Rs 10,000 while two
losing-semifinalists Sanjay Mulmi and Suroj Singh bagged Rs 5,000 each. Thapa also
collected
Rs 2,000 for making the highest break of 55 points in the tournament.
Following the match, chief guest, the member-secretary of National Sports Council, Binod
Shankar Palikhe gave away prizes to the players. The tournament drew a total of 96
participants
from various snooker and pool houses of the valley.
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