Mubeen, Boteju, Hussain, Rikas enter semis
Defending champion M.M. Mubeen.
Defending champion M.M. Mubeen of Army along with Susantha Boteju (Sea Endless), Ashiq Hussain (MICH) and M.M. Rikas (BRC) won their quarter-final encounters played at the YMBA and Galle Cricket Club billiards tables in Galle to book the berths to the two semi-finals of the Six Red Ball National Snooker Championship.
Defending champion Mubeen seeking to retain the title had to fight his way in both the pre-quarter and quarter-final encounters against his team mate C.M.J. Chandrasekera in the morning session and against M.J.A. Thasleem of AAC in the quarter-final played in the afternoon session with both the matches going to wire.
In contrast Boteju, Hussain and Rikas won their encounters with ease with Boteju conceding one frame of the five frame quarter-final match against Fahim while Hussain and Rikas coasted to convincing 3-0 victories.
There was a shocking win recorded by M. Fahim of Sea Endless who got the better of the more fancied and experience cueist S.H.M. Aslam of MAC whom he overcame with ease by two frames to nil in the pre-quarter final but had to bow out of contention.
Army apart from Mubeen had two other cueists making it to the quarter-final in S.S. Kumarapperuma and Susantha Wickrema but the duo too underwent defeats in their next appearance.
The Six Red Ball Snooker nationals conducted by the Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka and sponsored by Singer Sri Lanka is being held in the outstations for the first time with the aim of promoting cue sports around the island and played at the YMBA Galle and Galle Cricket Club billiards tables.
The semi-finals are scheduled to played today from 10.00 a.m. which will be of seven frames and the final of nine frames is slotted to be played in the evening session from 3.30 p.m. onwards.
The semi-final schedule – M.M. Mubeen (Army) vs M.M. Rikas (BRC) and Susantha Boteju (Sea Endless) vs Ashiq Hussain (MICH)
The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in the evening with the chief guest being Kumar Samarasinghe, Director Sales Singer Sri Lanka Ltd.
Results
- Pre-Quarter Finals – M.M. Mubeen (Army) beat C.M.J. Chandrasekera (Army) 2-1 (21/41, 28/18, 26/13). M.J.A. Thasleem (AAC) beat M.Z.A. Zulfy (MSC) 2-1 (11/48, 40/9, 29/24). S.S. Kumarapperuma (Army) beat K.H.K. Sachintha (SLPA) 2-0 (29/21, 41/12). M. Fahim (Sea Endless) beat S.H.M. Aslam (MSC) 2-0 (35/13, 37/11). Susantha Boteju (Sea Endless) beat Anil Rohana (AAC) 2-0 (34/29, 42/19). Ashiq Hussain (MICH) beat S.S. Dinuruwan (Army) 2-1 (19/43, 35/24, 43/24). M.M. Rikas (BRC) beat Prasanna Pushpakumara (ICSC) 2-0 (51/19, 29/18). Susantha Wickrema (Army) beat T.D. Maduranga (Army) 2-1 (45/11. 20/41, 38/11).
- Quarter- Finals - Susantha Boteju (Sea Endless) beat M. Fahim (Sea Endless) 3-1 (43/1, 15/25, 44/8, 41/1). Ashiq Hussain (MICH) beat Susantha Wickrema (Army) 3-0 (36/21, 46/18, 32/8). M.M. Rikas (BRC) beat S.S. Kumarapperuma (Army) 3-0 (44/37, 33/18, 41/21). M.M. Mubeen (Army) beat M.J.A. Thasleem (AAC) 3-2 (35/16, 28/31, 39/14, 23/36, 47/15).