Billiards: Dark horse Rimzan wins maiden national title

It was no doubt a fairy tale for young H.A.M. Rimzan representing YMCA Colombo as the 26-year-old cueist who could be deemed as the “Dark Horse” and appearing in only his second national billiards championship succeeded to clinch the title. 

Rimzan outclassed a seasoned campaigner S.H.M. Aslam of Moors SC, the most experience of the 31cueists that participated in the final of the 65th National Billiards Championship played at the Moors SC billiards table in Colombo on Saturday (5). 

The four hour final played in two sessions of two hours each which began in the morning saw Rimzan putting himself on a sound footing and was way ahead having chalked up 479 points as against to Aslam’s 272 to lead by 207 points. 

Rimzan who took up to the game only in the recent past, in the run up to the final in fact he produced giant killing performances having beaten experience players in the likes of M.M. Mubeen a former runner up whom he overcame in the pre- quarter final. 

He also beat S.S. Dinuruwan in the quarter final. 

Aslam on the other hand is the most experience player in this year’s championship and was the favourite to lift the title. 

Aslam has been in the cue game for over two decades having played second fiddle on seven and nine occasions in the national billiards and snooker championships and was the national billiard runner up to K.H. Sirisoma of SLPA who has won the billiards title a record 25 times up to last year. 

However it was not Aslam’s day as in the semi final encounter he had the honour chalking up the highest points of 1102 and also the highest break of 198 of the championship. 

But the calculated approach of Rimzan rattled the experience Aslam as in the second session the youngster kept up the same momentum of the first and succeeded to maintain his lead to come out victorious by over 400 points. 

Rimzan speaking to the Sunday Times said “billiards has not been my game since I took to playing the cue game. I was concentrating on snooker and only got involved with billiards since two years, so it’s great to be able to win the national title in only my second appearance”. 

In fact it’s after 16 years that YMCA Colombo has come into the limelight in producing a champion. 

The last occasion that a YMCA cueist emerged the national billiard champion was when late nine time champion Henry Boteju won the event in 2002. 

Earlier in the day the clash for the third slot between two cueists from Galle district saw M.M. Jiffrey of YMBA Galle coasting to a comfortable win over P. Guruge of Galle CC. 

Results: 

Final: H.A.M. Rimzan (YMCA Colombo) beat S.H.M. Aslam (MSC) (899/585). 

Third Place Play Off: M.M. Jiffrey (YMBA Galle) beat P. Guruge (Galle CC) (368/351)