Snooker: Moors SC’s Fahim clinches maiden National title

The clash in the final of the 66th National Snooker Championship played at the Moors SC billiards table saw M.F.M. Fahim of Moors SC clinch his maiden national snooker title in style with a convincing six frames to one win over experienced Ryan Somaratna of Otters AC on Saturday (3).
 
Fahim was on course to lift the title when he took a comfortable five frames to one at the end of the first session in the 11 frames encounter. 

The final encounter was expected to be a closely contested affair due to the fact that the two young cueists were seeking to bag their maiden national snooker title. 

Of course Somaratna was the favourite as this was his fourth appearance in a national snooker which ended in him playing second fiddle to 19 times national snooker champion Susantha Boteju representing Sea Endless in all four occasions whom he knocked out in the semifinal encounter played on Thursday (25). 

In contrast it was Fahim’s first ever appearance in a national snooker final and it seems that he is well on his way to achieve his target and the 11 frame encounter that got underway saw Somaratna going into the lead with a comfortable win in the first frame but unfortunately that was the only win that he was able to produce as Fahim rattled his opponent with ease. 

Fahim after the completion of six frames in the first session saw him recording easy wins in the second and third frames and even though Somaratna made a break of 54 in the fourth he ended in the losing side. 

In the fifth frame saw Fahim making a 54 break to clinch the frame with the minimum of fuss (74/12) and then further increased his lead with a close sixth frame win. 

In the second session Fahim who needed just one frame to win did not want to take any chances and rattled his opponent with a convincing 75-26 win to wrap up the game in style.
 
The 66th National Snooker Championship conducted by the Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka and sponsored by U.W. Sumathipala Group of Companies saw the participation of 31 cueists comprising of 15 top ranked players and 16 cueists in qualifying tournaments held in for district tournaments Colombo, Galle, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy. 

Result: Fahim beat Somartne 6-1
M.F.M. Fahim (Moors SC) beat Ryan Somaratna (Otters AC) 6-1 (35/66, 61/49, 64/30, 67/60, 72/12, 65/56. 75/26)