Pankaj Advani blew up a chance to clinch the icon match against a seasoned snooker campaigner in Welshman Darren Morgan and also the tie for Chennai Strikers against Bengaluru Buddies. Being forced to rush his shot for a black ball finish in the second frame — because only few seconds were remaining — he missed it. The setback allowed Morgan to level frame scores 1-1 and take the third frame with the black ball on the green baize.
This match revealed the thrills and frills of the Cue Slam Indian Cue Masters League at the Rajpath Club on Monday. Advani's failed attempt at the last shot of the second frame proved costly for the Strikers as it lost the icon match and the last singles frame match that Laxman Rawat pocketed for the Buddies with considerable ease. The Buddies won 3-2.
To start with Vidya Pillai won some big points in the opening 6-Red mixed doubles with Advani against Morgan and Anastasia Nechaeva. Sandeep Gulati won his 9 ball pool against Dharminder Lilly in seven minutes.
Advani won the opening frame of the icon 6 Red snooker in style at 41-10. Behind 0-29 in the second, he potted the last red and yellow, and the sequence of colours — yellow, green, brown, blue and pink. Sinking the black would have given him 30-29 win and the tie for his team.
The strikers were in the fray because it won the mixed doubles 9-ball pool.
The Advani-Morgan tussle just about captured the essence of the Slam event; they exchanged a banter and laughed off the two black ball related events in the second and third frames.
Delhi Dons won the first round robin league match when it beat Hyderabad Hustlers 4-1. Kelly Fisher won her icon match against Amir Sarkhosh and the snooker doubles with Malkeet Singh.
The results: Bengaluru Buddies bt Chennai Strikers 3-2 ( 6-Red Snooker Darren Morgan & Anastasia Nachaeva lost to Pankaj Advani & Vidya Pillai 7-19; 10-8, 22-5: Darren Morgan bt Pankaj Advani 10-41, 29-23, 21-18; Laxman Rawat bt Dharminder Lilly 42-0; 9 ball pool: Sundeep Gulati bt Dharminder Lilly 2-0; Sundeep Gulati and Anastasia Nachaeva lost to Pandu Rangaiah and Vidya Pillai 0-2.
Delhi Dons bt Hyderabad Hustlers 4-1 ( 6-Red Snooker Kelly Fisher and Malkeet Singh bt Kamal Chawla and Amee Kamani 14-31, 25-15, 20-18; Kelly bt Sarkhosh 21-5, 24-2; Manan Chandra bt Kamal Chawla 39-17; 9 ball pool: Chandra lost to Sarkhosh 0-2; Laura Evans and Malkeet bt Amee Kamani and Anuj Uppal 2-1.
