Shandilya in final

Thirty-two-year-old Ashok Shandilya is just a step away from retaining his national billiards crown.

In a one-sided semi-final on Thursday, Shandilya was as impressive as ever as he steamrolled India No 4 Alok Kumar of Punjab 1294-966 to make the grade.

In a nutshell, it was yet another day at office for the reigning champion, who meant business right from the beginning. With excellent top-table play, he hardly gave any room for Alok to entertain hopes of a recovery once he started with a superb break of 89 as early as in his seventh visit.

That was just the beginning as Shandilya, the Asian chammpion, excelled on the green baize with consistent potting. A break of 191, thus far the highest in the tournament, on the 14th visit conveyed his rollicking form.

Alok, on the other hand, had a few fruitless visits in the initial phase, barring an 81 in the fourth visit. The next worthwhile trip for him was in the 33rd where he notched up a break of 69 and followed it up with 107 in the 39th, 129 in the 42nd, 56 in the 46th and rounded off with 83 in the 50th and last visit.

Perhaps Alok woke up too late, considering the breaks he had in the closing stages of the match, as Shandilya ran up a big lead which proved insurmountable in the end.

UNI