Cleary wins exciting seven – frame Tie

By a Staff Reporter

A mild sensation was created in the opening match of the unofficial World Amateur Snooker Championship at Great Eastern Hotel on Wednesday when Wilfred Axiak of Malta defeated National title holder Wilson Jones by four frames to one. The scores were (Axiak first) : 80-22,33-84,67-41,65-50.
The second match of the evening was more exciting Tralling one frame to three. Australia’s Tom Cleary asserted his superiority in no uncertain terms to win the next three frames in a row and run out a creditable winner by the odd frame in seven. The scores here were (Cleary first) 70-37,42-55,42-78,120-2,84-13,65-34.
A possible explanation for the elimination of Jones was that the recent World Billiards Championship had taken heavy toll of his resources but on the merit of the game itself Axiak was a worthy winner . He gave a performance that exceeded expectations particularly when potting from long range and when it came to tactics he showed that he was well schooled in this department of play.
Axiak made a good start in the first frame and built up such a big lead that Jones realized . When all the reds had gone down, that his was a lost cause. He conceded the frame with the black ball still on the table Jones scored a runaway win in the second frame as a result of a fine break of 37 consisting of five reds. One blue, one pink and three blacks.
A break of 25 played a big part in Axiak winning the third frame. The issue being decided when Jones left the pink almost hanging over a pocket The fourth frame was evenly contested until a stage was reached when Jones missed an easy black. Axiak then, made a break of 16 to take a comfortable lead and win the frame.
Despite the fact that Axiak took an early lead in the fifth frame Jones played himself back into the game but his luck ran out When, after scoring eight points and potting the yellow , the cue ball disappeared into a pocket . Later on the fate of the frame and the match was well and truly sealed when Jones left the pink well on for the Axiak to sink, the remaining black ball being inconsensential.
Heavy Hand
Playing with a somewhat heavy hand the Pakistani Cueman Fida Aly fought back gallantly after losing the first frame and potted so consistently that he won three frames in a row Cleary had made a fine break of 30 in the first frame consisting of four reds, one blue and three blacks but lost the initiative in the next three frames. Fida Aly seized most of his opportunities and won the fourth frame somewhat comfortably after an early break of 25 made up of four reds and three blacks.
Cleary ran away with the fifth frame with breaks of 22,24 and 34. In making his break of 34 he sank the last red, the pink and all the colours in a row. A break of 39 consisting of six reds , one brown three blues and two blacks,enabled Cleary to take a firm grip on the sixth frame. Cleary made a quick gateway in the deciding frame and overcoming a brief challenge from Fida Aly after all the reds had gone down, ran out a clear winner. His last stork of the match , a brilliant double on the blue gace clear proof that class had to tell in the end.
Fida Aly, however, was a very gallant loser.
Miss Padmaja Naidu, Governor of West Bengal will distribute the trophies in connexion with the world Amateur Billiards Championship at a banquet on Sunday organized by the billiards Association and Control Council for India.
Today’s Snooker
M.J.M. Lafir (Ceylon0 v Maung Hman (Burma) – 5-30 p.m. Tom Cleary (Australia) v c. Hirjee (India) – semifinal – best of nine frames 98-30 p.m.)