Hirjee Loses Early Grip On Match
By a Staff Reporter
From one of the closet finals Witnessed in years Wilson Jones (Bombay) emerged a worthy Winner over Bengal’s Chandra Hirjee by six frames to five to become snooker champion of India at the Great Easter Hotel on Friday night. The scores were
(Jones first): 57-64, 68-44, 49-66, 66-44, 51-63,32-98, 85-42, 86-33, 76-30,46-48, 56-45.
THUS was Hirjee ‘s long standing ambition to win the snooker title and achieve the season’s double frustrated by Jones who registered his fourth triumph, his previous successful years being 1948, 1953 and 1954. He was rubber- up to Selvaraj in 1949.
But mere statistics tell nothing of the drama and high tension surroumding this most fascinating match. Jones was the steadier player and profiled to some extent by Hirjee’s mistakes. Everything he did was skillfully planned and executed whereas Hirjee ran into all manner of trouble apart from missing a number of easy shots.
After Hirjee’s magnificent game against Lafir on Thursday and with jones making a break of 101 during practice on Friday morning a battle royal was expected and so it proved tobe Hirjee was leading by three frames to two and he increased his lead by one frame immediately after resumption.
Jones then began to fight and after leveling the frame score at 4-4, went ahead by winning the ninth frame easily. He looked a clear winner in the tenth frame until
Hirjee staged a magnificent recovery on the colours 10 square the match.
A nerve – racking battle of attrition was witnessed in the final frame during which Hirjee appeared to be gaining the upper hand. And good reason had everyone to believe that Hirjee would win until a foul stroke cost him the title.
Throughout the match Hirjee had shown a particular aversion for the pink ball . He missed easy pots on the pink in the second and fourth frames and left it on for Jones. On two occasion straight pots on the pink dipped into the pocket and came out again to leave Jones with very profitable situations.
FATAL STROKE
The same ball proved Hirjee’s bete noire in the eleventh and final frame.
With the score 43-25 in his favour Hirjee sank the yellow. He found himself snookered on the green and in attempting his famous masse swerve to negotiate the green he touched the pink with his cue. In the twinkling of an eye Jones sized up the situation calmly eliminated the green and went on to clear the table.
Sympathies rested with Hirjee on this one fatal stroke alone but as the more astute campaigner Jones fully deserved victory. At the time Jones commenced his final eliminating break he trailed 31-45.
With the frame ending at 54-45 in his favour , it can easily be seen that the whole match rested on the destiny of the last ball- a fitting climax to a truly great final.
And now to get back to the first frame. Hirjee was very epitome of confidence at the strat and made a smart break of 23. Not to be outdone Jones almost neutralized his lead and the frame could have gone either way after the colours had gone. Jones got the yellow , green and brown in a row but Hirjee eliminated the remaining three colours to win the frame.
Hirjee took a quick lead of 24-0 in the second frame and soon led 29-13. Jones replied with a neat break of 30 (two blacks, two pinks and four reds ) and when Hirjee potted the last red he trialed 30-55. Seizing a good chance offered by Jones Hirjee sent down the yellow, green, brown and blue only to fail with a straight shot on the pink. He left it on a plate for Jones who sank it and followed up with the black to win the frame.
Tall- scoring was witnessed in the third frame . Jones knocked up 24 and Hirjee replied with 34 consisting of four blacks, one yellow and four reds. After missing the green he led 53-47 and improved his position by potting the green and the brown .
Jones got the blue but failed on the pink, leaving it nicely on for Hirjee and the frame was over.
A BREAK OF 29 enabled Jones to lead 49-29 in the fourth frame with only two reds left. Hirjee cut the last red in, but his cue ball disappeared thereby causing him to concede four points. Jones missed an easy yellow and Hirjee was in a winning position when he sank the yellow, green, brown and blue only to fail once again on the pink. Jones helped himself to the pink and the black to square the match at 2-2.
Hirjee missed the pink once again at a crucial stage in the fifth frame. He was then snookered on the same ball and gave away six but eventually sank it to win the frame. At the start of the sixth frame Hirjee ended a break of 25 with a miscue While attempting an easy black. He led 33-0 soon after and although Jones replied with 19 he built up a big lead Jones conceding the frame with two balls left.
So it was 4-2 in favour of Hirjee and from the start of the seventh frame Jones commenced hi uphill tactical battle. To use the colloquial term Jones fixed him several times and he began to concede points.
Jones thus built up such a lead that Hirjee conceded the frame with three balls left. Hirjee got ahead early in the eight frame but his lead was short-lived. He fell into perplexity , again and Jones , taking all the colours from the yellow to the black, levelled up at 4-4.
The pattern of the ninth frame took shape early when both players struggled to keep the cue ball away from the cluster of reds at the top of the table. Hirjee eventually left Jones a sitting red and the Bombay player went on to make 31, Jones once again capitalized on the colours to win the frame and put himself ahead.
Hirjee was in trouble again in the tenth frame but when all seemed lost he staged a magnificent rally, sinking every ball from the brown starting with a difficult cut- to the black to win the frame by two points. What happened in the final frame has already been described and the curtain came down on one of the most eventful billiards and snooker seasons since the war.
By a Staff Reporter
From one of the closet finals Witnessed in years Wilson Jones (Bombay) emerged a worthy Winner over Bengal’s Chandra Hirjee by six frames to five to become snooker champion of India at the Great Easter Hotel on Friday night. The scores were
(Jones first): 57-64, 68-44, 49-66, 66-44, 51-63,32-98, 85-42, 86-33, 76-30,46-48, 56-45.
THUS was Hirjee ‘s long standing ambition to win the snooker title and achieve the season’s double frustrated by Jones who registered his fourth triumph, his previous successful years being 1948, 1953 and 1954. He was rubber- up to Selvaraj in 1949.
But mere statistics tell nothing of the drama and high tension surroumding this most fascinating match. Jones was the steadier player and profiled to some extent by Hirjee’s mistakes. Everything he did was skillfully planned and executed whereas Hirjee ran into all manner of trouble apart from missing a number of easy shots.
After Hirjee’s magnificent game against Lafir on Thursday and with jones making a break of 101 during practice on Friday morning a battle royal was expected and so it proved tobe Hirjee was leading by three frames to two and he increased his lead by one frame immediately after resumption.
Jones then began to fight and after leveling the frame score at 4-4, went ahead by winning the ninth frame easily. He looked a clear winner in the tenth frame until
Hirjee staged a magnificent recovery on the colours 10 square the match.
A nerve – racking battle of attrition was witnessed in the final frame during which Hirjee appeared to be gaining the upper hand. And good reason had everyone to believe that Hirjee would win until a foul stroke cost him the title.
Throughout the match Hirjee had shown a particular aversion for the pink ball . He missed easy pots on the pink in the second and fourth frames and left it on for Jones. On two occasion straight pots on the pink dipped into the pocket and came out again to leave Jones with very profitable situations.
FATAL STROKE
The same ball proved Hirjee’s bete noire in the eleventh and final frame.
With the score 43-25 in his favour Hirjee sank the yellow. He found himself snookered on the green and in attempting his famous masse swerve to negotiate the green he touched the pink with his cue. In the twinkling of an eye Jones sized up the situation calmly eliminated the green and went on to clear the table.
Sympathies rested with Hirjee on this one fatal stroke alone but as the more astute campaigner Jones fully deserved victory. At the time Jones commenced his final eliminating break he trailed 31-45.
With the frame ending at 54-45 in his favour , it can easily be seen that the whole match rested on the destiny of the last ball- a fitting climax to a truly great final.
And now to get back to the first frame. Hirjee was very epitome of confidence at the strat and made a smart break of 23. Not to be outdone Jones almost neutralized his lead and the frame could have gone either way after the colours had gone. Jones got the yellow , green and brown in a row but Hirjee eliminated the remaining three colours to win the frame.
Hirjee took a quick lead of 24-0 in the second frame and soon led 29-13. Jones replied with a neat break of 30 (two blacks, two pinks and four reds ) and when Hirjee potted the last red he trialed 30-55. Seizing a good chance offered by Jones Hirjee sent down the yellow, green, brown and blue only to fail with a straight shot on the pink. He left it on a plate for Jones who sank it and followed up with the black to win the frame.
Tall- scoring was witnessed in the third frame . Jones knocked up 24 and Hirjee replied with 34 consisting of four blacks, one yellow and four reds. After missing the green he led 53-47 and improved his position by potting the green and the brown .
Jones got the blue but failed on the pink, leaving it nicely on for Hirjee and the frame was over.
A BREAK OF 29 enabled Jones to lead 49-29 in the fourth frame with only two reds left. Hirjee cut the last red in, but his cue ball disappeared thereby causing him to concede four points. Jones missed an easy yellow and Hirjee was in a winning position when he sank the yellow, green, brown and blue only to fail once again on the pink. Jones helped himself to the pink and the black to square the match at 2-2.
Hirjee missed the pink once again at a crucial stage in the fifth frame. He was then snookered on the same ball and gave away six but eventually sank it to win the frame. At the start of the sixth frame Hirjee ended a break of 25 with a miscue While attempting an easy black. He led 33-0 soon after and although Jones replied with 19 he built up a big lead Jones conceding the frame with two balls left.
So it was 4-2 in favour of Hirjee and from the start of the seventh frame Jones commenced hi uphill tactical battle. To use the colloquial term Jones fixed him several times and he began to concede points.
Jones thus built up such a lead that Hirjee conceded the frame with three balls left. Hirjee got ahead early in the eight frame but his lead was short-lived. He fell into perplexity , again and Jones , taking all the colours from the yellow to the black, levelled up at 4-4.
The pattern of the ninth frame took shape early when both players struggled to keep the cue ball away from the cluster of reds at the top of the table. Hirjee eventually left Jones a sitting red and the Bombay player went on to make 31, Jones once again capitalized on the colours to win the frame and put himself ahead.
Hirjee was in trouble again in the tenth frame but when all seemed lost he staged a magnificent rally, sinking every ball from the brown starting with a difficult cut- to the black to win the frame by two points. What happened in the final frame has already been described and the curtain came down on one of the most eventful billiards and snooker seasons since the war.