Hirjee’s Experience Sees Him Through
By a Staff Reporter
In one of the best snooker matches seen in Calcutta f or many years the Ceylon champion, Mohammed Lafir, defeated former title holder Wilson Jones by four frames to two on Thursday night to make sensational entry into the final of the National Championship.
Four frames to two it was all right , but look at this score ( Lafir first ) : 27-91, 69-41, 56-52, 66-62,42-67, 93-53. The figures indicate that the match was close enough but there was much more in it not revealed by the dull prosaic evidence of the above board.
Spectators watched a tense battle of attrition lasting about two and a half hours during which time both players released their skill and accuracy with unremitting zeal. Each waiting for the other to make a mistake . Here indeed was snooker in its truest sense.
Jones played fine control led snooker but not , as I thought with customary fluency. His tendency towards safety play rather cramped his style and there were many occasions when, in trying to leave things safe , he played into the hands of his younger opponent.
Finest Hour
Nevertheless it was Lafir’s finest hour and he fully deserved his victory if only for the manner in which he cashed in on opportunities presented to him. He played with serene assurance with a very fine touch and a high degree of accuracy .
Jones started well while Lafir appeared to be a little shaky. Leaving little or nothing for his opponent and potting with deadly accuracy he ran away with the first frame which was highlighted by a neat break of 44 consisting of six reds one blue two pinks and three blacks.
But from the beginning of the second frame Lafir picked up the trail of caution and by scoring rapidly and snookering Jones wherever he could he took a firm grip on this frame . Jones appeared to be a little unsettled by these tactics and when it came to the colours it was Lafir who got the high values finishing the frame by sinking the blue and the pink.
The third frame fell to Lafir on the black ball and so did the fourth but it must be said that Jones failed to sink the pink twice into one of the middle pockets when title ball was well placed. Lafir became a little rash
Coming right back into the picture with a break of 21. Then to every one’s surprise he finished very strongly on the colours sinking the brown , blue, pink and black in a row to win the frame and the match.
Hirjee Wins
In the second semi – final of the night the Bengal champion Chandra Hirjee defeated the rising young player T. G. Krishna from Andhra university the scores being 76 – 39, 22 -80, 44 -50, 78 -27, 59 -38, 54 - 27 .
Experienced carried the day in this game but while Hirjee had no reason to be displeased with his own performance ‘s great deal of credit must go to young Krishna for his splendid performance. Completely unperturbed he hocked into his task bringing off some smashing cuts – especially on the black – into the two pockets.
Hirjee won the first frame easily enough with breaks of 24 and 22 but he was taken completely by surprise in the second frame which Krishna won comfortably after taking an early lead. Krishna’s highest break here was 25.
In the third frame Krishna had a slight lead when all the reds had gone but Hirjee led 44 – 37 when he bagged the yellow and the green by the brown and blue but Krishna sank the pink and cut the black beautifully into one of the top pockets to win the frame.
Krishna became a little careless in the fourth frame. He missed an easy Middle – pocket blue and then gave four away by missing a red completely. This was asking for trouble and Hirjee soon worked up a lead of 29 – 15 and which be increased to 53 – 25 when all the reds had gone. The frame was over with Hirjee potting the blue, pink and black in a row.
By the time the fifth frame started Hirjee was playing so strongly that he won it without much difficulty although Krishna still continued to catch the eye with some clever pots. When all the reds had gone in the Sixth frame Krishna still had a chance of getting even but it was not the lucky day. Hirjee sank the brown, the blue and then finished the frame and the match with a very lucky double on the pink, there being no need for the black ball to go down.
Snooker Final – C Hirjee v M. J. M Lafir ( 6 p.m. )
By a Staff Reporter
In one of the best snooker matches seen in Calcutta f or many years the Ceylon champion, Mohammed Lafir, defeated former title holder Wilson Jones by four frames to two on Thursday night to make sensational entry into the final of the National Championship.
Four frames to two it was all right , but look at this score ( Lafir first ) : 27-91, 69-41, 56-52, 66-62,42-67, 93-53. The figures indicate that the match was close enough but there was much more in it not revealed by the dull prosaic evidence of the above board.
Spectators watched a tense battle of attrition lasting about two and a half hours during which time both players released their skill and accuracy with unremitting zeal. Each waiting for the other to make a mistake . Here indeed was snooker in its truest sense.
Jones played fine control led snooker but not , as I thought with customary fluency. His tendency towards safety play rather cramped his style and there were many occasions when, in trying to leave things safe , he played into the hands of his younger opponent.
Finest Hour
Nevertheless it was Lafir’s finest hour and he fully deserved his victory if only for the manner in which he cashed in on opportunities presented to him. He played with serene assurance with a very fine touch and a high degree of accuracy .
Jones started well while Lafir appeared to be a little shaky. Leaving little or nothing for his opponent and potting with deadly accuracy he ran away with the first frame which was highlighted by a neat break of 44 consisting of six reds one blue two pinks and three blacks.
But from the beginning of the second frame Lafir picked up the trail of caution and by scoring rapidly and snookering Jones wherever he could he took a firm grip on this frame . Jones appeared to be a little unsettled by these tactics and when it came to the colours it was Lafir who got the high values finishing the frame by sinking the blue and the pink.
The third frame fell to Lafir on the black ball and so did the fourth but it must be said that Jones failed to sink the pink twice into one of the middle pockets when title ball was well placed. Lafir became a little rash
Coming right back into the picture with a break of 21. Then to every one’s surprise he finished very strongly on the colours sinking the brown , blue, pink and black in a row to win the frame and the match.
Hirjee Wins
In the second semi – final of the night the Bengal champion Chandra Hirjee defeated the rising young player T. G. Krishna from Andhra university the scores being 76 – 39, 22 -80, 44 -50, 78 -27, 59 -38, 54 - 27 .
Experienced carried the day in this game but while Hirjee had no reason to be displeased with his own performance ‘s great deal of credit must go to young Krishna for his splendid performance. Completely unperturbed he hocked into his task bringing off some smashing cuts – especially on the black – into the two pockets.
Hirjee won the first frame easily enough with breaks of 24 and 22 but he was taken completely by surprise in the second frame which Krishna won comfortably after taking an early lead. Krishna’s highest break here was 25.
In the third frame Krishna had a slight lead when all the reds had gone but Hirjee led 44 – 37 when he bagged the yellow and the green by the brown and blue but Krishna sank the pink and cut the black beautifully into one of the top pockets to win the frame.
Krishna became a little careless in the fourth frame. He missed an easy Middle – pocket blue and then gave four away by missing a red completely. This was asking for trouble and Hirjee soon worked up a lead of 29 – 15 and which be increased to 53 – 25 when all the reds had gone. The frame was over with Hirjee potting the blue, pink and black in a row.
By the time the fifth frame started Hirjee was playing so strongly that he won it without much difficulty although Krishna still continued to catch the eye with some clever pots. When all the reds had gone in the Sixth frame Krishna still had a chance of getting even but it was not the lucky day. Hirjee sank the brown, the blue and then finished the frame and the match with a very lucky double on the pink, there being no need for the black ball to go down.
Snooker Final – C Hirjee v M. J. M Lafir ( 6 p.m. )