KARACHI, Jan 2: Khurram Hussain Agha, retains his top billing, when the National snooker championship gets under way at the K.P.T. Complex from 21 Jan, 2003.

Forty-eight of the top cueists in the land will be vying for top honours, who will be divided into eight pools with six players in each group.

Although Khurram has still to win a ranking title, he retains the top spot with the top number of points he has amassed during the four ranking tournaments held in the country every year.

Naveen Perwani beat Khurram 7-6, in the last Red & White ranking tournament held late last year, staging a remarkable recovery after trailing 6-1 at one stage of the match.

The young man from the province of Sindh moves into the second spot, ahead of former world No.3 Saleh Mohammad and former world and Asian amateur snooker champion Mohammad Yousuf who is seeded at No.4.

Punjab’s Imran Shehzad, who seems to be improving in leaps and bounds is at No.5 and is followed by former national and junior champion Farhan Mirza, who drops down to No.6.

Young Atiq Latif Bux is the seventh seed and Shakeel Bhatti has the eighth spot.

Minhas Malik scales down the ladder at No.9, NWFP’s dangerman Arifullah at No.10, flamboyant Amit Perwani at No.11, left-hander Vishan Gir at No. 12, M. Faiq Malik (Punjab) at No. 13, another Punjab youngster Fahad Asif at No. 14, Sindh’s potentially sound Amer Shaikh at No.15 and Mohammad Nazir from the Punjab at No.16.