KARACHI: The snooker season gets underway with the simultaneous hosting of the National under-18 and under-21 championships at the Pakistan Sports Board complex, Islamabad from Friday.

Both the competitions carry prize money of Rs 130,000 apiece with the winners getting a purse of Rs 50,000 each and runners-up Rs 25,000.

The details of the annual calendar were shared by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) with sports journalists at a press conference here at Karachi Gymkhana on Tuesday.

The calendar envisaged 20 competitions — eight domestic and 12 international — including the launch of Pakistan Snooker League that could not take place in the preceding year despite its announcement.

Speaking on the occasion, the PBSF president Munawwar Hussaain Shaikh said the federation is more focused on juniors who are producing good results. He cited an example of Punjab Cup held recently at Lahore where junior world champion and prodigy Haris Tahir was crowned champion by getting the better of reigning junior world under-18 champion Mohammad Naseem Akhtar in the final.

Answering questions pertaining to selling of 20 imported tables worth over Rs 8 million, he said the tables were sold and replaced by new ones and presently the PBSF has a stock of 10 tables.

He further said discussions were underway with the sponsors for the launch of Pakistan Snooker League (PSL) this year.

Speaking on the occasion, managing director of Jubilee Insurance Tahir Ahmed recalled his firm’s 11-year-old association with the PBSF. He hoped that the relationship will foster in the years to come.

Elaborating upon the calendar, he said besides the above mentioned junior events, the other domestic competitions include second National Master’s ((forty+) Snooker championship at Lahore from Jan 27, the 43rd National Snooker Championship at Karachi from 10 to 21, three other national ranking tournaments, all at Karachi, the PSL and the provincial cups.

According to him, Pakistani cueists will feature in the following international events — Asian Open Team at Doha from March 4 to 8, 19th Asian under-21 at Myanmar from April; 18 to 25, 14th Asian Snooker Championship at Iran from April 22 to 28, sixth Asian Team and seventh 6-Reds Snooker Champ­ionship at Chandigarh from May 5 to 11, IBSF World under-21 Snooker Championship from July 1 to 12 (venue not decided), IBSF 6-Reds and Team Event Aug (venue not decided), second Asian Billiards Sports South Korea Aug 11 to 19, IBSF Asian Tour Sept 26 to 29 (venue not decided), IBSF Asian Tour Oct 7 to 10 (venue not decided), IBSF World under-16 Snooker Champ­ionship Oct (venue not decided), IBSF Asian Tour Oct 22 to 25(Sindh, Punjab, Baloch­tistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad) and the IBSF World Snooker Championship — men’s, women’s, master’s — November (venue not decided).

The secretary of the PBSF Zulfiqar Ramzi and the former president of the PBSF Alamgir Shaikh were also present.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2018