Rockets set for treble

Otters Club team Otters ‘Rockets’ are just a win away from completing an historic hat-trick of triumphs in the BSAM-Otters Mumbai Snooker League. Having consecutively emerged champions in the last two years Otters Rockets’ cueists produced another brilliant consistent performance to bulldoze their way past Malabar Hill Club’s MHCL ‘Snooker Stars’, charging to a quick 3-0 victory in the best-of-five frame semi-final match at the Otters Club billiards room.

Standing in Otters Club’s path to winning their third title is Juhu Vile Parle’s outfit JVPG ‘Mafia’ who scraped past North Indian Association’s NIA ‘Surgical Strikers’ by a thin 3-2 margin in a closely contested second semi-final.

Otters Club’s proficient cueist Abhimanyu Gandhi provided the home team with the best possible start. Gandhi playing with a handicap of +10 against Malabar Hill Club’s Rohan Mehta (+60), showed excellent touch and control as he constructed a break of 40 to cut down the 50 point advantage he had conceded. He followed it up with a neatly compiled effort of 47 to complete a facile 109-64 win in the 15-red singles first frame.

Later, the Otters Club combination of Nabil Lakdawala and Zenul Arsiwala (+18) comfortably defeated the Snooker Stars pairing of Manav Panchal and Adil Engineer (+24) coasting to a 77-42 win in the 9-red doubles second frame and double the lead.

In the third frame, youngster Yash Babni (+55) grabbed his chances to score over Malabar Hill Club’s reliable player Akshat Kejriwal (+45) winning by a close 108- 85 margin to wrap up the contest and ensure Otters Club passage to the summit round.

Earlier, Akshat Kejriwal of Malabar Hill Club had escaped by the skin of his teeth to win deciding fifth frame against Radio Club’s seasoned cueist Cherag Ramakrishnan. The hard fought win ensured ‘Snooker Stars’ sneaked past Radio ‘Tigers’ by a tight 3-2 margin in a closely fought quarter-final. But his team couldn’t replicate the same performance in semi-final.

Rockets fully exploited the home conditions in quarter-final and playing on their home tables as they recorded a stunning 3-0 victory against Khar Gymkhana outfit KG ‘Legends’, who seemed to erred in the team selection and choice of players.

Rishabh Thakkkar and Abhimanyu Gandhi (+9) combined effectively to get the better of Legends duo of Ishpreet Singh Chadha and Deepak Khubchandani (+9) by a 51-37 margin in the 9-red doubles, first frame. Later, Otters Club youngster Yash Babni (+55) played confidently against the experienced Faisal Khan (SCR) and raced to a 90-50 win in the 15-red singles second frame and increase Rockets lead to 2-0.

Later, Nabil Lakdawala (+25) produced a classy performance to outshine Khar Gymkhana’s Nikhil Saigal (+25) in the singles, third frame. Saigal started with a flourish and made a couple of steady pots to stay in front. But, Lakdawala hit a purple patch and with perfect selection of shots he neatly constructed a break of 54 take control. With the last red left, Lakdawala once again got going and cleared till the pink for a run of 24 to knock to complete Otters quick victory.