Advani is only the second cueist to win billiards and snooker amateur world titles

New Delhi: National champion Pankaj Advani outplayed compatriot Devendra Joshi 6-2 to lift his maiden world billiards (points format) crown at Qawra (Malta), as briefly reported in Thursday?s Late City Edition.

The 19-year-old cueist ? who also holds the Asian title ? once again proved that he has matured as a player as he comfortably defeated his senior player 151-107, 150-57, 150-93, 151-65, 44-151, 151-62, 30-150, 151-68 late on Wednesday in only the second all-Indian summit clash in the history of the championship.

The first time that two Indians clashed in the final for the world amateur billiards crown was in 1990 when Manoj Kothari defeated Ashok Shandilya to annex the title at Bangalore.

The win also made Advani only the second cueist to have won both the billiards and snooker amateur world titles. The other player who achieved this distinction is Malta?s Paul Mifsud, who won the IBSF world snooker crown in 1985, 86 and the IBSF world billiards title in 1979 in Sri Lanka. Advani had won the 2003 IBSF world snooker title in china.

Joshi, who had dropped only one frame in the tournament before the summit clash, began with breaks of 41 and 66 in the first frame but Advani came up with a break of 134 to make a winning start. The Bangalore-based cueist then came up with breaks of 102 and 83 in the next two frames to race to a 3-0 lead and then compiled another 112 break to go into the break in a commanding position.

Joshi compiled an unfinished break of 147 in the opening frame of the second session to reduce Advani?s lead but the eventual champion made sure that the gap of four frames remained by taking the sixth frame with a break of 113.

Though Advani could not do anything but see Joshi running away with the seventh frame with an unfinished break of 145, he kept his cool to compile breaks of 58 and 91 ? unfinished ? to pocket the next frame and clinch the title.