17-yr-old school student wins snooker c’ship

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Chandigarh’s 17-year-old Ranveer Duggal, a student of PMLSD School, Sector 32, defeated Dhruv Patel of Gujarat to win the sub-junior category final of the National Snooker Championship in Bhopal.

Duggal defeated Patel on the decisive black ball of the deciding frame in a best of seven frames match, which went the full distance 84-33, 54-34, 22-58, 15-79, 51-56, 76-18 and 55-48 points. In a pulsating affair, Duggal showed exemplary grit and determination. He started in a confident manner to win the first two frames and had a break of 40 in the first frame.

However, Patel rallied strongly to take the third followed by the fourth with a flourishing break of 60 in the restoring parity at 2-2 frames. The fifth frame was a nail-biting affair before Patel pocketed the frame on the black decider for a crucial lead of 3-2.

However, Duggal clawed back into the game and put the score at par 3-3. Patel was leading 48-00 in the deciding 7th frame. However, he made a wrong choice. With three red balls remaining, Patel chose the yellow ball, instead of the pink. The lead was reduced to 13-48 and Duggal took its advantage. He cleared the table to grab a 35-point clearance. In the decisive round, Duggal pocketed the black for a superb victory. Earlier, in the semi-finals, he had outraged Maharashtra’s contender.