KARACHI: It took Punjab’s Imran Shehzad 12 years to end title jinx when he captured his maiden crown at the national level on Sunday imposing to 8-6 frames victory over Sindh’s Sohail Shehzad in the final of Snooker Cup at the Karachi Club. The champion also entered his name in the annals of the game by compiling two elegant century breaks, including the highest, in the final of a national ranking event.
Imran beat his opponent 23-75, 94-15, 16-86, 68-21, 34-86, 127-1, 72-58, 50-60, 56-27, 54-81, 78-44, 49-68, 69-44, 103-0 in the epic final that lasted for some six hours in two sessions.
“I was confident of delivering the goods following the triumph against Shahram Changezi in the semi-final,” a jubilant Imran told Dawn after the final.
The 35-year-old Lahore-based cueist said: “It was his long time dream which has finally come true.”
Previously ranked fourth, he has now surged to the top of the national ranking which he has held once before in 2006-07.
Sohail, 28, a native of Karachi, who had made it to first final of his career, was of full praise for Imran.
“He (Imran) played well and was outstanding particularly, in the last two frames,” he said.
Apart from attaining No 1 and 2 ranking, both Imran and Sohail have also qualified for the World Snooker Championship being held at Damascus in December.
Imran hammered highest century break of 123 in the sixth frame and piled up another of 102 in the 14th and last.
After a neck-and-neck battle, the two cueists were tied 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6 when Imran displayed his potting abilities to win the next two frames and the title.
A beaming Imran received a winning purse of Rs50,000 and a glittering winner’s trophy in addition to highest break award of Rs5,000. Sohail fetched Rs30,000 and the runner-up trophy.
An ex-KCCI president, Anjum Nisar, offered a one-year contract of Rs8,000 per month to Imran.
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