Jubilee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship 2019 cues off today
A total of 25 cueists will be contesting the 3rd edition of Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2019 which will get underway here at the Karachi Gymkhana, Karachi.
A total of 25 cueists will be contesting the 3rd edition of Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2019 which will get underway today (Friday) here at the Karachi Gymkhana, Karachi.
The tournament, in which the top 23-ranked cueists of the country are taking part along with a couple of junior nominees, has turned out to be a duel between Punjab and Sindh following late withdrawal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s lone qualifier Rambel Gul due to indisposition.
The 23rd ranked Rambel, who has specially arrived from Dubai to compete in the event, has expressed inability and the number of participants has been reduced from 26 to 25.
The 25 participants have been divided into four groups for the preliminary rounds at the end of which the top two cueists from each group will be advancing to the knockout phase, starting with the quarter-finals.
The preliminary round matches will be the best-of-seven-frame encounters while the quarter-finals and the semi-finals will be the best-of-nine-frame contests. The final, to be staged on October 17, will be the best-of-13-frame fixture.
According to the break-up, Punjab dominates the rankings by occupying 20 places followed by Sindh who have five slots.
Senior cueists Mohammad Bilal and Mohammad Asif have returned with flying colours in the 44th nationals and 11th NBP Cup respectively held earlier this year. The former whipped Asjad Iqbal 8-4 while the latter survived a scare while getting the better of Mubashir Raza 8-7 in a marathon final.
Despite of the trend of the last two domestic competitions, there’s likelihood that at least half-a-dozen youngsters have the ability to pull off upsets. They include Mubashir Raza, Haris Tahir, Mohammad Majid Ali, Naseem Akhtar, Ali Haider and Mohammad Ahsan Javaid.
A sum of Rs195,000 is at stake with the winner getting Rs100,000 and runner-up Rs40,000.
