BY ARMSTRONG VAS
Doha: The 6-Red snooker format introduced by International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) has created quite a storm. A majority of the players root for it over the traditional version of the game.
Reigning amateur world champion, Muhammad Asif of Pakistan and Asian amateur champion, Muhammad Saleh of Afghanistan, gave the 6-Red a thumbs-up.
Asif, who won the 6-Red Asian Snooker Championship in Qatar on Monday said: “It is a fast and exciting version. I like it. Many players like, as the game finishes in quick time.”
The Afghan player echoed similar views.
“The 6-Red is a good thing which has happened. The spectators love it. More people are getting hooked up to the game,” said Saleh, who also runs a snooker club in Kabul.
6-Red snooker is played with six red balls on the table as opposed to the standard fifteen. The table is the same size as in the traditional 15-red game. The format was designed to feature shorter frames, due to fewer red balls.
This format is hoped to revive the popularity of snooker as a spectator sport, in the same way Twenty20 has done to cricket.
But, there are some dissenting voices. Qatar coach Mike Russell is one of them.
He is in favour of the 15-ball game, over the shorter version of the game.
“I do not like it. I am a bit of a tradionalist. I like the proper game. I do not know why they are doing it, maybe they are trying to speed up the game a little bit,” said the 11-time world champion professional in the game of billiards.
“As for me, there is nothing wrong with it (15-ball traditional game) anyway. So, I am a traditionalist,” added Russell, who has been coaching in Qatar since 2007.
“It (6-Red) is a tough game. It is a bit of a leveler. So it is more of a tactical game. So if you get your tactics right, then, you are in with a chance. Lot of games is tight. No one wants to take risks, as one miss, game over,” he added.
The 44-year-old is sad that cue sports will not feature in the next edition of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
“It is a shame (Cue sports missing from the Asian Games). I was banking on the cue sports Asian giants to fight for inclusion for cue sports in the Asian Games. But, nothing happened. Hopefully, they will reinstate cue in the next edition of the Asian Games,” said the Englishman.
THE PENINSULA
