Current National Junior billiards and snooker champion Rayaan Razmi playing with a handicap of -400 points displayed a cool temperament and consistency in winning his opening Group-G league match defeating Mahesh Jagdale (handicap -300) of ECC, by a 250-99 margin in the race to 250 points format, of the SPG-PCL Billiards Tournament 2022, and played at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Park Club billiards halls.
The tall lanky cueist, Rayaan who practices at the Elphinstone CC and Islam Gymkhana billiards hall, showed excellent touch and constructed a sizeable runs of 113 and 72 and three smaller efforts to warm up nicely for the bigger challenges ahead.
Meanwhile, the top guns Dhruv Sitwala and Ashok Shandilaya made a bright positive start winning their respective group matches. In a Group-A league match, top seed and two-time Asian Billiards champion Sitwala made light of his stiff handicap and defeated Khar Gymkhana’s Manoj Kasare 250-131. The bespectacled left-handed cueist Sitwala rolled in three century plus breaks of 164, 156, and 115 and a couple of substantial runs as he covered up the handicap and raced to the 250-point mark to seal the win.
In a Group-D encounter, former World billiards champion, Ashok Shandilaya (handicap -350) of Central Railway defeated Anand Raghuvanshi (-170) of P.J. Hindu Gymkhana 250-92. Shandilaya compiled four half century breaks (77, 60, 52, and 51) which secured his win.
In another Group-G match, Rovin D’Souza (-275) of Western Railway overcame Chembur Gymkhana’s seasoned cueist Vishal Madan (-425) 250-162 to register his first win.
Shivaji Park Gymkhana’s Sanket Bapat (-180) scored back-to-back wins in Group-H. Bapat first defeated Matunga Gymkhana’s V. Subramanian (-425) 250-41 and then maintained the winning form to overcome fancied Loukic Pathare (-425) 250-120.
Results – Group-A: Dhruv Sitwala (-650) beat Manoj Kasare (KG, -170) 250-131.
Group-B: Sanjeev Bijlani (PCL, -180) beat Sumehr Mago (KG, -200) 250-231.
Group-D: Ashok Shandilya (-350) beat Anand Raghuvanshi (PJHG, -170) 250-92.
Group-G: Rovin D’Souza (Western Railway, -275) beat Vishal Madan (CG, -425) 250-162.
Rayaan Razmi (ECC, -400) beat Mahesh Jagdale (ECC, -300) 250-99.
Group-H: Sanket Bapat (SPG, -180) Beat V. Subramanian (MG, -425) 250-41.
Sanket Bapat (SPG, -180) beat Loukic Pathare (-425) 250-120.