tpl2015

Tamil Nadu Premier League 2015 - Snooker

By Dhurai A.N. July 23, 2015

Calm hands, steady hands- hit! A ball rolls smoothly across the pool table. It hits another ball which falls neatly into a hole on the side. It is all over. Team 147 shouts in delight. Coming from two frames down, Asian Games Gold medalist Rafath Habib has turned the tables to defeat his opponent Anuj Uppal from Erode Emperors.

The final of the inaugural edition of Snooker’s Tamilnadu Premier League (TPL) is going on and Team 147 is trailing 0-2. They look to be heading towards another defeat when suddenly their captain Rafath Habib who remained undefeated throughout the tournament pulls off a stunning win. “If I lost, it would have been end of the road for my team” he says after the win. “Winning from two down in a best of five frame match is not an easy task” he adds. This gold medalist at the 2002 Asian Games at Busan also gives tips about the game, “Snooker and billiards are all about angle reflection. Concentration is the key. Yoga practice also helps. Snooker is a developing sport in India. Leagues like TPL might popularize the sport in our country”. He also thanks News 7 Tamil television channel for being the sponsor.

Rafath Habib in action against Anuj Uppal in the finals Photo: Dhurai A.N.

TPL, which is an IPL style snooker and billiards tournament, had eight teams divided into two groups. Each team consisted of nine players (eight who play and one substitute) competing for the 4 lakh rupees winner purse. Erode Emperors, Team 147, Madras Super Devils and Madras Rockets fought it out in the first group while India Pistons Limited, Elektronik Lab, Lanson Knights and Cues and You formed the second group. Team 147 won the tournament defeating Erode Emperors who earned 3 lakh rupees in the process. The semifinalists Lanson Knights and Elektronik Lab got one lakh rupees each.

Rafath Habib at the TV interview after winning Photo: Dhurai A.N.

The TPL tournament was held at the Tamilnadu Cricket Association’s TNCA Club located inside the MA Chidambaram stadium, Chepauk from July 15 to 19, with the round robin matches being held for the first three days and the latter two days witnessing the semifinals and final. As the tournament was held inside the TNCA club, this reporter learnt about the club’s collared-shirt-only-entry policy. This tournament was held following the success of the Snooker Premier League conducted at Erode last year.

Rafath Habib and the reporter Photo: D. Navaneetham