By IANS
New Delhi : Top cueists Dharminder Lilly, Rafath Habib and Dhruv Sitwala will vie for the lone Indian berth for the October-November Asian Indoor Games when they clash at the maiden one-cushion National Carombole Championship here from Wednesday.
The winner will play at the third Asian Indoor Games in Macau, China, from Oct 27 to Nov 3, the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) announced here Friday.
The five-day carombole championship will be held at the Billiardco Hall in Malviya Nagar here.
The Indian team for billiards, snooker and pool will be picked after a selection tournament in Bangalore in August.
"Prominent cueists, including Pankaj Advani, Geet Sethi, Yasin Merchant, Alok Kumar and Manan Chandra, would be vying for berths either in billiards, snooker or pool," said BSFI vice-president Ravi K. Tandon.
Lilly, who reached the final of the Guinness Asian 9-ball pool Tour recently in Kuala Lumpur, is the reigning national champion in the three-cushion carombole. His participation in one-cushion carombole will give boost to this version of cue sport in the country.
Lilly, nonetheless, will also concentrate on pool as he has been riding his luck since his maiden Asian Tour final. He will participate in the next event on the Tour in Shanghai, China, from Aug 3 to 5.
Having gone through a lean patch, Habib, the 2002 Asian Games gold medallist in snooker doubles, will try to make his comeback to the green baize through carombole.
Billiards exponent Sitwala, who is currently playing in the World Professional Billiards Championship in London, has sent his entry from there. The championship gets over July 23.
With carombole being not as popular as billiards, snooker and pool, the Delhi Billiards and Snooker Association (DBSA), the organisers of the upcoming National Championship, has arranged two standard-sized tables.
Cueists desirous to have the feel of the table can practise from July 23 to 25.
National pool coach Mukesh Rehani and organising secretary Amarjeet Singh will be at hand to explain the rules and regulations of the game as supplied by the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS).
The BSFI has waived off the accreditation fees of Rs.1,750 for all participants. BSFI president P.V.K. Menon has announced the waiver as a promotional incentive for this cue sport discipline.
International referee badge holder Ajay K. Rastogi will be the chief referee of the championship.
Delhi Minister for Health and Family Welfare Yoganand Shastri will open the championship.
The only other national championship for carombole was organised in Delhi in 2001. The event was held for three-cushion type as the 2002 Busan Asian Games had carombole event in that format.