KARACHI: The ongoing Jubilee Insurance 43rd National Snooker Championship which is taking place at Karachi Gymkhana these days has been hit by walkovers, results reveal.

As many as five walkovers have been awarded so far during the last four days.

Results show that Sindh’s Ian Mark John was the first to get a walkover against Shaikh M. Mudassir of Punjab on the second day. He got another walkover against Balochistan’s Jahangir

Yar Mohammad the following day in group A.

Turyali Aziz of Balochistan was awarded walkover against his provincemate Mahmood Khan on Wednesday.

Punjab’s Abdul Jawaid and Shaikh M. Mudassir were awarded walkovers against Balochistan’s Mahmood Khan and Jahangir Yar Mohammad respectively on Thursday.

Asked about so many walkovers, a spokesman for the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) told Dawn that Jahangir was indisposed due to food poison and Mahmood has accompanied him to Quetta.

Responding to another question, he said Punjab’s Qadeer Abbas was awarded three frames when the match score stood one-all against Balochistan’s Bahadur Khan after the latter was found smoking during break the other day.

Meanwhile, debutant Awais Ullah Munir of Punjab created quite a stir when he toppled sixth seed Zulfiqar

A. Qadir of Sindh in the gruelling battle 4-3.

He came back from the jaws of defeat to stun the seeded cueist 66-24, 23-65, 34-72, 36-73, 77-2, 75-14, 64-54.

Debutant Qadeer Abbas, a Punjab Cup qualifier, is among others who have almost ensured a berth in the knockout stage by staying unbeaten in four matches so far.

The reigning junior world champion Moh­ammad Naseem Akh­tar, former nat­ional champion Moha­m­mad Bilal, local cueist Abdul Sattar and Babar Masih have main­tained a clean slate in their respective groups.

Results:

Mubashir Raza (Punjab) bt Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) 4-3 (15-75, 79-16, 53-67, 72-18, 83-49, 47-62, 49-1); Awais Ullah Munir (Punjab) bt Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) 4-3 (66-24, 23-65, 34-72, 36-73, 77-2, 75-14, 64-54); Khurram H. Agha (Sindh) bt Amir Shehzad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 4-3 (39-78, 47-70, 57-45, 66-29, 71-25, 49-72, 59-50); Mohammad Ishtaiq (Sindh) bt Bahadur Khan (Balochistan) 4-2 (20-61, 78-63, 22-70, 60-43, 67-48, 80-28); Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Mohammad Ahsan Javaid (Punjab) 4-3 (21-86, 59-23, 30-63, 53-44, 78-6, 34-66, 69-56); Abdul Sattar (Sindh) bt Sohail Shahzad (Sindh) 4-3 (67-28, 58-17, 69-31, 42-67, 18-60, 44-65, 62-54); Babar Masih (Punjab) bt Noman Javed (Islamabad) 4-2 (71-11, 31-70, 73-35, 88-33, 26-78, 83-54); Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) bt Mohammad Haris Tahir (Punjab) 4-3 (8-58, 62-67, 32-71, 75-24, 81-22, 68-4, 64-50); Abdul Javaid (Punjab) bt Mehmood Khan (Balochistan) walkover; Fazal Umar Butt (Sindh) bt Saif Ali Khan (Balochistan) 4-0 (75-42, 68-48, 56-15, 55-29); Shaikh M. Mudassir (Punjab) bt Jahangir Yar Mohammad (Bal)ochistanw) walk over; Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Punjab) bt Mohammad Umer (Punjab) 4-1 (59-49, 83-8, 1-64, 59-38, 50-39); Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab) bt Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) 4-0 (73-34, 72-16, 73-18, 57-56); Qadeer Abbas (Punjab) bt Mohammad Abdullah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 4-1 (46-70, 60-41, 70-60, 76-45, 73-46); Mohammad Asif Toba (Punjab) bt Awais Ullah (Punjab) 4-3 (76-5, 81-17, 69-41, 36-62, 19-66, 16-73, 62-53); Umair Alam (Sindh) bt Saeed Ahmed (Balochistan) 4-2 (74-24, 44-62, 52-28, 33-53, 76-22, 65-59); Imran Shahzad (Punjab) bt Amir Shahzad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 4-0 (71-24, 59-56, 75-34, 57-28); Mohammad Sajjad (Punjab) bt Ahmed Shah (Balochistan) 4-1 (53-43, 16-78, 92-1, 59-38, 50-8). Wednesday’s remaining results:

Khurram H. Agha (Sindh) bt Mohammad Sajjad (Punjab) 4-3 Babar Masih (Punjab) bt Sultan Mohammad (Sindh) 4-2 (72-45, 46-59, 64-39, 65-15, 0-72, 73-4); Abdul Sattar (Sindh) bt Amir Shahzad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 4-1 (52-9, 75-39, 66-16, 21-84, 62-13); Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) bt Noman Javed (Islamabad) 4-2 (76-32, 1-59, 79-4, 78-34, 47-53, 66-25); Sohail Shehzad (Sindh) bt Ahmed Shah (Balochistan) 4-1 (42-49, 69-0, 57-38, 74-37, 54-49); Haris Tahir (Punjab) bt Samiullah (Balochistan) 4-1 (43-75, 78-29, 66-58, 97-0, 78-1); Agha Bilawal (Sindh) bt Abdul Javaid (Punjab) 4-2 (20-66, 100-0, 79-0, 65-28, 32-64, 82-27); Musaddiq Mehmood (Islamabad) bt Fazal Umar Butt (Sindh) 4-1 (39-73, 58-50, 78-55, 69-28, 47-45); Turyali Aziz (Balochistan) bt Mehmood Khan (Balochistan) walkover; Aakash Rafique (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Saif Ali Khan (Balochistan) 4-0 (44-4, 54-15, 58-22, 56-52).

Friday’s fixtures:

At 10am: Mubashir Raza (Punjab) v Bahadur Khan (Balochistan); Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) v Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Khurram H. Agha (Sindh) v Sohail Shahzad (Sindh); Mohammad Ishtaiq (Sindh) v Mohammad Abdullah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Mohammad Ahsan Javaid (Punjab) v Saeed Ahmed (Balochistan); Abdul Sattar (Sindh) v Mohammad Sajjad (Punjab).

At 12noon: Babar Masih (Punjab) v Haris Tahir (Punjab); Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) v Sultan Mohammad (Sindh); Asjad Iqbal (Punjab) v Jahangir Yar Mohammad (Balochistan); Mohammad Asif (Punjab) v Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Punjab); Mohammad Bilal (Punjab) v Agha Bilawal (Sindh); Shahid Aftab (Punjab) v Musaddiq Mehmood (Islamabad).

At 2 pm: Bahadur Khan (Balochistan) v Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab); Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) v Qadeer Abbas (Punjab); Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) v Mohammad Asif Toba (Punjab); Awais Ullah (Punjab) v Umair Alam (Sindh); Sohail Shahzad (Sindh) v Imran Shahzad (Punjab); Amir Shahzad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) v Ahmed Shah (Balochistan).

At 4pm: Haris Tahir (Punjab) v Sharjeel Mehmood (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Noman Javed (Islamabad) v Samiullah (Balochistan); Ali Haider (Punjab) v Ian Mark John (Sindh); Mohammad Haris Nadeem (Sindh) v Sirbuland Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Amir Sohail (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) v Abdul Javaid (Punjab); Farhan Noor (Punjab) v Fazal Umar Butt (Sindh).

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2018