Sourav Kothari wins Reventon Masters Snooker in Australia

Indian cueist Sourav Kothari defeated Johl Younger of Australia in a nail-biting final to claim the Reventon Masters Snooker tournament here. In a best of 11 frames final, Sourav beat Johl 6-5 in the pink ball to become the first Indian to win a premier snooker event of Australian Billiards and Snooker Council's calendar where only 12 current top-ranked players of Australia are invited.

This year Sourav was a special invitee as he had won the Reventon Classic Snooker, a triple crown snooker event of Australia, in June this year. In the semifinals, Kothari thrashed Joe Minici 5-1, while Johl Younger got the better of last year's winner Steve Mifsud 5-2.

Johl made a solid start to the final and raced to a 3-0 lead. Though Sourav took the next to make it 1-3, Johl immediately wrapped up the next to stay ahead at 4-1. Sourav then made it 2-4 but faltered in the 7th frame. Down 2-5, the Indian erased the deficit by rattling off the next 3 frames to draw level at 5-5.

The Indian produced a magnificent effort of a total clearance of 95 in the 8th, a 78 in the 9th and scored at every opportunity in the 10th to keep Johl mostly out of the table during these periods. In the decider, Sourav showed great nerves and drew the first blood to post 52 points on the scoreboard.

Johl, however, did not give up and hung around before Sourav lead by 17 points in the brown ball. At that point a deadly snooker by Johl behind blue in line of center pocket put Sourav into great strain. Sourav then played a difficult masse (curling) shot from the middle of the table to keep the brown safe, which he succeeded in his second attempt.

After a couple of safety exchanges by both the players, a miscalculated safety shot by Johl saw the cue ball run into the left corner pocket. Getting a hand ball with brown placed in a nice position inside the baulk, Sourav breathed a sigh of relief and thereafter, did not make any mistake as he potted brown blue and pink in succession to claim the title.

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