Almost cue-less Kothari’s silver show in Ireland

Sourav Kothari

India cueist Sourav Kothari believes his silver medal-winning feat at the World Matchplay Billiards championship held at Carlow, Ireland, is "unbelievable" considering he landed in the country without his luggage and cue stick.

"When I landed in Ireland on April 14, I was shocked to learn that my luggage and cue were not loaded onto the flight. It was a stressful situation and worse still, it was a Sunday, so I was unable to buy anything as most shops were shut. The temperature there was a chilly two degrees and I had a difficult night with my match scheduled the next morning. That night was tough. Thankfully, the organisers rescheduled my 10am match to the next evening and the airline fortunately managed to get my stuff to me by the next morning," Kolkata-based Kothari, 39, told mid-day on Wednesday.

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India No. 2 Kothari eventually went down 2-8 to Englishman David Causier 2-8 in the best-of-15-frame summit clash.

He had a dream run before that though. In the semi-final, he beat India No. 1 Dhruv Sitwala 7-3 and in the quarter-final, he shocked World No. 1 and reigning world champion Peter Gilchrist 6-4.

"Winning gold would have been the ultimate prize, but this silver, in the given circumstances leading up to my first match, is unbelievable. Defeating stalwarts, especially Gilchrist, en route the final was an enriching experience. Throughout the tournament I managed to keep my emotions in check, but in the final, I was a bit patchy against Causier," Kothari signed off.