PSPB snooker, billiards from today

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-02-10
PANAJI - The fifth Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) inter-unit Snooker and Billiards championship, hosted by Indian Oil, will be held from February 10-15 at Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, Mira Mar here.
Indian Oil senior administrative manager, Mr Rajesh Jadhav told a press conference here today that all five teams - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Oil India, hosts Indian Oil and GAIL will be participating in the six-day event.
International players Padmashree Pankaj Advani, Devendra Joshi, Aditya Mehta, Shravan Motha, Alok Kumar, Saurav Kothari, Manan Chandra and Shabhaz Khan will be seen in action, he said.
Mr Jadhav further said the main objective of the championship is to encourage, develop, supervise, coordinate and organise various sports in the Petroleum sector.
The tournament will be played on knock out basis both in the team championship and individual events, he said.
In last year’s championships at Cochin, Pankaj Advani and Devendra Joshi were the individual champions in Billiards and Snooker events respectively. The team championship was claimed by ONGC (snooker) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (billiards).
International snooker champion Devendra, who was also present, said, “Asian senior billiards and snooker championship will be held in China from May 7 to 10 and Junior under 21 championship will be held from April 11 to 19 at Pune in Maharastra.”
The president of the newly formed state Cue Sports Association, Mr Sunil Morajkar said: “One day training workshop for Goan Billiards and Snooker players will be held in Goa on February 21 after the National selection camp for Billiards and Snooker to be held at the same venue from February 16 to 20.”
Geeth Sethi, Pankaj, Dhruv Sitawala in Billiards and Manan Chandra, Sourav Kothari, Brijesh Damani, Aditya Mehta in snooker will be participating.
Indian Oil chairman Mr Sarthak Behuria will inaugurate the tournament tomorrow and finals will be played on February 15, followed by a prize distribution function.