1992 Strachan U.K. Professional Billiards Championship

Royal Hampshire Snooker Lodge, Aldershot

11th - 14th March

Robby Foldvari the Master Player

New star from India - Subhash Agarwal

The 1992 Strachan was held at the Aldershot Snooker Lodge in a late change from the scheduled venue, the Radion Plaza, Sheffield, where the event was held last year and was scheduled for this year. It seems that the Plaza no longer has the facilities. This is a pity as it was an excellent venue. The Snooker Lodge is a no less excellent venue and fears that there would be no spectators in that part of the world were quite unfounded. Some of the early matches attracted only the players and the referee but as the tournament reached its final stages attendances grew. The Semis were quite well attended and the Final was all-ticket. Club-owner Mr. Henry West went to a great deal of trouble to make the event as successful as he could. The only complaint was that the room in which the final was held was not big enough to accommodate all those who wished to be there. This was partly due to the fact that some seating had to be removed to make way for the T.V. cameras. However, the very fact that more people wanted to see the game live than could be catered for, must be a good sign in itself.

Playing Conditions

All the players praised the conditions. The tables looked beautiful. The only adverse comments concerned the cushion angles and this is a comment that billiard players often make about tables which are basically prepared for snooker. The balls often take an angle which is described as a, "slide." A typical instance is that of the drop-cannon in which the second object ball is taken via the top cushion. The cueball has to be spotted so as to strike the top cushion considerably further away from the second object ball than would be the case on a normal club table. It is not an easy matter to explain why this should happen, the type of cloth used these days for snooker must have something to do with it. Referee John Williams was of this opinion and indicated that the cushions on the table used for the final would be, "cuffed, "his words) and that this could be done with a matchbox. It was noticeable that those who were affected most by this were the less successful players. Those who had had most experience of such conditions - the more successful - seemed the least affected or were more quickly able to adapt. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that those players who were able to keep the balls at the spot end for extended periods were considerably less affected by the slide.

Television

The Final was televised live on Screensport. This was a major breakthrough for the game. The truth of the matter is that the final was not the best of advertisements for billiards. Foldvari played magnificently but, unfortunately, after the second game, was hardly troubled. To be fair to Agarwal it would have required one of the top players at their very best to have upset the Australian so well did he play. But there was very little competitive interest for any first-time viewers and Foldvari's control at the spot-end was so good that so many of the strokes that add to the charm of the game were

never seen. This is not a criticism of Foldvari. He could hardly have been expected to break up the position just so as to demonstrate a few long jennies or big screw strokes. It is rather a comment that, if the game is to make any sort of impact on television viewers, then, as yet, the right format has not emerged. Bob Close suggested that one idea might be that of playing just one pot from the spot before placing the red on the centre. This might relieve what the uninitiated see as monotony. The question of how to make the professional game more attractive to the non-specialist onlooker is one that has plagued billiards for a long time. The BQR editor was asked to sit in the commentary box to provide commentators Mark Wildman and Clive Everton with running totals and scoring details of each game. This was an interesting experience and revealed that commentating is not quite so easy as might be thought.

All the games were the best of seven 150 up. There were no upsets and only one 4-3 result - that in which Steve Hardcastle just pipped Hugh Nimmo. Russell, Gilchrist, and Williamson all received Byes.

No.2 seed Gilchrist beaten

The upset of the round was the match in which Subhash Agarwal overcame Peter Gilchrist from being 3 - 1 down. When asked at the interval how he was getting on Gilchrist replied, with a cheery smile, that he was 3-1 up. Less than an hour after the resumption he had lost 4-3. This was the first time Agarwal had shown his real quality as he rattled up breaks of 150 unfinished, 101, and 135. Ray Edmonds did very well to beat Bob Close in an exciting finish Steve Hardcastle should have levelled 3- 3 with Ferreira but missed a pot from the spot to let the Indian in for the kill. John Murphy had a good game against Williamson. The Foldvari engine misfired just a couple of times v Wildman but Russell and Sethi were untroubled. Clive Everton showed some reasonable form but could do nothing as Dagley took three games in a row with unfinished centuries.

Agarwal fight back

Russell looked in good form against 1985 world champion Ray Edmonds who was unable to show the form that he had against Bob Close. Dagley went two down against Foldvari, rallied, but went out to consecutive centuries. Sethi took the first three games with 150s unfinished, Williamson tried hard as usual but was perhaps not at his best. The match of the round was another great escape by Subhash Agarwal. 3 - I down to compatriot Michael Ferreira he made a fine fighting comeback. The last game of the match was a very tense and scrappy affair which could have gone either way. Agarwal held his nerve to make a 59 and then scramble over the line as Ferreira's hitherto excellent cueing began to let him down a bit.

Foldvari floats the White

This first Semi-final, Foldvari v Russell, was a guile fascinating match featuring a marked contrast in styles though Russell seemed rather more cautious than usual. This was not surprising in view of his opponent's form. The Australian took the first with a century only to see Russell immediately equalise with a 150 unfinished run-out. The world champion took the third with a 99, Foldvari equalising with a 149 unfinished in the fourth following Russell's 137. A 143 unfinished from Russell followed by 107 unfinished by Foldvari saw the match at 3 - 3, - all to play for. The vital stage of the seventh game as Russell, having played two superb strokes to get in, was left with a very thin in-off the white at the top end with the red over the middle pocket. The cue ball wobbled, did not drop, and left Foldvari with a simple shot to put the white near the spot and leave an easy pot red from hand. It was the kind of position from which he had been running to game throughout the tournament and there was no exception this time as he carefully compiled a 124 unfinished to reach the final and deny Russell his fourth U.K. in a row. Much of Foldvari's top-of-the-table play was of the floating white variety. The BQR has discussed Foldvari's method of play at some length and he has written giving his own views on the matter (See P.24 ) Several times during the week when the BQR editor was watching, the Australian deliberately moved the white around at the spot end to demonstrate his ability at the floating white. With ability - and confidence - of this order, it is hardly surprising that he reached the final, but not before Russell had fought every inch of the way.

Agarwal pounces as Sethi fades

Geet Sethi had perhaps had a somewhat easier passage to the semis than had Foldvari. The Indian's hardest game had been with Ian Williamson but making 3 breaks of 150 unfinished in the first three games is quite a good idea in the best of 7 -150 up. It is possible that Sethi was not quite as keyed up as he might have been. Agarwal, on the other hand, had come through three tough matches, had exceeded his own expectations, and was riding high. Subhash is not the world's best all-round player but he is exceedingly good at the top-of-the-table and, can run out at the drop of a hat - or the sight of a cannon. He got a perfect start with a 150 unfinished, but Sethi took games 2 and 3. From then on he was decidedly not at his best and failed badly when in good position. Agarwal, levelled at two all, took the fifth with a 102, and with Sethi finding all kinds of trouble, ran out with a 79 to take the match 4 - 2. It was a great win. It is always a great win for anybody who beats Geet Sethi. It would be a great win to beat him at marbles let alone billiards. Well done Subhash.

Agarwal goes shopping but finds no Australian bargains

Subhash Agarwal had not expected to reach the final. So much so had he not expected to reach the final that he had packed enough gear only for a couple of days and on the Saturday morning of the final had to go and get himself a new shirt. Foldvari must have brought several suitcases as he was obviously quite prepared to stay as long as was necessary to take the title He started favourite and but for a hiccup in the second game never looked like losing as the occasion began to prove too much for the Indian player. Subhash is in his first year as a professional and this was only his second tournament. In a strange country, against about as tough an opponent as the game has to offer, and watched by several million television viewers, his game collapsed as Foldvari's remorseless approach gave him little chance to shine.

Game. 1.

Agarwal broke, Foldvari scored the cannon and made 17. Agarwal missed. Foldvari made 134*. There's nothing to the game!

Game.2.

At his second visit Foldvari gave Agarwal his first chance from which the Indian scored 23. Foldvari then missed a cross-loser, this was something of a shock. Foldvari couldn't believe it., Neither could anybody else. It gave Agarwal the chance to work an opening via a bout of safety play and he ran to game with 109 unfinished.

Game.3

Commentators Clive Everton and Mark Wildman had explained the basic rules before the match started but non-billiards-playing viewers must have been baffled by the play in the early stages of this game. The visits were:-

Agarwal: Break off. 7 pot white double baulk. 32 pwdb. Q pwdb. 0 pwdb. 2 pwdb. 12 pwdb. 0 safety. 0 safety. 0 ran a coup. 0 coup. 0 miss.

Foldvari: 0 safety. 0 miss. 0 ran a coup. 0 coup. 0 hit balls in baulk. 0 coup. 0 miss. 0 safely. 2 pwdb. 9 pwdb. 0 pwdb. 133* From the Aussie's point of view - All's well that ends well.

Game.4.

Foldvari broke off. Agarwal missed the cannon. Foldvari took the balls to the spot end and made 151 unfinished. Together with his 133 unfinished from the previous game this meant that Foldvari had scored 283 points without reply and Agarwal had had only one shot in over half-an-hour.

Game.5.

This match winning final game was one of Foldvari's poorest efforts of the whole week. He missed a drop-cannon and he missed a long loser. It did not matter very much. Agarwal's game had totally disintegrated. He had five reasonable chances to make a break but he missed an easy pot and he played two dreadful positional strokes when in good position. Foldvari made a 67, and after missing the two shots mentioned, ran out with a 68 unfinished.

Robby Foldvari: Plenty to smile about

Congratulations to Robby Foldvari United Kingdom Professional Billiards Champion 1992 Foldvari was the outstanding player of the week and thoroughly deserved to add this title to his 1986 World Championship.