Cue sports in India

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Governing bodyBilliards and Snooker Federation of India
First playedDecember 1881[1]

Cue sports have a long history in India. The game of snooker originated among British Army officers stationed in India in the latter half of the 19th century.

Billiard champions like

Pankaj Advani
is another successful Indian player. Training camps for identifying talent and providing them regional and state sponsorship have been organised by the Billiards and Snooker Federation in various parts of the country.

History

The origin of snooker dates back to the latter half of the 19th century.

Burroughes & Watts that was brought over by boat.[6] The word "snooker" was a slang term for first-year cadets and inexperienced military personnel, but Chamberlain would often use it to describe the inept performance of one of his fellow officers at the table. The name instantly stuck with the players.[2]

The earliest contemporary reference to cue sports in India appears in a letter written by Captain Sheldrick from

Neville Chamberlain invented the game of Snooker. I was in at Ootacamund in 1882-84 and there still must be some crowd left who can testify to the belief their current that Snooker owed its birth to Neville Chamberlain fertile brain. Could the game have existed in Ooty even before Chamberlain arrival just waiting for him to discover it and give it a new name. This is a certainly a possibility." The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BFSI) states that Ooty is "the most credible birthplace for the game of Snooker", however, the federation rejects the theory that the game was already established in Ooty. The BSFI also states that, based on available evidence, the first snooker game in India occurred at Ooty "almost precisely" in December 1881.[1]

Total medals won by Indian's in Cue Sports in Major tournaments

Competition Gold Silver Bronze Total
Asian Games 5 4 6 15
Total 5 4 6 15

Performance by Players in Billiards Tournaments

Tournament Name Winner Runner-up
World Billiards Championship Pankaj Advani 15 3
World Billiards Championship Geet Sethi 3 4
World Billiards Championship Michael Ferreira 3 2
World Billiards Championship Chitra Magimairaj 2 2
World Billiards Championship Wilson Jones 2 1
World Billiards Championship Ashok Shandilya 1 4
World Billiards Championship R Umadevi Nagaraj 1 3
World Billiards Championship Manoj Kothari 1 0
World Billiards Championship Rupesh Shah 1 0
World Billiards Championship Anuja Thakur 1 0
World Billiards Championship Devendra Joshi 0 2
World Billiards Championship Sourav Kothari 0 2
World Billiards Championship Satish Mohan 0 1
World Billiards Championship Dhruv Sitwala 0 1
World Billiards Championship Alok Kumar 0 1
World Billiards Championship Bhaskar Balachandra 0 1

Performance by Players in Snooker Tournaments

Tournament Name Winner Runner-up
World Snooker Championship Pankaj Advani 3 1
World Snooker Championship Omprakesh Agrawal 1 0
World Snooker Championship Amee Kamani 0 1
World Snooker Championship Vidya Pillai 0 1

References

  1. ^ a b "BIRTH PLACE OF SNOOKER". Billiards and Snooker Federation of India. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b Maume, Chris (25 April 1999). "Sporting Vernacular 11. Snooker". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2007.
  3. ^ Clare, Peter (2008). "Origins of Snooker". Snooker Heritage. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. ^ Shamos, Mike (1994). Pool. New York City: Friedman Fairfax.
  5. ^ "Mostbet in India". Mostbet in India. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. ^ Hughes-Games, Martin (16 June 2014). "Ooty, India: back in time to the birthplace of snooker". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.