Lagan shows Shandilya the door

HYDERABAD: Reputations and form book continued to go for a toss at the World billiards championship. If the man in form, David Causier was given a rude jolt at the very first stage of the knockouts on Friday, his vanquisher Ashok Shandilya too was ousted in the semifinals here on Saturday.
In a no-holds-barred encounter that went all the way to the wire, England’s Lee Lagan delivered the knock-out punch with an unfinished 152-point break in the final frame to win at 5-4.The only part Shandilya played in the last of the nine-frame clash was to miss a cannon in his first visit. That brought Lagan to the table, and the Englishman enthralled the few spectators at the Deccan Hall of Taj Krishna with his immaculate game.
In the 15 minutes he was at the table, Lagan kept his poise and displayed the concentration of a monk. Although he was in deep trouble on several occasions as the balls got into difficult positions, each time Lagan wriggled out with imaginative play. Sometimes he found an answer in a delicate push and other times he used the cushions to achieve incredible cannons.
As he watched Lagan go through the final act, Shandilya kept muttering something. Either he was praying for an error to flow from Lagan’s cue or was cursing himself for the one mistake that could cost him a berth in the final. Neither his prayer was heard nor Lagan committed that one mistake he was waiting for.
In the end, he congratulated Lagan with a lump in his throat. “It is all part of the game. It was proved again that one mistake can take the game away from you,� said Shandilya.
“He (Shandilya) is a great fighter so I decided not to give him even half a chance,� said Lagan.
Shandilya felt that he played at his best but did not expect Lagan to improve so much. “He kept raising his game with each frame and cut down the mistakes to the minimum. In fact, I thought it was all over for me after he took a 4-3 lead. To my luck I came back with an unfinished break of 143 only to see one missed cannon sealing my fate,� said Shandilya.
Lagan awaits the winner of the other semifinal between Geet Sethi and Englishman Paul Bennet.
Results: Semifinal: Lee Lagan bt Ashok Shandilya 5-4 (150-46, 59-151, 153-46, 90-151, 2-151, 151-86, 151-15, 10-150, 152-0). Quarterfinals: Geet Sethi bt Praput Chaithanaskun 4-3 (150-56, 150-48, 150-120, 95-152, 66-152, 152-0); Paul Bennet bt Robiie Foldvari 4-2 (152-98, 54-150, 3-150, 153-44, 151-143, 150-143); Lee Lagan bt U Aung San Oo 4-0 (150-32, 150-137, 150-101, 150-33); Ashok Shandilya bt U Kuaw Oo 4-3 (93-150, 150-46, 103-152, 118-151, 151-2, 151-72, 150-34).