3-Cushion
LUXOR - The opening day of the World Cup in Luxor was - traditionally for World Cups - not a day for players who are high on the world's ranking, actually not for foreign players (although a Turk had to show up as a substitute) and certainly not for the top guns which will perform at the end of this week into the tournament.
The former Greek, now Egyptian Yanni Angyros, an amazing dancer according to his friends, Mohamed Ardash, the photographer for years in the Hurghada World Cup and young man Mahmoud Ayman were some names on this first day.
The take off was a sort of a torture for young Ayman: he won, but needed 97 innings for his thirty caroms (0.309 average) and could leave the tournament after his second match. The Greek dancer played a little better, just over half average and the photographer with the flamboyant mustache played his match in 61 innings. He qualified with a nice sprint for the next round.
The start of the World Cup, on this historical ground was smoothly, only twice the matches were disturbed because the light was out for a few seconds. The upper room at the Sonesta St George Hotel is the domain of local amateur players on this Sunday. They show up with around half average, sometimes with a peak upwards, most of the time it was much less.
Tomorrow (Monday) the level will rise as the more known players enter the room. The Belgian Peter De Backer had his warm up in the swimming pool of the hotel, before he starts his (long) race in the preliminary's.
He was accompanied by his Belgian friend David Heyman, who never even played a carom match in his life. ,,He comes from golf billiards, where I picked him up'', said De Backer.
Other well known players in the circuit, on the second day, are Tolgahan Kiraz, who played at the World championship in Viersen with Turkey, the Koreans Myung Woo Cho, Min Seo Hyun and Ra Hee Kim, Mehmet Yavas, Hakan Celik and the ladies Karina Jetten and Gülsen Degener.
Today, after the first day, Ali Hares led the rankings with four match points and 0.882 ahead of Hesham Gomaa with 0.714 and Mohsen Fouda 0.681. Ahmed Al Behiry was the last top ten player with 0.447.
Tomorrow at 11.00 am Egyptian time, the first games of the second day will start.