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August 30, 2005

Thailand in the frame

Asian stars rock the world of snooker

Last month saw Thailand host the Asian Snooker Championship once again, and the standard of play was higher than ever. Of the five Thai competitors, Noppadon Sangnil did best, finishing third.

Chinese national champion Jin Long emerged the winner, earning a place alongside fellow countryman Ding Jun-hui on the main tour of professional snooker. China, it seems, is set to take over the sport.

Despite the huge interest in snooker throughout Asia, the world’s top 16 players are all British, and the UK’s long domination of the sport has led to the mistaken belief that snooker was born in the UK.

In fact, the game’s origins lie in Asia, in British officers’ mess rooms in India around the 1870s. A further misconception is that snooker was only recently introduced in Thailand; actually it has been played and enjoyed in the Land of Smiles for more than a century.

Sadly, too few Thai youngsters reach professional level in snooker. It is still considered a second-degree gambling sport, and under-18s are forbidden to enter snooker clubs.

The clubs themselves are hardly a nurturing environment for rising stars – in many, the game isn’t played properly, with only six reds used and chattering people crowded around the tables, drinking beer and gambling on each shot.

The equipment provided is also usually poor quality. Go to practice in the early afternoon and it isn’t uncommon to see several people using the seating as temporary beds. In short, many in Thailand consider snooker to be a pastime of layabouts.

Snooker loopy

But the news isn’t all bad. Mention snooker and Thailand in the same sentence, and one name springs to mind: James Wattana. At just 16, Pu Orb Orm “James” Wattana, nicknamed “the Thaiphoon”, arrived on the world snooker stage in style, beating British snooker giants Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor to win the Thailand Masters.

A string of successes followed, and Wattana climbed steadily up the World rankings, into the top 20. He captured the hearts and imagination of the public, and was honoured with the Order of the Crown of Thailand by His Majesty the King.

By 1994, Thailand’s most popular sportsman had won three ranking titles, including back-to-back wins in the Thailand open. The young Thai prodigy found himself placed third in the world, and only the eighth man to earn more than a million pounds from the table.

Sadly, Wattana’s 1995 Thailand Open victory over Ronnie O’ Sullivan was to be his last major title to date. A drop in form followed, and each passing season saw The Thaiphoon slip further and further down the rankings, until he was struggling to hang on to a place in the top 32. In interviews, he blames problems with his eyesight and a loss of confidence.

Given that Wattana did so much to raise the profile of Asian snooker in the early 90s, it would be a shame to see his career end on a whimper. He is currently ranked 32 in the world, and die-hard fans still hope against hope to see a return to form for the man who put Thailand on the snooker map.

Asian rankings

The autumn of 1989 saw the beginning of ranking events in Asia, and a series of confusing name changes followed, with the Asian Open becoming the Thailand Open, then the Asian Classic and, finally, the Thailand Masters.

Low on funds, the World Snooker Association made a decision to pull the plug on the Far East events in the 2002/03 season — an unfortunate blow to the growth of Thai snooker. Thankfully, the tournament makes a welcome return to the calendar next year.

Is there a new James Wattana ready to come forward? Junior players Issara Kachaiwong, Pramual Janthat and Kobkit Palajin are all enjoying a good run, with Palajin finishing runner up in the Asian Under 21s Tournament earlier this year.

Kachaiwong is a relative newcomer — discovered playing six reds on small tables, he was introduced to the national tournament scene, where his superb break-building skills quickly established him as one of the leading juniors. Perhaps we will see one of these young men in the last sixteen of the World Championships in the near future.

Upon taking over the presidency of the Asian Confederate of Billiards Sports in July 2000, Sindhu Pulsirivong devoted himself to a project he had long dreamed of — the World Snooker Asian Centre of Excellence.

This state of the art training facility at Rajamangala Stadium, on Ramkhamhaeng Road, offers players and coaches top-of-the-range equipment and practice areas.

Initiatives like this, along with Pulsirivong’s dedication and positive leadership, have brought Thai snooker to the forefront in Asia. All the fans are waiting for now is the next Thaiphoon.

Gap filler

Use the correct forms of the verbs listed below to fill the spaces in the sentences about James Wattana’s career.

climb

arrive

struggle

see

win

blame

honour

slip

At the age of 16, James Wattana _________ on the world snooker stage. Wattana ___________ up the world rankings, into the top 20.

By 1994, he _______________ three ranking titles. He _________________ by His Majesty the King. He ___________ further and further down, until he ______________ to hang on to a place in the top 32.

In interviews, Wattana ___________ problems with his eyesight. It would be a shame to ____________ his career end on a whimper.

Vocabulary challenge

Read the text again. Try to find each of the 10 words described below.

1. A verb that means to come out of something.
2. A noun that means a misunderstanding.
3. A noun that means a lazy person.
4. A verb that means refer to something briefly or casually.
5. A verb that means to attract and hold something.<
6. A verb that means to place responsibility for something.<
7. An adjective that means stubbornly clinging to a seemingly hopeless cause.
8. A noun that means “an unfortunate happening”.
9. A noun that means someone who has only recently arrived.
10. A noun that means the position of most importance.

ANSWERS

Gap filler
1. arrived
2. climbed
3. had won
4. was honoured
5. slipped
6. was struggling
7. blames
8. see

Vocabulary challenge

1. emerge
2. misconception
3. layabout
4. mention
5. capture
6. blame
7. diehard
8. blow
9. newcomer
10. forefront

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