Mehta cracks 147, tops snooker qualifier

Aditya Mehta, the 27-year-old from Mumbai, became only the second Indian after Geet Sethi to score maximum 147 break in a snooker match as he achieved this rare feat during the Asian Indoor Selection Camp at the KSBA, here Tuesday.

The break came in the fourth frame of Mehta's match with Brijesh Damani who was leading 2-1. Damani, after inducing a snooker foul from Mehta, missed a red pot and left the Mumbai player on. Mehta, the 2011 National champion, went on to sink all the 15 reds, followed by 15 blacks and the colours for a 147 break.

Responding to Mehta's feat, Sethi, who had crafted a 147 against Nasar Latiff during the 1988 National championship in Guntur, said: "A fantastic achievement by a very dedicated player who richly deserves all the accolades. Words cannot explain my joy and happiness."

To celebrate the achievement, a special 147 cake was ordered and Balasubramaniam, Secretary, Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, announced a cash reward of Rs 14,700 to Mehta who along with Kamal Chawla and Damani qualified to represent India in the Asian Indoor Games.

Final standings: 1. Aditya Mehta; 2. Kamal Chawla; 3. Brijesh Damani; 4. Manan Chandra; 5. Shivam Arora; 5. Rafath Habib; 7. Himanshu Jain; 8. IH Manudev; 9. Amir Hussain; 10. Neeraj Kumar; 11. Vijay Nichani.