Kothari eyeing for elusive World Billiards title

Former national and Asian billiards champion Sourav Kothari will be vying for top honours in the WBL World Championship to be held in Leeds, UK, from October 22-26.

Kothari has been pipped at the post for the coveted World Billiards crown on two occasions in the last two years.

In the 2016 IBSF World Billiards Championship held in Bangalore, he outclassed some of the top players of the world, including defending champion Pankaj Advani to reach his maiden final where her lost to Peter Gilchrist of Singapore.

Last year, just a month after becoming the first cueist from India to win an individual gold at the Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan, he battled his way to the final of the WBL World Billiards Championship (short format) in Leeds.

But, he lost a hard fought battle to multiple times world champion David Causier of England and had to settle for the silver.

The format for this year's World Championship will be the traditional 'Timed Format' played on a league-cum-knock-out basis with a total of 70 players from more than 10 countries in the main draw.

The World Billiards Ltd. has decided to host the other format, the 'Short Format' early next year, stepping away from the usual practice of holding both the events together in October every year in Leeds.