Mumbai Stars shine bright to emerge champions

Mumbai Stars rode their luck to emerge champions of the BSAM 2nd Videocon-Billiards Premier League (BPL) when they snatched a tough 3-2 victory over SPG Billiardiers in a keenly contested final at the Bombay Gymkhana here.
The Stars thus reasserted their supremacy over the Billiardiers for the second time in the last few days, having won Qualifier I by a more convincing 3-1 margin, to emerge champions of the 8-team competition.
The victorious team received the crystal BPL Trophy and a cash award of Rs 3.2 lakh, while the Billiardiers picked up the runners-up trophy and Rs 2.7 lakh from the total pool of Rs 10 lakh.

Rrockets, who finished third, went home richer by Rs 2.2 lakh and fourth placed Adamo Potters got Rs 1.70 lakh.
After the match scores were level at 2-all, an erratic Hasan Badami of Stars won a nerve-wracking fifth and deciding game against seasoned pro and former world runner-up Devendra Joshi, who carried a handicap of -190 as compared to his rival's -60, to pull it off for the Stars.
Dhruv Sitwala of Ottomans, who had constructed a break of 197 in the league phase, won the highest break award.
Results (Final): Mumbai Stars beat SPG Billiardiers 3-2 (Nikhil Ghadge and Hasan Badami (-75 handicap) bt Ishpreet Singh Chadha and C S Puranik (-70) 175-167; Ashok Shandilya (-190) lost to Devendra Joshi (-170) 193(65,53)-290(93); Vishal Madan (-160) bt Vishal Gehani (-60) 260-122; Ashok Shandilya (-190) lost to Ishpreet Singh Chadha (-100) 189-200; Hasan Badami (-60) bt Devendra Joshi (-190) 161-229.