Cue sport back on track in Kandy

On Aug 9, 2021

Kandy’s Billiards and Snooker players are badly affected, at one time the cue sport (Billiards and Snooker) was on top. Today it has taken a nose dive. There are no tournaments unlike in the past when there were inter-club matches between Kandy clubs and also played against Colombo clubs. In the early days, CYO – Catholic Club, Lawn Club, Public Service Club , Mahanuwara YMBA, Kandy YMMA, Kandy Garden Club, Kandy Club, Peradeniya Faculty Club, Kings Cue Club who earned a name through cue sport, took the game very seriously and the tournaments were a great attraction to many cueists.

Today, the sport is dominant in most of the parlors on betting. Whatever said and done Mahanuwara YMBA and Public Services club switched on the lights and the game is played again. However, there is a ray of hope amid dark clouds as past cue veterans are drawing up elaborate plans in the days to come to take the sport which produced Sri Lanka’s first world champion, to great heights. The belief is that the cue sport which has been in the doldrums for many years is bound to take a big leap.

The reason why the game has not prospered in Kandy in the last two decades is because of the lack of interest. The controlling body should cure this malady. At one time, the Kandy Billiards and Snooker Association actively promoted the game in a big way. The most looked forward to event was the Kandy District ‘Lanka Plate’ Billiards and Snooker championships. From Kandy M.J. Marzook Wahid a product of MT Mahiyawa went on to represent Sri Lanka at the World Billiards championships in Canada and was the first to represent the country from Kandy. H. Marikar became the first national manager of the cue sport from Kandy and continued for nearly fifteen years and also was at one time a key figure with the cue controlling body.

Kandy YMMA, one of the founders of the Billiards and Snooker Association has completely forgotten to switch on the table lights. At one time YMMA’s table was on the floor, with all six table legs badly damaged. It was H.Marikar who initiated with the late Dr. Samad Ismail, A.S.M. Naufel, Mamu Ismail and Afzal Marikar to repair the table and procured the cloth from the late Frouse Saheed and the table was put on the correct path.

Kandy Garden Club also promoted the sport but now the club is in the dark. Thanks to keen cue promoters Mahanuwara YMBA and Kandy Public Services Club are the only clubs which keep the game alive. Peradeniya Faculty Club still plays the game.

Some of the top followers who played for Kandy were M.J. Marzook Wahid (represented the country), R.Letchuman , D B Ekanayake M. Zahir, Wapap Razak, Faise Samad, Jude Fernando, Manoor Jhan, Mervyn Jayasundara, Jhan Mohamed, S. Chandrakumar, G.B. Yatigamana , P.M.B Amarasekera, Wilbert Gamage, Sarath Gunatillake, A.Cyril de Soysa, S. Sampath, Tuan Amidon, M. Uzmath , Fayer Jhan, A.S.M. Gazaly, Gazaly Saheed, and D. Vithanagamage to name a few.