Kothari’s silver display in Ireland was almost cue-free

Cueist Sourav Kothari of India thinks it’s “unbelievable” that he won the silver medal in the World Matchplay Billiards tournament in Carlow, Ireland, given that he didn’t bring his baggage or cue stick with him.

“I was startled to see that my baggage and cue were not placed onto the aircraft when I arrived in Ireland on April 14. In addition to being a stressful scenario, the fact that it was a Sunday prevented me from making any purchases since most stores were closed. It was a freezing two degrees there, and I had a rough evening since my match was early the next day. It was a difficult night. The airline thankfully managed to send my baggage to me by the following morning, and the organizers kindly rescheduled my 10am match for the next evening,” the 39-year-old Kothari, who is based in Kolkata, said midday on Wednesday.

India’s second rank The Englishman David Causier ultimately defeated Kothari 2-8 in the best-of-15-frame top match.

However, he had a dream run before that. He defeated world number one and current world champion Peter Gilchrist 6-4 in the quarterfinal after defeating India’s top player, Dhruv Sitwala, 7-3 in the semifinal.

“A silver medal is incredible considering the circumstances leading up to my first match; winning gold would have been the ultimate prize.” It was a rewarding experience to defeat veterans, particularly Gilchrist, in route to the championship match. I controlled my emotions throughout the competition, but against Causier in the final, I was a little erratic,” Kothari said.