The sport of billiards and snooker over here in the hill capital of Kandy has taken a nose dive. There are no tournaments unlike in the past when there were inter-club matches between Kandy clubs and also tournaments organized by the controlling body. In the early days, CYO Catholic Club, Lawn Club near the Kandy Market, Public Service Club behind Police grounds, Mahanuwara YMBA, Kandy YMMA, Kandy Garden Club, Kandy Club, Peradeniya Faculty Club, Kings Cue Club, took the game very seriously and the tournaments were a great attraction to many cueists. Today, the sport is dormant in most of the clubs and only played in parlours.
However, there is a ray of hope amid dark clouds as a past cueist Fais Samad has drawn up elaborate plans in the days to come to take a sport which produced Sri Lanka’s first world champion, to great heights. 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 lack of interest. The controlling body should cure this malady. At one time, the Kandy Billards and Snooker association actively promoted the game in a big way. The most looked forward to the event was the Kandy District ‘Lanka Plate’ Billiards and Snooker championships organized by the Sri Lanka Billiards and Snooker Association.
M.J. Marzook Wahid a residence 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. He was from Kings Cue Club. H. Marikar became the first national manager of the cue sport from Kandy and continued for nearly ten years.
At one time Kandy was only next to Colombo in billiards and snooker, and provided national players and officials. Today sad to say the sport is the dark. There are no lights for the tables in some clubs.
Kandy YMMA, one of the founders of the Billiards and Snooker Association have 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 the writer who initiated with late Dr. Samad Ismail, A.S.M. Naufel, Mamu Ismail and Afzal Marikar to repair the table and got the cloth from late Frouse Saheed.
Kandy Garden Club also promoted the sport but now they play for recreation. They had two tables, selling one and replacing it with a pool table.
Kandy Club’s billiards room is their mini storeroom. The club possesses probably one of the most historic billiards and snooker tables. Many myths and legends surround this table which dates back to 1913.
Thanks to keen cue promoters Mahanuwara YMBA is the only club which keeps the game alive.
Kings Cue Club which earned a name in this sport too has closed their doors but Kandy Public Services Club and Peradeniya Faculty Club still play the game. Today the sport is played only in cue parlours. No one is interested and there is no proper person who can uplift the sport. It is sad because this sport produced Sri Lanka’s first world billiards champion M.J.M. Lafir in 1973.
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