Century Break Spices up Day Three at IBSF World Snooker Team Championships

Century Break Spices up Day Three at IBSF World Snooker Team ChampionshipsDavid Craggs, 30, of County Durham, England, shook the IBSF World Snooker Team Championships with a century break of 104 points in the 7th frame of 9-frame match between England and Sweden. Now that’s excitement, folks. To watch him pot ball after ball, only to miss on the 14th red ball. Whew. I, for one, was astounded and awed by the mastery shown in this frame, then utterly disappointed for his loss in what was the longest run to date in the tournament. The poor Swede, Kevin Zarakani, playing against him didn’t have a chance, not even scoring at all. How sad. In fact, England took that match 7 frames to 2 in truly one of the best matches to date in the tournament. For me, this frame was pure heaven. Having never been to a tournament (how could one, really, in the states?), I watched with mouth agape at this run, one I could never hope to match in a million years. Sure, one time I had a break of 30 and I was ecstatic, but 104! Wow! Now, of course I know a perfect game is a 147 break, and I have yet to see one of those except in videos, but a girl can dream. Maybe, just maybe this tournament shall surprise us all. Certainly masters of the game exist who can do it.
Maybe I should end by telling you how I got into snooker and why I am so happy to be the Press Officer for this tournament. Well, it all started in Albuquerque. This bar/pool hall always had one open table, a 5’x10’ snooker table. Every day my friends and I would go to play pool, only to have to wait for ages for one to open. Determined to wait no longer, we looked on line for the rule of snooker and gave it a go. And we loved it. Then I moved to San Mateo, CA, where I found myself up against the all-imposing 6’x12’ tables. They drive me mad, and I can’t play very well on them yet, but I’ve only been doing so for about a year. I can often get about 50-60 points a game, which isn’t too shabby, I don’t think. Maybe I’m not ready to go pro yet, or to even get a century break, but with a little practice, and a lot of patience, I just might get there. Especially now that I’ve gotten a new cue, a Lewis and Wilson with an extension so I can reach those long shots. I can’t wait to try it out! And I’m so happy to be immersed in the world of snooker. I’m learning the terminology, getting a few lessons, and really enjoying myself. And writing about the sport. Something I thought I’d never do. And it’s fabulous.ABOUT THE 2006 1BSF WORLD SNOOKER TEAM CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS:The DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose hosts to this international snooker competition, whose competition began today. Matches run at 10 am, 2 pm and 6 pm; admission is $5 for the regular matches, $8 for the semi-finals on the 25th and $10 for the finals on the 26th. For more information or to make reservations for the matches, please call Diana Slampyak, Press Officer, at 650.773.9633 or email her at dslampyak@comcast.net.

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