Mumbai : Rayaan Razmi struck good form and played fluently during an easy 3-0 win against Rahil Abbas Lassanwala in a first round match of the Matunga Gymkhana 9-Red Open Handicap Snooker Tournament 2017, which is sponsored and hosted by Matunga Gymkhana and played at the gymkhana’s billiards hall.
A confident Razmi, played with a handicap of +29 as compared to Lassanwala, who had a higher handicap of +35, but asserted his dominance from the start. Razmi compiled a break of 28 in the first frame and two more breaks of 38 and 32 flowed from his cue in the second as he established a 2-0 lead and then with small efforts maintained the momentum to wrap up the match by winning at 78(28)-52, 114(38,32)-39 and 115-78 without a fight.
However, Rayaan’s younger brother Shayaan, just 11-years-old fought remarkably hard but could not succeed. He did pretty well and managed to even take a frame before losing 1-3 to Ajinkya Khalkar in a first round match. Khalkar (+35) had to bring out his best to overcome the young Shayaan (+35) in four frames 3-1 (55-75, 74-72, 82-61, 86-64).
Meanwhile, a determined Mazhar Ali came from behind to snatch a 3-2 win against Pushkar Jathar in another first round clash. Ali (+39 handicap) showing a nerve-say-die attitude lost the first and second frames, but exhibiting the stomach for a fight he turned things around in his favour by winning the next three frames to finish with a 66-80(25), 63-66(22), 82-36, 80-67 and 88-39 victory to take his place in the second round.
