Boteju rolls back the years with Masterclass in Bahrain

Susantha Boteju and Thusitha Chandana in Bahrain 

By Allaam Ousman 

Sri Lanka’s evergreen cueist Susantha Boteju, a 19-time national snooker champion, turned back the clock with a sparkling performance at the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championships in Manama, Bahrain, underscoring his enduring class on the international stage.

Competing in the Masters (Over 40) category, 55-year-old Boteju swept through the group stage unbeaten in Group J, winning all three matches in emphatic fashion. His standout moment came against Ireland’s Tom Gleeson, where he posted an impressive break of 70 en-route to a 3-1 victory.

Earlier, Boteju opened his campaign with a tense 3-2 victory over Ahmed Aseeri of Saudi Arabia and wrapped up group play with a solid 3-1 win over Oman’s Qasim Albalushi.

Though his momentum was halted in the Round of 16, where he lost 2-4 to Iraq’s Firas Kamil Shaba, Boteju’s overall display in the Masters drew widespread praise. His performance also earned him a wild card entry to compete in the World 6 Reds Snooker Championships, which commenced yesterday at the same venue. He joins fellow Sri Lankans Thaha Irshath and Mohomed Rikaz in the prestigious event.

“Boteju was not even sure if he could travel for the event. He was chasing sponsorship until the last moment while juggling practice. But he never gave up, and his results show the strength of his character,” said a spokesperson from the Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka (BSASL).

In contrast, Thusitha Chandana, Sri Lanka’s second representative in the Masters, put up a brave fight but fell short in Group H, losing all three encounters. His match against Ireland’s Victor McCormack went the distance, but he narrowly lost 3-2.

Masters Group Results – 

Susantha Boteju (Group J) beat Ahmed Aseeri (Saudi Arabia) 3-2 (18/63, 47/35, 69/29, 44/74, 56/24), beat Tom Gleeson (Ireland) 3-1 (77/15, 69/20, 23/66, 84/40), beat Qasim Albalushi (Oman) 3-1 (80/0, 48/46, 20/63, 68/25)

Round of 16: Lost to Firas Kamil Shaba (Iraq) 2-4 (88/26, 76/39, 5/59, 21/47, 66/21, 72/35)

Thusitha Chandana (Group H) lost to Mohamed Shehab (UAE) 3-0 (90/15, 89/2, 68/17), lost to Ahmed Saif (Qatar) 3-1 (61/38, 47/54, 54/53, 100/0), lost to Victor McCormack (Ireland) 3-2 (47/63, 56/35, 44/70, 62/23, 75/33)

World 6 Reds Groups

Group C: Thaha Irshath (Sri Lanka), Fung Kwok Wai (Hong Kong China), Mohamed Alshaikh (Bahrain), Ahmed Mustafa (Iraq)

Group L: Susantha Boteju (Sri Lanka), Manan Chandra (India), Sebastian Milewski (Poland), Ihab Al Salih (Iraq)

Group Q: Mohomed Rikaz (SriLanka), Ahmed Saif (Qatar), Rushabh Jain (India), Riley Powell (Wales)