Bahrain venue hailed by stars

If spectator attendance is used as a barometer to measure the success of the first-ever professional snooker tournament to be held in Bahrain, it was an utter flop. But it still attracted some hardcore followers of the game for important matches, including an 89-year-old grandmother. That's good news.

Moreover the quality of the game was high, the competition intense and the final showdown - an ultimate classic that lasted more than six hours and concluded well past midnight. It was exhausting yet exhilarating and at the end of it all it left everyone craving for more.

Snooker has truly arrived in Bahrain though it still has a long way to go to become the Crucible of the Middle East. But the players at least are happy to have found a new stop on the world circuit.

Seven-time champion Stephen Hendry was thrilled when a few hundred of his ardent fans turned up for one of his matches and he did not disappoint them knocking in two century breaks.

World No. 3 Shaun Murphy was equally thrilled coming to Bahrain. "It's always nice to visit new places and take the game to new people. Bahrain is ideal for a major snooker event like this and we hope to come here more often," said the 26-year-old cueman.

Murphy though did not stay for long in Bahrain after losing in the first round, but he set the tone and tenure for the championship by hailing the kingdom as the mecca for snooker in the Middle East.

For me personally it was a different kind of pilgrimage watching the idols of the game in a temple-like atmosphere at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre. It was more than a decade since I had watched a top class ranking event. It was nostalgic and nerve-wracking at the same time.

The last big event I covered was perhaps the world amateur snooker championship in the 90s back home in Bangalore. Ronnie O'Sullivan had just then begun to shave but was already making others tear their hair in despair by his incredible potting and unbelievable break-building abilities.

Tony Drago of Malta was there too among a few others including James Wattana of Thailand if I remember correctly. But it was O'Sullivan's tournament all the way as he glided around the table like a gladiator and held the balls in a spell. I almost fell off the chair in one of the matches when he came close to a maximum break.

It was heart-breaking when he missed an easy black but heart-warming overall when he eventually won the title. The Rocket was well on its way to the orbit.

Back to the Bahrain championship. Neil Robertson was equally stirring as he went on to win the £48,000 top prize. The 26-year-old Melbourne Machine struck a cordial note right from start and by the time he sealed the title in a marathon final at 9-7 against Matthew Stevens, he had captured many hearts through his game and broken many more with his charm and classic good looks.

A friend put it aptly, if not in the right perspective, when he said that the Robert Redford of snooker was here in Bahrain. Stevens was no less a Harrison Ford, I added, while another friend likened an ageing Hendry to an off colour Steve McQueen and Peter Ebdon to a young Yul Brynner as we watched the final showdown late at night.

Robertson eventually tamed Stevens after 16 frames of high quality snooker. It had everything in it - great breaks, fabulous long pots, delicate shots, artistic touch and deft control and of course quite a few classic snookers - in the 13th frame in particular which lasted 64 minutes before Stevens could win it 73-48 to go into the lead for the first time after more than four hours of struggle.

Ironically, the frame before that lasted less than 11 minutes which Stevens won with his only century break of the final. The two frames summed up the pain and pleasures of playing and watching snooker - it can be excitingly fast or excruciatingly slow but always full of action.

Now that Bahrain has got the taste of both, it is time to cultivate the sport. "We hope this tournament will be both a focal point and a catalyst for the continuing development of our sport in this region," said chairman of World Snooker Sir Rodney Walker.

It can certainly be if the sport is nursed and nourished practically and pragmatically. This is not a high-end sport like, for example, Formula One. Nor is it easily followed, like for instance, beach volleyball. Bahrain knows it best as it has hosted both Formula One and beach volleyball regularly in the last few years.

To begin with, snooker has to be made 'fans friendly'. Fans should be enticed and not intimidated. To do that the ticket prizes should be made affordable. This time around it started with BD3 and ended with BD15 for the final. That's a bit too much though it is not as high as Formula One tickets.

Some food for thought that. But snooker's here to stay. That's good news for now.