Ng (centre) receives the award from Yeo, who is also the managing partner of Executive 3 Snooker Centre. Looking on is tournament referee Danny Wong.
SIBU: Seasoned campaigner Ng Hong Man finally hit the jackpot when he beat favourite Rolando Lim 4-2 to lift his first Sarawak Closed Snooker Championship title concluded at Executive 3 Snooker Centre here Friday night.
The odds heavily favoured the younger Lim but the flamboyant Ng, a familiar figure in the state snooker fraternity, managed to pull through after an epic battle that lasted more than five hours.
“It has been more than 10 years since I last won a major title and I am going to treasure it for a long time to come,” he said when interviewed after the match.
Ng said it was a tough and difficult fight and on many occasions he had to deep dig into his reserves to stay on course for the title.
Admitting that he was playing under intense pressure, Ng said he did not want to disappoint the home crowd who had turned up to support him.
“I never imagine that I could be the winner though the thought of lifting the title did crop up after I edged Francis Liaw, the veteran player from Kuching, in the semi-final. I thought… if not now, then when,’ he added.
The rest was history.
Lim, when contacted, said it was just not his day and he simply could not raise his game and rhythm of play, “I tried and tried but just failed to pot some of the easiest shots. I do not know understand why but I guess that is just part of the game. If you are not in good form, then that is it… the balls just refused to roll in.”
Despite being the favourite to win the final, Lim said he never underestimated Ng .
“My congratulations to Ng for a good show and I must also admit that he played better than me.”
Ng pocketed RM2,500 and a trophy for his victory while Lim had to be contented with RM1,200.
In fact, Ng could have cut short the match when leading 3-1 in the fifth game and was 48-18 ahead with only the colour balls remaining.
Lim, however, refused to feel intimidated and somehow managed to claw back and pocketed the coloured balls one after another to win the frame at 61-53, reducing the deficit to 2-3.
In the sixth frame, Ng immediately went into the offensive, leading 15-6, 20-10, 35-10 before surging ahead to wind up the game at 51-15.
The two semi-finalists Francis Liaw and Mark Yeo bagged RM600 while the quarter-finalists, Tan Chin Yong, Sim Hong Hui, Jee Chau Hui and Lee Wee Tak each took RM300.
Ng, Lim, Yeo and Liaw will also represent Sarawak for the coming National Snooker Championship to be held in Kuala Lumpur early next year.
A total of 56 players took part in the week-long tournament organised by Sarawak Billiards & Snooker Sports Federation and co-hosted by Executive 3 Snooker Centre.