Game That Started In India But Took A Global Presence
Yes, there is such a game that originated in India during the rule of the East India Company or the British rule that has today spread to various parts of the world.
Still confused? Easy, its snooker.
Although it was not called as such in the initial days and did not see all the colored balls till later in the 20th century but, its crude form did take shape during the British period of dominance.
Today, the game has reach its pinnacle attracting some of the biggest sponsors and the best players from around the globe to fight it out on the green baize for the glory of being called the world champion.
This itself is not all that easy considering how today the game has evolved into the stage where a single miss can literally screw you out.
It was not like this a couple of decades back when grit and determination had as much sway on the result of the match just as did talent.
Some of the most successful players had less of talent and more of grit and determination.
Point in case being Steve Davis, John Parrot and of course the great Alex Higgins.
The later had as much talent as one can find in a price winning race horse.
Not only was he the best at what he did, he was the public favorite considering his antiques on and off the board.
As the years progressed closing in on the new millennium, Asia started taking a bigger interest in the game once only talked about in this part of the world.
Snooker in Asia was always second fiddle to Pool but come the new age, Snooker migrated to the east where the Thai and Chinese players ripped the circuit apart.
It all started with a few migrants from the east who joined the professional tour and brought it back here.
Today, Snooker has got its roots in each and every country in Asia and Australia.
The biggest achievement yet had to be the crowning of Ding Jun Hai as the world number one a couple of years back bringing glory to the sport in the east.
What is the future of the sport? Well one thing is for sure, it is akin to a virus that shall spread its mark where ever it is witnessed.
Once you have played the sport, it is just addictive to the core.
No one leaves the game having played it once.
We all want more of the game.
This series of articles shall be devoted to understanding the game more intricately and also talking about the latest events in the snooker community.
I plan to start a blog on the same subject in the near future and migrate the topic there, but for now this will have to suffice.
Still confused? Easy, its snooker.
Although it was not called as such in the initial days and did not see all the colored balls till later in the 20th century but, its crude form did take shape during the British period of dominance.
Today, the game has reach its pinnacle attracting some of the biggest sponsors and the best players from around the globe to fight it out on the green baize for the glory of being called the world champion.
This itself is not all that easy considering how today the game has evolved into the stage where a single miss can literally screw you out.
It was not like this a couple of decades back when grit and determination had as much sway on the result of the match just as did talent.
Some of the most successful players had less of talent and more of grit and determination.
Point in case being Steve Davis, John Parrot and of course the great Alex Higgins.
The later had as much talent as one can find in a price winning race horse.
Not only was he the best at what he did, he was the public favorite considering his antiques on and off the board.
As the years progressed closing in on the new millennium, Asia started taking a bigger interest in the game once only talked about in this part of the world.
Snooker in Asia was always second fiddle to Pool but come the new age, Snooker migrated to the east where the Thai and Chinese players ripped the circuit apart.
It all started with a few migrants from the east who joined the professional tour and brought it back here.
Today, Snooker has got its roots in each and every country in Asia and Australia.
The biggest achievement yet had to be the crowning of Ding Jun Hai as the world number one a couple of years back bringing glory to the sport in the east.
What is the future of the sport? Well one thing is for sure, it is akin to a virus that shall spread its mark where ever it is witnessed.
Once you have played the sport, it is just addictive to the core.
No one leaves the game having played it once.
We all want more of the game.
This series of articles shall be devoted to understanding the game more intricately and also talking about the latest events in the snooker community.
I plan to start a blog on the same subject in the near future and migrate the topic there, but for now this will have to suffice.