Cueing up for a spot

With the successful conduct of yet another World event beyond them -- this time the World Snooker Champi¬onship that concluded on December 3 last year - the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA) is look¬ing to move on. Having completed one phase of upgrading, they are now looking at the final phase, which would then ' put them on a pedestal even above the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, an arena that hosts professional snooker events besides plays. A stadium-type configuration, the first for any such cue sport association in the world, with around 1000 seats for championships semifinals and finals is part of the plan. And when big-ticket tournaments are not on, the same venue will be converted into a badminton hall for members to use, with the reclining seats getting neatly folded.

Started in 1949 in a private parlour and then becoming a two-table, one-room affair in 1951, located on the then quiet Brigade Road, the KSBA has come a long way to be what it is today, the only such state association to boast of a full-fledged playing hall with as many as 15 tables for members to indulge in billiards, snooker, pool, carom, et all. The ad¬dition of a well-appointed sports bar, a swanky swimming • pool and an upgrade to the rooms, has meant that the KSBA has now become a well-rounded social club in addition to be¬ing the country's leading cue sports association that also houses the offices of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, the national body of the sport.

"As a sports association, our primary interest has to be the game. But then, this not a sport that is very commercially viable, and it is through other means that we manage to keep the show going," said MC Uthappa, the honorary KSBA pres¬ident, a successful businessman whose interests vary from stabilizers to catering. "To that effect, we take our club fa¬cilities seriously and thus things like the swimming pool came up. The same facilities also help us meet the fitness re¬quirements of our players and as you know we have pro¬duced some of the country's best," added a proud Uthappa.
With as many as 1800 members already on their rolls, one would have expected that-like most of the other billiard and snooker Club in Bangalore- both the centrally located ones and the ones in the suburbs -- memberships would be closed.

"Not at all," said Uthappa. "In fact, our committee only recently decided to take 200 additional members to take the count to 2,000. We can accommodate more, especially as our plans include a roof-top restaurant and a full-fledged health club. Besides, our squash arena is almost ready. But, each section can only cater to a set number and it's in keeping with that we are restricting the intake. We know Bangaloreans aspire to become club members but then we can only do so much," said Uthappa.

That indeed is true. With prices in restaurants and b; going through the roof and finding parking being a major hurdle, the dubs have only become more alluring. Unfortu¬nately for those moving into Bangalore in recent years, the major draws such as Billiards Club in Bangalore, Century Club and Bowring Institute, all pure social clubs, unlike the cricket, hockey, badminton and billiards clubs, have either closed memberships or have waiting periods of as many as 15 years.

So, whether you are interested in taking in some snook¬er action, playing the sport yourself or simply want to have a regular place of entertainment for you and your family, head to the KSBA. For details, log on to www.ksba.in