A nine ball women’s pool championship has been held for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine.
The tournament was held on February 17-20 in the club of Kyiv’s Rostok Company, so much beloved by the organizers.
The final saw the students Ilona Lorentseva (Sevastopol) and Vika Nahorna (Kyiv). Ilona played with inspiration, uninhibitedly and even, so to speak, with a swagger, at times trying to win the audience’s affection with her theatrical gestures. But Vika, the favorite of Kyiv audiences judging by her play was nervous, committing too many scratches and annoying mistakes in very simple situations. As a result, the Crimean girl won a convincing victory with 4:1.
The Sunday before last, billiard aficionados also witnessed a breath-taking encounter for the Ukrainian men’s championship.
The game seemed to have been over when, after the first three periods, Andriy Radyshevsky from Odesa did not allow his rival, Ihor Abramovych from Kyiv, even to wet the scorecard.
However, Ihor was by no means going to put himself at the mercy of the winner: he recaptured the initiative and led the game by fits and starts until the score was 5:5 before the decisive game. Yet, this time the Odesa player was destined to get the gold.
To crown it all, the famous Swedish billiard player Jorgen Sandman staged a show, demonstrating his unmatched mastery.
Especially spectacular was the technique this pool billiard ace calls a butterfly: just after the first shot by the cue ball, all other balls obediently and quickly rolled into the pockets.
Pool billiards is becoming more and more popular in Ukraine. The number of professional players is on the rise, as is that of the aficionados of this beautiful game that has experienced a virtual renaissance in recent years.
