Ahmad Taufiq Murni (L) in action against Hj Md Khairuddin Hj Asnan during the final of the National 8-Ball Pool Tournament 2015 yesterday at the Billiards and Snooker Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas. BT/Yee Chun Leong
AHMAD Taufiq Murni captured his maiden National 8-Ball Pool title after a 7-0 whitewash of Hj Md Khairuddin Hj Asnan in the final yesterday.
The national cueist felt that he had a rough time in the last-eight despite dispatching Md Airwan Zakaria 7-1 before getting back in rhythm against national teammate Lim Wei Kok 7-3 in the semi-finals that led to a strong showing.
"I played badly in the quarter-finals and only managed get back into form midway through the semi-finals," said Taufiq after the triumph. "The game would have been close but my opponent (Hj Md Khairuddin) made quite a number of mistakes," he added.
"But overall I'm really satisfied and it is great to finally win as it is my first time for the 8-ball event," continued the 26-year-old. There was simply no return for Hj Md Khairuddin after Taufiq raced off to a 3-0 lead at the Billiards and Snooker Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
Hj Md Khairuddin had a chance to cut the deficit but fouled on potting the eight-ball in the fourth rack. Missing with only one ball left on the table in the following frame added to his woes.
He missed on the eight-ball in the sixth rack and a scratch on the break to start off the final rack saw Taufiq complete the sweep. "Nothing went right for me and it caused the breakdown of my mentality as I grew more frustrated," said Hj Md Khairuddin, who defeated Md Haikal Qarin Hj Haironi Hamizin 7-4 in the quarter-finals before getting past Md Khalid 7-4 to move into the title decider.
"I had my chances but I missed a lot of easy shots. Taufiq played well and didn't make any mistakes," added the 17-year-old. He will now shift his focus to the National Under-21 8-Ball Tournament next weekend.
Hj Md Khairuddin has already notched a double after defeating Md Haikal in both the finals of the U-21 9-ball and 10-ball events in April. "I just hope to get my game back and play better than I did in the final today (Sunday)," he concluded.
