East Brunswick, New Jersey USA- Raj Hundal will become the first player from India to ever be invited to play in the World Straight Pool Championship on Aug 25-30,2008, held in the United States. Hundal most recently finished third place at the US Joss Northeast Championship, a major points ranking tour stop on the Men's Pocket Billiards Tour. This catapulted Hundal from 16th place to now 5th place rankings in the US. Previously in 2007, Hundal was unranked and unseeded in world ranking pro events. The US Men's Pro Pool Tour is widely considered to be the most prestigious and challenging tour as all the world's best players internationally congregate to compete in the US.
"Raj Hundal's performances on the world stage has brought himself and India into the limelight as a force to be reckoned with in the pool world. It's fitting that he will be the first ever to represent India in the World Straight Pool Championship in its 130 year history." said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions, the producer of the World Championship.
Hundal is known as The Hitman on tour
Straight Pool , also known as 14.1 continuous, was the original game of pocket billiards. It was for over 100 years the official game of the pro tour, but was in modern times transitioned over to 9-Ball, a different rotation game known for its speedy games suitable for television. But pool's rich history maintained by this traditional event only one one time yearly, and its winners are considered to be true purists of the game as their is much less luck and more skill involved in 14.1 . The first World 14.1 Championship was won by Cyrille Dion of Canada in 1878, but was dominated by the United States for over a hundred years. In 2006 and 2007, Germany has become the next dynasty of straight pool, followed closely by other European countries. Asia has a Bronze in the 2007 World Championship.
" Though I've never really played this game before, I have been practicing it some and really enjoy it. It does take a lot of knowledge and skill, but it's all about pocketing the balls and controlling the white, and that is something I have been doing for years now. I'm sure it won't be long before I get a good grasp on the game. As always, I will hope to bring more national pride and attention to my beloved India in this event . " commented Hundal.
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