Palpable tension was in the air at the Madiba Banquet Hall last Friday as the finals of the 10th SANDF Blackball Pool Championships reached fever pitch. The concentration on the face of North West’s Lebohang Maseko reflected his stern determination to outwit Free State’s Marco de Wit on the table. The tension that circled the table throughout ended in excitement and adulation for Maseko. As he sank his final black ball, he raised his cue in a display of relief and overzealous joy with his 7-3 victory. His home province heroics have duly earned him the title of men’s champ for the second time in his career.
‘It is never easy to win. This is fantastic and amazing for me to finally beat Marco after trying numerous times. Last year, he beat me in the semi-final and went on to win. Now I have gotten the best of him for once,’ Maseko said.
Maseko, from Klerksdorp, also feels that good preparation aided him in taking home the title and earning some bragging rights for North West.
‘I prepared well for this tournament and took part in numerous championships to get ready. I also competed in an open competition before the tournament to get some time at the tables,’ he explained. Maseko started playing pool in 2002 and started professionally in 2011 as part of the SANDF. His rise has been nothing less than spectacular and the ease with which he finished off his opponent was mind-blowing at times.
‘A good pool player must be competitive, open to challenge yourself and open to change your game when something is not working perfectly,’ he said.
Winners:
Men’s: Lebohang Maseko (North-West).
Seniors’: Paul Spreadborough (Western Cape).
Women’s: Lenyuktha Chetty (Western Cape).
