IBSF World Championship
Amateur Snooker, Finals

Lim Kok Leong wins IBSF World Championship

Lim Kok Leong beat Amir Sarkhosh 5-0 to claim the IBSF World Championship on Friday in Türkiye.

Lim became the first Malaysian snooker player to win the amateur title, compiling breaks of 58, 55, and 52 in a one-sided final.

The 27 year-old comfortably qualified from the group stages in Antalya with four wins from his early round-robin fixtures.

A 4-0 defeat of former professional Eden Sharav followed as the knockout phase began, and after reaching the quarter-finals Lim ousted young Poland player Antoni Kowalski.

Babar Masih from Pakistan was subsequently beaten 5-3 in the last four, a match in which Lim compiled a 109 century break.

Defeating Sarkhosh in the title decider consigned the Iranian to a second successive defeat at the final hurdle of the competition, and a third disappointment at that late stage overall.

The IBSF World Championship is one of the longest-running tournaments in amateur snooker, and it was once among the most prestigious to win.

Famous names like Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, James Wattana, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire, and Mark Allen were among those who etched their names onto the trophy in the past.

For decades, the IBSF World Championship provided an avenue onto the professional circuit – with the champion rewarded with a tour card.

But political turmoil between the International Billiards and Snooker Federation and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association resulted in a split from their partnership a few years ago.

With no tour card on offer and a rival amateur championship established for amateur players by the WPBSA, the field for the IBSF World Championship has generally been much weaker in the intervening years since.

No players from England or China – the two powerhouses of the game – participated in the 2022 edition.

Results

Quarter-Finals
Robin Hull 4-1 Brendan O’Donoghue
Amir Sarkhosh 4-3 Rodion Judin
Babar Masih 4-1 Brijesh Damani
Lim Kok Leong 4-2 Antoni Kowalski

Semi-Finals
Amir Sarkhosh 5-3 Robin Hull
Lim Kok Leong 5-3 Babar Masih

Final
Lim Kok Leong 5-0 Amir Sarkhosh

Featured photo credit: IBSF

2 Comments

  1. Robin Hull a notable name taking part.

  2. Yes, Lim KokLeong is a decent player. I’d rate him about as strong as Moh Keen Hoo, who played on the professional tour some years ago, but not as strong as Rory Thor. It will be interesting to see if they repeat the experiment with the Bangkok Q School.

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