David Causier Wins World Billiards Championship
David Causier defeated Robert Hall 2,088-1,109 to win the 2024 World Billiards Championship at the Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England.
England’s Causier, who last won the title in 2022, was in dominant form as he won each of his knockout matches leading up to the final by a margin of more than 1,000 points before defeating fellow countryman Hall to once again secure the biggest prize in World Billiards.
Victory for the 51-year-old saw him regain the prestigious John Roberts Trophy, which was presented by former World Billiards champion and World Snooker Tour (WST) Hall of Fame inductee Rex Williams.
Meanwhile, English national champion Hall can take pride from a week that saw him reach the final of the flagship event in World Billiards and eliminate defending champion Gilchrist in a dramatic semi-final contest.
A total of 55 competitors from ten countries and three continents embarked on the Landywood Snooker Club for four-day tournament which began with an initial group phase.
Causier made short work of the first round by overcoming India’s Devendra Joshi, Northern Ireland’s Korbin Lowe and compatriots Paul Mather and Terry McAdam by an aggregate scoreline of 4,193 to 534.
His relentless form continued into the knockout stages, as a top break of 293 helped him to defeat Wales’ Jason Goodwin by 1,122 points.
Further dominant victories over Darren Clark and Peter Sheehan by similar winning margins saw Causier set up a title match meeting with fellow Englishman Hall.
Third seed Hall had performed excellently across the week, registering the tournament high break of 364 and eliminating the defending champion Gilchrist 1,217-1,050 in a closely fought semi-final contest.
Causier began the five-hour final as the favourite for the title and he made the perfect start with breaks of 92 and 151 within the early exchanges seeing him open up a 243 point lead.
Hall showed his battling qualities as the final became a tightly contested affair, but a further contribution of 139 saw Causier take a 814-559 lead at the mid-session interval.
After the break, Causier stepped up a gear breaks of 192, 196 and 160 helped the multiple world champion to a 2,088-1,109 victory.
Post-match, Causier said: “I’m really pleased, it’s a phenomenal achievement. It has been a long, hard week but it has all paid off in the end.”
“I don’t think either of us settled before the interval. It is difficult when you know you are playing for five hours and you don’t really want to blow yourself out early on and feel a bit flat. I felt that if I got to the interval with a lead, then I knew I could have a good hour somewhere and in the second session I had a period where I was scoring heavily.” he said.
“Nobody wants to get beaten in a final, I lost here last year and it is not enjoyable at all. I have just gone twelve months on the World Billiards calendar without losing but I just want to keep pushing on and keep improving!”
SHRUTHI L WINS WOMEN’S WORLD BILLIARDS CHAMPIONSHIP
India’s Shruthi L defeated her compatriot Keerath Bhandaal 215-202 to win the Women’s World Billiards Championship title for the first time in her career.
She arrived at the Landywood Snooker Club as the lowest ranked of the seven competitors, who represented five different nations, but a stunning performance from the teenage cueist saw her win five consecutive matches to take home the title.
The one-day event began with a group stage and Shruthi L defeated former champion Anna Lynch, eventual finalist Bhandaal and Scotland’s Michelle Cohen to reach the semi-finals.
A 276-148 victory over Sweden’s Eva Palmius saw Shruthi L set up an all-Indian title match against Bhandaal.
Shruthi L had defeated Bhandaal by just 18 points in the group stages, and the final proved to be an even tighter affair as the teenager ran out a winner by 13 points to become the world champion for the first time.
