Alok Kumar enters last 16 stage

Former national champion Alok Kumar ended his league engagements with a thumping 4-0 victory over Robert Laughran of Northern Ireland and qualified for the last 16 stage in the World Open billiards championship at Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

The victory enabled the Punjab-based Alok to top Group-F. Englishman Paul Bennett was second in the group while world No 6 Robby Foldvari of Australia bowed out out of contention.

The last chance for Foldvari to qualify lay on India's Manoj Kothari beating Paul Bennett 4-0 and he himself winning by the same margin against youngster Rob Wilson. Though Foldvari managed to beat Wilson 4-0, the Indian went down without a fight to Bennett 0-4, thus shutting out Foldvari's chances of making it to the last 16 stage.

In Group-B, former World champion Geet Sethi has already made it to the last 16 stage. Either Ian Williamson of England or 21-year-old Aussie Matthew Bolton will join him from the gorup.

Bombay-based Nalin Patel crushed John Hughes of the Republic of Ireland 4-0 to cement his place at the top of Group-G while youngster Vishal Madan of India, who beat Mohammed Younus of Pakistan 4-1, still has a chance of qualifying from Group-A.

Madan, who is playing in his first international tournament, is pitted against Moh Loon Hong of Malaysia in his last league match while compatriot Dhruv Sitwala gave himself a faint chance of qualifying when he drubbed Francis Mintoff of Malta 4-0.