Ahmedabad, India | 8 October 2026: The Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships 2026 got underway at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Thursday, with athletes from across the Commonwealth taking to the tables across five disciplines in pursuit of championship honours.
Featuring 144 athletes representing 42 nations, the Championships bring together established champions and emerging talent in English Billiards, Snooker, 10-Ball Pool, Heyball and Blackball. The opening day delivered a compelling mix of decisive victories, closely contested matches and early tests of championship credentials.
Strong Starts in Men’s Heyball
Men’s Heyball saw several convincing performances as players began their campaigns. India’s Paras Gupta defeated Samoa’s Revelation Tagaloa 8–3, while Uzair Khan recorded a 9–4 win over Hussein Abdallah.
Craig Brown of the United Kingdom also advanced with a 9–2 victory over Azim Bakar, setting up a meeting with Gupta in the next round. Khan is scheduled to face Tan Zhong Wei of Singapore as the competition progresses.
Snooker Produces Closely Contested Action
In Men’s Snooker, Dhvaj Haria of India secured a 3–0 victory over Chris Dagnall of the Isle of Man, while Laxman Singh Rawat edged past Australia’s David Wright 3–2 in one of the day’s closer encounters.
The women’s competition also delivered notable results, with India’s Snenthra Babu defeating Natasha Kent 3–1 and Shruthi Lakshminarayanan overcoming Australia’s Jessica Woods by the same scoreline.
Action Across Billiards, 10-Ball and Blackball
The opening day featured competitive action across the remaining disciplines, underlining the depth and diversity of the Commonwealth field.
In Women’s Billiards, Anupama Ramachandran of India opened her campaign with a victory over Chimba Chimfwembe. In Men’s Billiards, Siddharth Parikh also recorded a win against Clive Marsh, while Rayaan Razmi faced Canada’s Kevin Augusta.
Men’s 10-Ball saw India’s Lalrina Renthlei defeat Kelly Yambi 9–3, while Divya Sharma also advanced against Darcy McGinley.
In Women’s Blackball, Gianna Rego of India recorded a 5–2 victory over Thapelo Mothate, adding another result to an eventful opening day.
International Contenders Face Early Tests
The Championships also produced several significant results among the international field.
In Women’s Heyball, Agnes Kimura defeated Jiya Sehgal of India 4–2, while South Africa’s Marina Jacobs overcame defending Commonwealth champion Vidya Pillai 7–2. England’s Kelly Fisher delivered a strong performance with a 7–1 victory over Mauritius’ Vaishnavi Jugnarain.
Men’s Blackball featured further international competition, with Rwanda’s Frederic Ngaboyisonga defeating India’s Chetan Chhabra 7–4, while England’s Lee Shepherd secured a 7–2 win over Aarav Sancheti of India.
Singapore’s Anran Yu also recorded a convincing 7–1 victory over India’s Sanvi Shah in Women’s 10-Ball.
The Road to Commonwealth Glory Continues
With the opening round complete, attention now turns to the next stage of competition as athletes across all five disciplines continue their pursuit of Commonwealth honours.
The Championships provide an important international platform for cue sports, bringing together different playing traditions, competitive formats and generations of athletes under one multi-discipline event.
As the action continues in Ahmedabad, the field remains focused on the challenge ahead, with further rounds set to determine the medal contenders across the Championships.
Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships 2026
Dates: 7–10 October 2026
Venue: Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, India
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