(Credit: Cue Sports Singapore – David Causier receives the John Roberts Trophy from WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson)
Champion: David Causier
Runner Up: Peter Gilchrist
David Causier is once again on top of the world of English Billiards as he defeated outgoing champion Peter Gilchrist 1776-1092 in the final to win the 2022 Grand Cuvee World Billiards Championship in Singapore.
Taking place at new host venue the Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy in Southeast Asia, pre-tournament favourite and world number one Causier lived up to expectations, claiming the title for a third time after previous triumphs in 2015 and 2017.
Causier travelled to the event in rampant form, having won nine World Billiards ranking event titles within the past season-and-a-half, although he did lose in the last 16 of the Straits Billiards Singapore Open Billiards Championship which was held at the same RoSSA venue last week.
The Englishman was in incredible scoring form during the groups phase, rattling in a plethora of century breaks – including three triple-centuries – as he won all his games and qualified for the knockout rounds top of Group A.
More heavy scoring was the order of the day as he eliminated New Zealand’s Gary Oliver 1428-380 in the last 16 before he highlighted an effort of 370 during a 1555-459 quarter-final success over compatriot Jonathan Marwood.
The best scoring was yet to come, though, as the 49-year-old Teesider produced a break of 697 in his 2055-780 victory against Peter Sheehan (England) in the semi-finals. The highest run of the championship, the contribution was a masterful display of the Postman’s Knock strategy.
Coming through the other side of the draw was defending champion and local hero Gilchrist, who was seeking his fifth world title in this format.
Winner of the aforementioned Singapore Open a few days before, the Singaporean citizen claimed the last World Billiards Championship when it was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2019. The evergreen 54-year-old made a sterling defence of his crown, winning his group with a 100% record and then defeating Devendra Joshi (India) 1018-476, Ryan Mears (England) 825-509 and world number three Robert Hall (England) 1002-854 in the last 16, eight and four, respectively.
A five-hour, two-session showdown would decide the fate of The John Roberts Trophy – sport’s oldest World Championship trophy. It was the fourth time that the duo had faced each other in the sport’s biggest title match – Gilchrist was successful in 2013, Causier in his Championship winning years of 2015 and 2017.
After Causier established an early lead in the final, Gilchrist countered with a break of 304 to move in front. At one stage during the opening session, the reigning champion led by over 230 points, but Causier responded by retaking the advantage, although at the end of the session the contest could barely be closer with just 13 points separating them.
With the match on a knife-edge going into the concluding session, Causier seemed to find another level to his game, taking control of proceedings, and with the help of breaks of 195, 124, 268 and 107, eventually running out a comfortable winner.
Report by Michael Day.
