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Ahmedabad, August 23: The Delhi Dons overcame home favourites Gujarat Kings 3-2 in a tense battle to join Chennai Strikers in the semifinals of the Indian Cue Masters League here on Wednesday.
They were boldly led by their Icon player Kelly Fisher and the Indian duo of Malkeet Singh and Manan Chandra as they notched up crucial wins.
The Kings got off to a rousing start with Alok Kumar beating Pushpender Singh in straight frames in the 9-Ball Pool Singles.
But Kelly Fisher and Malkeet Singh paired up in the Snooker Mixed Doubles to outwit Andrew Pagett and Daria Sirotina 2-0 to make it 1-1.
The Icons clash between Kelly Fisher and Andrew Pagett rose to the occasion, with the two stars mixing great defensive play with some dazzling shots.
Pagett jumped to an 18-1 lead to the delight of Gujarat fans and went on a pocketing spree to finish the frame 50-1; but Kelly proved herself to be equal to the task, claiming the second equally emphatically55-8.
In the decider, both expectedly opted for caution, even as tension mounted in the arena. Even six minutes into the frame, the scoreline was just 1-0; Kelly sneaked into an 8-0 lead with 3 minutes to go but then missed an easy red. Pagett pounced on the gift and racked up 17 points to turn the tables on Kelly. Thereafter, he played smartly for time to win the crucial point.
The Kings, however, couldn’t wrap up the contest as Alok Kumar and Daria Sirotina succumbed to the pressure and lost 1-2 to Malkeet Singh and Laura Evans in the Mixed Pool Doubles.
In the Snooker Singles one-frame shootout, Manan Chandra exhibited his class as he repeatedly forced Sourav Kothari into errors. At the same time, he kept picking up points to win 42-0.
