The South African Snooker Singles Championships, South African Snooker Classic Championships and South African Pairs Championships took place during the month of May at The Wanderers Club. With a total of 148 participants playing in the various tournaments.
Snooker lovers and enthusiasts converged on The Wanderers Club to watch South Africa’s top snooker players in action, during the week-long tournament.
In preparation, The Wanderers Snooker Clubs tables were all recovered and new sets of Aramith balls purchased and the venue prepared for the championships, providing world-class standards for all the players.
SA Pairs Snooker Championships
In the SA Pairs Championships final it was Charl Jonck (Gqeberha) and his partner Fakhrie Gierdien (Central Gauteng) who beat the 2021 SA Pairs Champions Munier Cassim and Mutalieb Allie to lift the 2022 SA Pairs championship title.
SA Classic Snooker Championships
The South African Classic Snooker Championship, straight knockout format, provided exciting snooker, with the top seeds all progressing in the latter stages, making for a competitive quarterfinal.
- Fakhrie Gierdien beat Ricky Tregonning 4-0
- Charl Jonck beat Munier Cassim 4-1
- Kiashen Moodley beat Johnny Sideratos 4-1
- Mutalieb Allie beat Marcelino James 4-1
In the semi-finals it was the SA Pairs Champions Fakhrie Gierdien vs Charl Jonck and Mutalieb Allie vs Kiashen Moodley. Charl played some superb snooker but Fakhrie played some stellar safety snooker to maintain his lead and beat Charl 5-4. In the second semi-final, it was Mutalieb Allie who beat Kiashen Moodley 5-1 to book his place in the final.
In the tense and exciting final, Mutalieb Allie and Fakhrie Gierdien again showed why they are the players to watch at this year’s National Snooker Championships, Mutalieb beating Fakhrie 5-3 to be crowned the 2022 SA Classic Snooker Champion.
South African Singles Snooker Championships
Organisers of the SA Snooker Championships had their hands full as a maximum entry amount was received, for the SA Singles Championships, Snooker and Billiards South Africa (SABSA) had a meticulous schedule created so that all three tournaments ran concurrent and players were not affected with The Wanderers Club providing the ultimate 11 table playing venue.
The round-robin stages saw some upsets however it was the usual suspects that proceeded to the knockout stages with the top 16 cementing their place in the last 32 knockout round.
In the semi-finals of the SA Snooker Singles Championships, it was Mutalieb Allie and Fakhrie Gierdien who were runners up, as defending SA Champion Kiashen Moodley beat Mutalieb in a one-sided affair, showing why he is the current SA Champion. In the opposite draw semi-final, it was the Charl and Fakhrie again who entertained the spectators with phenomenal potting and safety, Charl firing a century break on his way to win the contest and book his place in the final.
The final played on the Saturday morning, seemed to favour Charl as the snooker gods made it easy for him to overcome Kiashen Moodley, in a tense and nervy final, Charl playing in his first final was enjoying the final as he knocked in numerous 50+ breaks to overcome Kiashen who looked as if the semi-finals against Mutalieb Allie had drained him, Charl making quick work and lifting the 2022 SA Singles Snooker Championship Title. Charl made the highest break of the tournament a 136 as well
In the SA Plate Final it was Rafique Limbada who beat Munier Cassim 5-1 to lift the SA Snooker Plate Title.
