Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee dedicates world title to late teen Poon Ching-chiu, a ‘teammate and friend’ who died aged 18
- Ng says she switched off her social media so she could focus on winning the IBSF version of the world championships
- It was a morale-boosting victory for the 28-year-old, who defeated three rising youngsters in Turkey on her way to the title
Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee dedicated her latest world title to Poon Ching-chiu, the rising snooker star who died at the age of 18 less than two weeks ago.
Ng held off a host of up-and-coming youngsters who have beaten her this season to become a world champion again, storming to a convincing victory in the IBSF world championships in Antalya, Turkey.
The world number two and three-time main tour world champion won the International Billiards and Snooker Federation equivalent for the third time, beating Thailand’s third-ranked Nutcharut Wongharuthai, also known as Mink, 5-2, in the final.
In an emotional Facebook post, Ng said she needed the victory after a difficult year in which she lost her main tour world title – losing to Mink in the quarter-finals – and her No 1 ranking.
“Haven’t won a championship for almost a year and it’s been 9 years since my last IBSF,” she wrote. “A very tough and emotional week with the loss of a very talented teammate and friend shortly after arriving Turkey.
“I deactivated my Facebook & Instagram to stay focused and sorry that I missed all your messages. I would like to dedicate my title as a small gift for the young boy and hopefully you are watching over us from where you are.
“I have been questioning myself over the year, wondering if I would ever win a tournament again … keep practising hard and giving my very best each time. You never know, sometimes success might just be around the corner.”
Poon passed out during a training session on the afternoon of October 30 and was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital where he was certified dead. The cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Ng, who this year lost the world No 1 ranking to England’s 12-time world champion Reanne Evans, has had a tough season with defeats against Mink, India’s Amee Kamani, and Thailand’s defending IBSF champion Waratthanun Sukritthanes.
She also lost to China’s teenage star Bai Yulu in the Hong Kong Masters in October. The 28-year-old Ng said at the time she welcomed the challenge from the new wave of female youngsters and would work harder to stay on top.
And she made a powerful statement by running off five straight frames against Mink after victories over Kamani and Waratthanun to claim her third crown. She also won in 2009 and 2010.
With breaks of 42, 30, 30, 68 and 60, Ng battled back from 2-0 down to beat the woman who knocked her out of the main tour's world championship at the quarter-final stage in Bangkok in June.
Coach Wayne Griffiths said the victory was a major confidence-booster and sets her up well for the 2020 campaign.
“This is an event we really have set our sights on for On-yee this year,” said Griffiths, the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s head snooker coach.
“After a year of near misses in major events, On-yee has redoubled her efforts in training and in preparation for this world championships.
“To score victories over three world-class players, who she had suffered defeats against earlier in the season, will make it all the more satisfying for her. It will also give her that special feeling of winning at the highest level again, and this will hopefully lead to increased confidence as she prepares for 2020.”
The IBSF tournament may be amateur but has a longer history than the main tour’s world event and features a greater diversity of players in terms of nationality.
Past women’s champions include Evans, Belgium’s Wendy Jans and England’s Kelly Fisher.
Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif won the men’s title for the second time, beating the Philippines’ Jefrey Roda 7-5 in the final.
Past men’s winners include Hong Kong’s Marco Fu Ka-chun (1997), former pro world champion Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham and China’s world No 18 Yan Bingtao – the youngest winner when he took the 2014 title aged 15.
