MUMBAI, SEPT 18: England put India out of their misery in quick time today to clinch the Riley Billiards Test Match at Bombay Gymkhana. Having a formidable 6-2 lead going into the final day, England won the three opening singles to wrap up the best-of-16 series 9-2. The win left the Englishmen richer by 6,800 pounds, while the Indians received 4,200 pounds for their effort.English captain Mike Russell sent ominous signals early in the day, opening with an unfinished 154 to go one-up against Devendra Joshi. A 127 in the second made it 2-0. Joshi's only visit to the table during this blitzkrieg fetched a break of two! Joshi won the error-prone third 151-123, but Russell made it 7-2 for England with an unfinished 124 in the fourth.Indian captain Geet Sethi then flattered to deceive, an unfinished 148 comprehensively bringing home the first game against David Causier. But crucial errors cost him the second. Sethi even committed a rare foul, when he played the white cue ball instead of his own yellow!Thereafter, Sethi's form sped rapidly downhill, peaking with a 44, as Causier wrapped up the match 3-1.Ashok Shandilya again underlined that he was India's backbone in the series, a fact skipper Sethi acknowledged in his acceptance speech. Up against Peter Gilchrist, ranked four notches above him in World rankings, Shandilya started with a century break but incredibly lost the first game. He won the next two games to go 2-1 up. But he was only delaying the inevitable.Gilchrist won the fourth, forcing the only decider of the series. England left their signature on that frame, as Gilchrist finished with a maximum break of 150.SORE WINNER: The only sore point in England's win was the absence of World champion Mike Russell at the prize distribution ceremony. Russell failed to turn up, leaving only a note at the President Hotel that he was air-dashing to Delhi to join his Indian wife and in-laws. Sadly, he did not inform the organisers, and there were suggestions that his unprofessional behaviourcould warrant a complaint to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, of which Russell is a committee member.In his absence, Gilchrist accepted the trophy, and said that he had expected a tougher battle from their highly-ranked opponents. Sethi admitted that the poor start on day one had upset India's plans. ``We played poorly,'' he said.RESULTSEngland 9 India 2 (overnight 6-2): Mike Russell bt Devendra Joshi 3-1 (154-0, 150-4, 123-151, 150-4); David Causier bt Geet Sethi 3-1 (110-150, 150-18, 152-66, 151-19); Peter Gilchrist bt Ashok Shandilya 3-2 (150-137, 70-151, 69-150, 151-52, 150-99).
