Iran’s Pordel wins historic silver at Asian Heyball Championships
Iran’s Mohammad-Ali Pordel claimed a maiden medal for the country at the Asian Heyball Championships, winning the men’s silver in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday.
Having beaten opponents from the host country, Iraq and Mongolia, the Iranian suffered a 7-2 loss to India’s Sundeep Gulati in the final showpiece.
Pordel began his campaign with back-to-back wins against the host players and then defeated Jordanian Reza Mohd bin Hassan (7-3) and an Iraqi player to reach the quarterfinals.
A 7-3 win against Mongolia’s Dorjjantsan Damdinjamts was followed by a last-four triumph (7-2) over the host nation’s Ahmed Aloqaili for the Iranian.
Heyball is the Chinese version of eight-ball which features rules that are essentially the same as standard WPA rules. However, the tables are constructed similarly to snooker tables, with rounded pocket openings, napped cloth and flat-faced rail cushions.