Pinki Saini/Dera Bassi (Punjab)
In a historic achievement for Indian cue sports, Dera Bassi’s Nitin Sharma has won the National Snooker League (NSL) Championship, widely regarded as the biggest snooker tournament ever held in Canada.
The prestigious league brought together over 150 players representing 20 clubs across 10 states and two countries, making it one of the largest and most competitive cue sports events in North America.
For Sharma, who currently resides in Canada and is recognized as one of the country’s top cueists, the NSL title marks the biggest achievement of his snooker career at the international level.
In the final, Sharma defeated former Canadian Champion and snooker legend Jason Williams in a high-quality contest. Demonstrating exceptional composure under pressure, Sharma compiled breaks of 95 and 82 on his way to lifting the coveted championship trophy.
Throughout the tournament, Sharma showcased remarkable consistency and scoring power, recording a tournament high break of 121, one of the standout performances of the event.
The victory comes after a challenging few months for Sharma. Despite suffering disappointing exits at the Ontario Championship and the CBSA Open, he continued to work relentlessly on his game and was rewarded with the most significant title of his career.
“This game can break your heart at times, but hard work and belief eventually pay off,” Sharma said after the victory.
The accomplishment adds to an already impressive year for the Indian-born cueist. Earlier this year, Sharma achieved another milestone by finishing as India’s No. 2 ranked player in the 9-Ball Pool National Championship held in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Back home in Dera Bassi, the achievement has been a source of immense pride for his family. His father, Rakesh Achint, expressed great pride in his son’s recent accomplishments and his continued success on the international stage.
Sharma has become an inspiration for aspiring cue sports players in both countries.
With the National Snooker League title now added to his growing list of achievements, Nitin Sharma has firmly established himself among the leading cue sports athletes in Canada and continues to raise the profile of Indian talent on the global stage.
