The qualifiers get more exciting as time nears to this year’s Nile Special National Pool Open finals due August 31 at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
Ronald Waringa and Ibrahim Ssentamu showed some class as they won the weekend’s qualifiers in the eastern region to make the tournament’s last 128 finalists.
Waringa, 26, beat Saul Lubega 4-0 to win the best of seven final in the early hours of Saturday at Mbale Sports Club.
“I kept calm and composed to win this,” a humble and slender Waringa, who first held the cue in 2007, said after a really tough night. Waringa had earlier beaten Salim Wesong 3-1 while Lubega had edged Ali Dodi 3-2 in the best of five semifinals.
The Mbale contests took a much longer time to end due to interruptions with power and a rowdy crowd not forgetting absence of a handful of participants.
But later in the evening at Mayfair Hotel in Jinja, Ssentamu, too, sept clean to beat Adam Abbas in the final to get Shs100000 cash prize.
“I am happy to be back for the finals,” Ssentamu, a perennial tournament participants said having missed out on qualification last year. “I want to leave a mark in Lugogo.” the 29-year-old added.
Ssentamu, clad in black jeans had beaten Stephan Konge 3-1 while Abbas saw off Sowedi Kagoda 3-2 in the semis.
The tournament qualifiers return to the central region this weekend.