Peter Gilchrist wins twice in New Zealand; CW Steiner now in the WBL Top 50

The WBL events Down Under were not only a complete success for triple winner Peter Gilchrist (Singapore), but also for Austrian player Carl Walter Steiner, for whom the long journey clearly paid off with his rise into the top 50 of the World Billiards rankings.

After winning the Sydney Open, Peter Gilchrist remained in a class of his own at the following events in Auckland, held at the Papatoetoe Cosmopolitan Club. In these tournaments, supported by various sponsors and offering differing amounts of ranking points, his final opponent each time was Dhruv Sitwala from India. Gilchrist clearly prevailed in both finals.

At the Auckland Open, CW Steiner advanced to the first knockout round after winning in Group B against Australian Danny Senko and Sushrut Pandia from India. However, his run came to an end there with a defeat against Marc Taylor from New Zealand.

Carl Walter Steiner, Referee Paul Cosgriff (AUS), Sushrut Pandia; © CW Steiner

At the final event of the Down Under triple-header, the New Zealand Open, Steiner once again secured two group-stage victories. Competing in Group A, which consisted of five players, he finished in third place. However, this was not enough to advance to the knockout rounds. While he managed wins against Australians Ian Munro and Alex Cay, he was outmatched by their compatriot George Chammas and eventual tournament winner Peter Gilchrist.