Cuesports found a new home in Odisha with the launching of `The Vintage Club` here at Salia Sahi, Jayadev Vihar today. Ten-time state snooker champion Ahsan-ul Haque inaugurated the club, which offers `decent facilities at the lowest price`.

Set up by cueists Satyadeep Das and Amiya Ranjan Nayak, the club has made a modest start with three refurbished tables, which were used in the World Billiards Championship here in 1996. The air-conditioned hall, built over an area of 3,000 sqft, is set to accommodate three more tables, including two pool tables.

``We are going to buy two world-class Shander’s tables from the upcoming Kolkata national championship and two more from Delhi. The construction of another A/C hall with toilet facility will be completed soon and the club will have as many as eight tables eventually,`` said Das, also a former state under-19 cricketer.

In fact, the duo has planned to develop the club into a modern sports hub. ``We have plans to add facilities for more indoor games such as table tennis, badminton, carrom and outdoor games namely cricket and tennis. We have around 1.5 acre land to execute our plans and when completed, the club will be a nice sports hub,`` said Nayak.

Though the club is a commercial venture, both Das and Nayak claimed that it would also render noble service for the promotion of cuesports in the state in general and the capital city in particular. ``We aim to encourage our cueists by providing best facilities in the form of world class tables and excellent playing conditions, so that they can bring more laurels to our state,`` stated Das.

``The user fee of our club is the lowest in the country. Playing here for an hour will cost only Rs 120. But in other cities, the charges are not less than Rs 300. We don`t expect profit from this venture. We just want a modest return to enable us run it successfully,`` opined Nayak.

The duo thanked Billiards and Snooker Association of Odisha for providing the three world-class tables to the club and exuded confidence that it will be a friendly home for the cueists of the state. ``We have plans to stage state and open billiards and snooker tournaments here. We also have plans to rope in coaches such as Sanjay Sawant to help our young cueists improve their standard,`` signed off Das.
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PHOTO: Satyadeep Das (Right) and Amiya Nayak at the Vintage Club in Bhubaneswar on Nov 19, 2014.