Top Odisha cueist Subrat Das narrowly missed out on a knock-out berth in the Irish Open Billiard Championship as he lost his fourth and last league match against Christian Kirk of England by five points at SBI Academy in Carlow, Ireland today. Kirk won the hard-fought match 225-220.

However, the overall performance of Das proved to be respectable as he played four matches, won two and lost two. Das started his campaign on an encouraging note as he won his first two matches, defeating Terry Azor of England 217-174 and Peter Stanyer of Scotland 230-116.

The Odisha cueist suffered a crushing defeat in his third match against 16-time world champion Mike Russell, who won 560-70 with a majestic break of 371. But the loss against the legendary English cueist should serve as a precious learning curve for Das and help him improve his game.

Das will now compete in the Macau World Matchplay Billiards Championship from tomorrow. This four-day championship will be played on 100-Up (Best of 5) format. The Odisha cueist will conclude his Ireland campaign by participating in the IBSF World Billiards Championship, scheduled to be held at SBI Academy in Carlow from April 24 to 29.
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PHOTO: Odisha cueist Subrat Das poses at the Irish Open in Carlow on 19 April 2026.