Waliu Wale Nojimu has won the maiden edition of the Vbank E-Bar Snooker Tournament, smiling home with N320, 000, which is more than double the promised prize money.
The first and second runners-up positions went to Samuel Olumide and Dafe Agbah, both winning N220,000 and N85,000 in prize money respectively.
The tournament, sponsored by V Bank, took place at E-Bar Metro on Admiralty Way in Lagos and featured 30 players. It kicked off with a draw that produced the contenders on Friday, while the games proper began on Saturday.
The sponsors of the event described snooker as a developmental game that should be encouraged, adding, “It can train the mind to focus and build determination, which becomes useful in every facet of life.
“As an organisation, we identify with sport generally because of the inherent physical and mental benefits it provides to players, as well as the togetherness it fosters even among an audience of total strangers,” said Azubike Emodi, Managing Director of VFD Microfinance bank, owners of V bank.
After a round of 32 games played on an opening day, 16 players moved to the knock-out stage, leading to the emergence of three finalists, Waliu Wale Nojimu, Samuel Olumide, and Dafe Agbah.
Finalists were initially promised N150,000, N100,000, and N50,000 for the first, second, and third positions, respectively. However, the audience was enthralled by the quality of the play that they donated additional money to each finalist.
The organisers hope to make this a recurring tournament to grow the sport.
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