nic-cole chia singapore polytechnic team 1 cuesports

Nic-cole Chia of SP Team 1 in action for her team. They eventually finished as champions in the invitational. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Tan/NUS Cuesports Club)


 

West Coast Billiard Saloon, Saturday, July 28, 2012 — SP (Singapore Polytechnic) Team 1 came away with first place at the 2012 Great Eastern NUS 10-Ball Invitational.

A total of 16 ladies took part in the evnt, twice the number that took part in an 8-Ball tournament organised three years ago.

These 16 ladies were part of the 64 tertiary students invited to play in this annual inter-school team tournament organized by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Cuesports Club.

NUS Team 1 lost their second match but fought their way from the losers’ bracket to the second place. This was in part due to their decision to change their strategy and place their sole female player in the singles.

Said Nic-cole Chia, who competed for SP Team 1: “I feel that females have the ability to do as well as the opposite sex in this sport. Determination and strive is what counts the most.”

“Winning this tournament was definitely a joyous experience, and only achievable through great teamwork,” she added.

While most of the participants were amateurs, there were a handful of professional players competing in the tournament. This includes a number of ladies who are currently in the national youth and women’s development team and an ex-national team player.

“Many of my relatives aren’t supportive of me playing pool as they perceive that it is a sport that is unladylike,” said Amanda Tan, project director of the NUS Cuesports Club.

“That’s when I realized that many people still stigmatize pool as a sport that is played by delinquents, something that was extremely prevalent many years ago. I wanted to show them how pool has changed over the years,” added Amanda.