MUISS holds inaugural pool tournament

Hadi Amin, Irwan Arbie and Syed Arshad Hossain held their trophies aloft triumphantly as they smiled for the cameras in the Monash University Students Association (MUSA) lounge at the new Monash University campus located in Bandar Sunway. As the winner and runners-up respectively of the Monash University International Student Service (MUISS) pool tournament, the trio had endured a grueling set of matches over three days to emerge victorious.

Rikaz Rumy and Yaseen Khan, organizers of the event, could not have been happier with the tournament’s success. As committee members of the Monash University International Student Service (MUISS), a branch of MUSA, the tournament was the first of its kind to be organized and run by MUISS.

According to Rumy, the idea for the tournament came from the huge interest among students in playing pool. He and Khan had observed that many students played pool at the MUSA lounge in between or after classes. “Everyone is interested in it, and therefore, the tournament was open to all students, whether they were local or international,” he added.

The competition was indeed a success as the MUSA lounge was crowded with contestants as well as students present to cheer their friends on. “We didn’t expect such a big turnout!” grinned Rumy.

A total of 32 students from Monash University and the nearby Sunway University College signed up for the tournament and were placed into groups of four. All competitors were given the chance to play against each other through a complex matrix structure of knock-out singles matches. There was even a rose among the thorns with a sole female competitor in the tournament. Although she did not make it to the finals, she did give her male counterparts a run for their money.

One contestant, Manil Dhanushka De Run described the atmosphere of the tournament as exciting and noisy, but highly enjoyable. “It was definitely fun to have that sort of competition, witnessing other people displaying their talent and skill, whilst playing a game I like. There should be more tournaments like this, not only for pool, but other sports and games as well,” said the student.

This was the first time that Hossain, the second runner-up, had ever entered a competition of this kind. “I was talking about the tournament with my house mates, and was confident that we would all make it to the second round, but I doubted whether we would fare any better after that. In the quarter finals the next day, I knew that I was lucky as I tried a few risky and uncertain shots in the knock-out round that went in my favour.”

In the final between Amin and Arbie, both players moved deftly around the table, calculating their angles before making each shot, resulting in a thrilling match. At the last minute, Amin sank the 8 ball, guaranteeing his win. In addition to his trophy, the winner also received a brand new cue stick.

Mr. Jason Lim Gim Hock, the university’s Director of Student Administration, was on hand to present the trophies at the prize-giving ceremony.

As the tournament was well received by the students, MUISS is planning to organize more similar events in the near future. Knowing that a large number of students will be participating in such future activities, MUISS will look to opting for a larger venue to cater to the students and participants.