Blackball trio set for Commonwealth Champs

Namibia will send a three-player blackball contingent to the second Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships in Ahmedabad, India, next week.Cyril “Terminator” Möller, Curtis “Iceman” Izaaks and Martha “Queen Bee” Kotze earned national call-ups following their standout performances in the 2025-26 Namibia National Blackball League.The trio will represent the country at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, with the championship programme running from 7 to 11 October and competition scheduled from 8 to 10 October.Möller and Kotze will compete in the blackball Masters division, while Izaaks will take his shot in the Senior division.Möller was recognised as the top male performer in the Masters division, while Kotze was the leading female Masters performer.Izaaks earned his place after finishing as the top under-23 male performer and second-best player in the Senior division.Different paths to IndiaThe three cueists head to Ahmedabad with contrasting levels of experience behind the cue.Terminator has been playing pool since 2002, making him the most experienced player in the Namibian contingent.Izaaks and Kotze, meanwhile, both took up the sport in 2024, but have already played their way into the national set-up through their performances at domestic level.Kotze will return to the Commonwealth stage in India after representing Namibia in heyball at the inaugural championship in Mauritius in July last year.She was part of the four-member Namibian team alongside Charles “An-die-Brand” Brandt, Kelly-Ann “Poison Queen” Williams and Reinhold “The King” Iipinge.This time, however, Queen Bee will trade the heyball table for blackball in the Masters division.Knockout battleThe Ahmedabad championship is the second edition of the Commonwealth event and the first to be staged in India.Blackball forms part of a five-discipline programme alongside snooker, billiards, heyball and 10-ball, with competition to be played in a straight-knockout format.In a statement, the Namibia Cue Sports Federation (NCSF) expressed confidence in the trio ahead of their trip to India.“We firmly believe that they are athletes to be reckoned with and will undoubtedly demonstrate the talent and spirit of Namibian cue sports to the world.”Namibian supportThe federation also called on the local cue-sport fraternity to rally behind the contingent.“We urge all our members and supporters to rally behind [the three players] and send them their best wishes.”NCSF secretary-general Laurenzo Louw also highlighted the significance of the players’ selection.“[This reflects] your hard work and positions you as an ambassador for Namibian cue sports,” Louw said.The championship is hosted by the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India and organised by Apex Sports Promotion, with the World Confederation of Billiards Sports and Commonwealth Sport among the international bodies behind the event.– mariud@nsh.com.na

Blackball trio set for Commonwealth Champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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Blackball trio set for Commonwealth Champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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