Morocco makes history at the first Women's Eightball World Cup
Organised in Agadir, the Moroccan team put in some brilliant performances that will go down in history. Scotland, Ireland, France, Morocco, Wales, England and Australia were looking to become the first world champion team. The event was broadcast live on ultimatepool.tv.
In the first quarter-final the Cup's big favourites did not falter. Ireland, thanks to a magnificent performance to pull one back from the Scots' first goal, were the first team to await their opponents in the semi-final. Goals from Carrie Randle and Katie Kierman sealed the fate of the match. Their opponents in the penultimate round of the tournament will be England.
At the other end of the table, favourites Wales swept aside the Australians, who had no chance of a comeback. The Kangaroos had a chance to get back into the match, but mistakes by Isabella Di Giorgio and then Michelle Grundy ended up destroying the Canberra team's chances.
In the semi-finals, Morocco, the surprise team of the tournament, awaits them. On the evening of 7 July, the women's national snooker team beat their French opponents 6-0 as part of the 2023 World Eight-Ball Federation World Championship. In the fifth match, the Moroccan team won with nine minutes remaining, the highest score of the tournament. Goals from Mariam Alami - the team's star player - and Ranya Amiri made it 2-0. With nine minutes remaining, Yousra Baomar made it 6-0.
"We had a lot of fun, we won 6-0, it's extraordinary," said Mariam Alami, a member of the Moroccan team. "It's incredible that after losing to France, we managed to win today. We can't wait to play the next team," she added.
In the last phase before the final, the British teams faced off in an unprecedented duel. Both teams came into the tournament as bookies' favourites, and they did not disappoint. Harriet Haynes' early goal shocked the Irish, who then scored twice to pull level. The British team then equalised thanks to a goal from Sarah Wait that took everyone by surprise. In the end, the Irish team secured their place in the final thanks to a Sandra Bryan goal that will live long in the memory. At the end of the allotted time, the match ended 3-2 in favour of the Irish.
The other semi-final got off to the best possible start for Alawi's team. Supported by their fans and the Irish (Wales' historic rivals), Hind Bennani and Mariam Alami scored the first two points for the Moroccans, which the Welsh were unable to counter. The match ended 4-2 in favour of the Moroccans, who celebrated their passage to the final with euphoria.
Agadir, on 9 July at 20:00 local time, was the date that both the Moroccans and the Irish had in mind. Despite the British team's favouritism, home advantage and the Moroccan team's motivation created an atmosphere conducive to making the Moroccan players' dreams come true.
After the home team's first goal, the superiority of the team led by Katie Kiernan and Mary Duffy-Lowbridge sealed the final, scoring points at an average of 15 seconds each, which the North African players were unable to counter. Five consecutive points from the Irish turned the game on its head. With seconds remaining, the Moroccan team managed to score the final goal for a 5-2 result, giving the Irish their first world championship title.
The event was hailed as a success, with the Moroccan and Irish teams celebrating victory together in what will go down as one of the most sporting gestures in the history of the sport.
Almost ten years after the historic victory of their male counterparts in England, the Moroccan women's team put in an encouraging performance at the tournament. The men's team was the first Arab or African team to win the 2014 Snooker and Billiards World Cup in England. The Moroccan men's team easily beat the host team, England, by a score of 8-4 after beating the Australian team in the semi-final.