AMMAN - The champion of Jordan, which borders the country of Israel, has quickly entered the top 20 in the world rankings of three cushion. Mashhour Abu Tayeh, a 43-year-old billiards player from the Arab country, is a self-made player who learnt to play three-cushion on YouTube. The former Jordan's champion in snooker and pool, wants to thank Frédéric Caudron for the matches on YouTube, and now three-cushion is his favorite game. That is how Mashhour (43) developed into what he has achieved in only ten years. ’’My friend is Vietnamese Phuong Vinh Bao, who very surprisingly became the world champion.'' Mashhour has now played some 15 World Cups, including a win against Peter De Backer in Veghel, among others, and just a loss to Eddy Merckx 40-37. His best match so far: at the World championship for national teams in Viersen against Frenchman Mikaël Devogelaere: winning 40-21 in 23 innings. ’’I am lucky to have a match table at home, because in Jordan, with 12 million people, there is only one billiard room with a match table for three-cushion. I practice at home about four hours a day. My work is at the government office in Amman, the capital, where I work for Security Affairs.''
Mashhour Abou Tayeh is married to Rana and has two sons: Ghazi and Abdullah. ''We are fortunately very safe in Jordan, which is between Israel and Palestine, where there is a terrible war going on. They are no humans what they are doing that. We are lucky that Jordan, at 400 kilometers from the Gaza area, is a safe country.''
How does a Jordanian start playing three-cushion in a country where no carom is actually played?
Mashhour: ''In Amman, where 5 million people live, thousands play snooker and pool. I was Jordan's champion in pool and snooker until about 20 years ago. I got married when I was 24 and stopped playing billiards for nine years. Then, when I saw a carom table somewhere, I started learning the rules. I started training on my own for three months and then got to compete in the Jordan Championship. So soon, after only three months, I became champion with 0.900 on average.''
He then played in the Arabian championship three times with one title, played against Sameh Sidhom four times and won twice. From then on, Mashhour also went to World Cups, first in Egypt and later elsewhere in the world. His 3rd place in the combined African/Middle East Championship and his title in Jordan made him climb to 20th in the world rankings. His favorite players are Dick Jaspers and Frédéric Caudron, but for a year now, of course, billiard prodigy, Vietnamese Phuong Vinh Bao, who became world three-cushion champion out of nowhere. ''I am looking for sponsors, but I have a friend who believes in me: Ramzi Abu Ghoush, who gives me 1400 dollars for every World Cup I go. I also went to Vietnam to play with Bao, who is like a little brother to me and from whom I learnt may systems without paying. Furthermore, Longoni gave me a new cue this year.''
Mashhour Abu Tayeh's next mission is the World Cup in Veghel ("I love the country, the food and the people'') and will play there starting the fourth day of qualifiers due to his high ranking. ''I'm looking forward to the tournament, where I travel to a few days in advance with a stopover in Istanbul. I hope for a strong tournament, although I have already experienced that Dutch billiard tables are very difficult.''
His wife Rana and sons Ghazi and Abdullah support him in his ambitions as a billiard player. ''My wife has travelled with me twice to watch the matches.'' And beyond that, he thanks the people who support him on his way to a great ranking in the World Cups and the world rankings.
Thanks, Mashhour, we will see each other in the World Cup in Veghel.
Mashhour with his wife Rana and sons Ghazi and Abdullah
Mashhour during the World championship for nations in Viersen
Mashhour in his own billiard room in Amman, Jordan