Age is just a number. And Khar Gymkhana cueist SL Sathe, who turns 90 on August 16, truly embodies that. Last week, Sathe lost 1-4 to Kolhapur’s Anil Kumar, 55, in the Senior Snooker second-round match of the Western India Billiards and Snooker Championships at the Khar Gymkhana billiards hall. Sathe is an architect by profession and turns a keen snooker player by evening. The octogenarian, who will soon be a nonagenarian, said it is more about participation than anything else. It was only after Sparsh Pherwani, Khar Gymkhana’s billiards secretary and two-time Asian snooker champion Yasin Merchant urged him to participate, he readily agreed. “If not for Sparsh and Yasin, I wouldn’t have played the tournament. Though I enjoy the thrill of competing, I prefer to stay away. Plus, it is a home tournament so I couldn’t miss that opportunity.”

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