SINGAPORE – Singapore’s Peter Gilchrist reclaimed his spot at the summit of the billiards world rankings once again, after clinching the Scottish Open title on Sunday.

In the first World Billiards event of the year at the Styx Kirkcaldy hall, Gilchrist beat England’s Robert Hall 439-308 in the final.

The four-time world champion, who won five titles in 2022, was ranked world No. 2 going into the Jan 28-29 Scottish Open. Englishman David Causier, the defending champion, was world No. 1, while Hall was third.

Gilchrist finished top of his group and was unstoppable from the round of 32 all the way to the final. In the semi-finals, he defeated Causier 594-291 to gain a measure of revenge.

He had lost to the 49-year-old in the 2022 World Championships final at the Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy at The Grandstand in Bukit Timah in November.

Gilchrist could not be reached on Monday, but Cuesports Singapore president Justin Lee hailed the 54-year-old’s achievement, saying: “We are proud of Peter.

“His drive to constantly be the top in his field and his commitment to being the world No. 1 is truly inspiring. We look forward to the upcoming SEA Games, where we are confident that Peter will again fly our flag high.”

Gilchrist, who was born in Middlesbrough, received Singapore citizenship in 2006 and made his SEA Games debut the following year. At the 2009 Games in Laos, he won the first of his six consecutive English billiard men’s singles titles.

At the Hanoi Games in 2022, Gilchrist saw his 13-year stranglehold on the event come to an end. But he claimed the gold in the men’s English billiard doubles with Alex Puan.

The 2023 SEA Games will be in Cambodia from May 5 to 17.