World pool team championship

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippines got off to a rousing start in the 2012 World Pool Team Championship at the Tongzhou Luhe High School gym in Tongzhou district, Beijing, China.

Manned by the powerhouse cast of Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo and Rubilen Amit, Team Philippines hurdled its opening assignment against Ricky Wang, Isral Afrinneza Nasution, Muhammad Zulfikri and Amand Rahayu of Indonesia, 4-2.

In the other Group A match, Croatia, powered by Ivica Putnik, Bozo Primic, Carlo Calmatin and Zrinka Antonijevic, dumped Erki Erm, Joonas Saska, Mark Magi and Anna Grintosuk of Estonia, 5-1.

Host China, Great Britain, Chinese-Taipei and Japan also kicked off their title campaigns in resounding fashion.

China-1 composed of Li He Wen, Fu Jianbo, Liu Haitao, Fu Xiaofang and Pan Xiao Ting shut down Jason Klatt, John Morra, Erik Hjorleifson and Brittany Bryant of Canada, 5-1, while China 2 of Dang Jinhu, Dai Yong, Han Haoxiang, Liu Shasha and Chen Siming outlasted David Rothall, Louis Condo, Robby Foldvari and Lyndall Hulley of Australia, 4-2.

On the other hand, Chinese-Taipei's Chang Jung Lin, Fu Che Wei, Ko Pin Yi and Chieh Yu Chou scored a 6-0 sweep of Mongolia's L. Munkbold, L. Delgerdalai, T. Amarjargal, B. Uyanga and A. Batkhuu, while Yukio Akagariyama, Toru Kuribayashi, Naoyuki Oi and Chihiro Kawahara of Japan triumphed over Mateusz Sniegocki, Radoslaw Babica, Tomasz Kaplan and Oliwia Czuprynska of Poland, 4-2.

The six-day tilt sanctioned by the World Pool and Billiard Association (WPA) offers a total of $300,000 in prize fund. The champion team will receive $80,000, while the runner-up will take home $40,000.