'Bata' leads RP bid in int'l billiards

World 9-ball champion Efren 'Bata' Reyes will spearhead the bid of top Filipino cue masters against eight of the best American players in the First Motolite International 9-ball championship slated Feb. 16-19 at the Makati Coliseum.

The event offers a total purse of $73,000 with the winner receiving a $30,000 and the losing finalist $15,000. A Philippine qualifier for the four unranked players also offers P50,000.

Manning the local front with Reyes are Francisco 'Django' Bustamante, Leonardo Andam, and Boy Samson Luat with the organizers keeping a berth reserved for the US-based Amang Parica.

The Americans will be bannered by the likes of US Open champion Johnny Archer, Jim Rempe, Nick Varner, Jeremy Jones, Mike Lebron, Mike Coltran and Dennis Hatch who has beaten Reyes twice in the US pro tour.

It will be the first big international billiards for the new millennium and organizers are confident it would draw the same interest and enthusiasm as Reyes' outstanding feat in the world tilt in Cardiff, Ireland last year.

"Impossibleng matalo kami ng Americano dito dahil sa ibang bansa nga tinatalo namin sila," said Reyes.

Mike V. Pingol, senior vice-president of Oriental and Motolite Corp., said their firm is making a serious commitment to support RP sports. " And we hope to institutionalize this event by holding it annually," he said.