Bata, other Pinoys eye Taiwan title

With a sweep of the first two legs, the Filipino cue masters will indeed be the marked men when the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour stages its third leg in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung beginning tomorrow.

Gandy Valle took the opener of the four-leg circuit in Singapore while Efren "Bata" Reyes ruled the second stage in Jakarta and will again be the No. 1 seed when the draw takes place today at the Kaohsiung Business Exhibition Center.

Reyes and Valle will be joined by Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Leonardo Andam and newcomers Christopher Bombita and Ronato Alcano although they are expected to receive a rude welcome from the hosts, to be led by Chao Fong Pang, Yang Ching Shun and Wu Chia Ching.

The three-day event will be aired "live" on STAR Sports at 5 p.m. tomorrow, at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The tournament, which drew 32 top Asian players from 11 countries, offers a top prize of $10,000 (P540,000).

The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify to the World Pool Championships. The top 10 finishers at the end of this year’s Tour will automatically enter the World Pool Championships. Valle and Reyes are currently ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively after two legs.

Manila will host the final leg on June 3-5.

Reyes won three of the Tour’s five legs last year and is out to duplicate the feat with a victory here and in Manila.

For more information on the Tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com. For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, or log on to www.espnstar.com.

The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and organized by ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management Group (EMG) in association with the Kaohsiung City Government and the Chinese Taipei Billiards Association. San Miguel Beer is the title sponsor for the Tour.

Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls, respectively. Brunswick Metro is the official pool table, Grand Hi-Lai Hotel Kaohsiung is the official hotel and the Kaohsiung Business & Exhibition Center is the official venue. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster. The 2005 Tour will go to Singapore, Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Manila. Besides the total prize money of $200,000, the top 10 players on the Tour Order of Merit every year will directly qualify into the World Pool Championships.

For more on-site information, please contact:

Cheryl Sim, ESPN STAR Sports Tel: (65) 9688-1318 or email: [email protected]

Fauziah Ahmad, ESPN STAR Sports Tel: (65) 9247-4424 or email: [email protected]