Bata joins rash of upsets in Villar Cup

CEBU CITY – Unheralded Egie Geronimo took the cudgels for the young guns in the first Senate President Manny Villar Cup Cebu leg by crushing pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes, 9-1, at the start of the knockout stage yesterday at the jampacked Trade Hall of SM City Cebu.

Coming into the match with only a leg title in the Search for the New Billiards Idol, Geronimo was a hands down underdog against the man billed as the greatest cue artist ever.

“Kahit ako, hindi ko inasahang mananalo kay champ,” said the 30-year-old Marilao, Bulacan native.

But it only took a scratch off Reyes’s break of the opening rack for Geronimo to seize the opportunity and start the carnage that earned the applause of the  awestruck Cebuano crowd.

After cleaning up the first rack, Geronimo broke and ran out the next six frames before the former world champion got back to the table only to miss a shot at the money-ball, sending Geronimo to the hill at 8-0.

Two racks later, it’s over and another upset was recorded in this topnotch event presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, in partnership with the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and sponsored by Camella Communities.

Geronimo was slated to face in the Last 16 qualifier and Bugsy stablemate Michael Feliciano, who also demolished Godofredo Ducanes, 9-1.

Besides Reyes, the other big guns, who are already out of the running for the prestigious Villar Cup and the P400,000 top purse, are former world titlist Ronnie Alcano, defending Villar Cup champion Warren Kiamco and veteran internationalists Rodolfo Luat.

Alcano was booted out by young Bugsy boy Jomar De Ocampo, 9-7, in the losers’ bracket of the preliminary stage, while Kiamco, who lost his first match to another Bugsy boy Johann Chua, was eliminated by Benjie Guevarra, 9-5, late Friday.

Other round-of-32 matches saw other top guns former world champion Alex Pagulayan trouncing 14-year-old Cebuano Diondel Raga, 9-5; Francisco “Django” Bustamante demolishing Steve Villamil, 9-2; reigning national titlist Lee Van Corteza blasting Romar Villones, 9-5; current world No.1 Dennis Orcollo ripping John Rebong, 9-4; and Joven Bustamante blanking Arturo Pubilco, 9-0.

Also advancing were Guevarra over William Millares, 9-2; Ramil Gallego over Panfilo Damuag, 9-8, Carlo Biado, over Eduardo Villanueva, 9-5; Mike Takayama  over Manolo Tanasas, 9-8, and Richard Pornelosa over Danny Otacan, 9-8.

Matches in the Last 16 up to the quarterfinals were also scheduled to be played last night, with the semifinals and finals slated today.