Yang joins int'l team in QC-RP vs World

Newly crowned Guinness 9-Ball Tour grand champion Yang Ching-shun has agreed to join the international team facing the top RP bets in the Q.C. Invasion: Quezon City-Philippines vs the World Grand Billiards Showdown set Dec. 2-4 at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

Yang’s entry further boosted the Team World’s bid against the Efren “Bata” Reyes-led RP squad in the event organized by Quezon City Council Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton and backed by the Quezon City government led by Mayor Sonny Belmonte.

The 31-year-old Yang, a former Asian Games gold medalist, beat reigning world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo in their one-on-one duel last year.

Yang will join fellow Taiwanese superstar former world champion Wu Chia-ching, former world titlists Thorsten Hohmann of Germany and Mika Immonen of Finland, newly crowned World Cup of Pool titlist Rodney Morris and fellow American Charlie Williams, Raj Hundal of England and China’s top player Fu Jianbo.

“Yang is one of the best I’ve ever played, he’s very tough to beat,” said Orcollo. “With his inclusion in the Team World, we’ll have a very tough task ahead.”

Joining Orcollo and Reyes in the team are former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano along with Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Roberto Gomez, Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco.

The two squads will square off in singles, doubles and team events similar to that of the Mosconi Cup with the winning side taking the $40,000 top prize in the event backed by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines, the Quezon City Tourism Council and Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards with Solar Sports, RPN-9, The Philippine STAR and Business Mirror as media partners.