12 Asians join Subic Open pool

MANILA, Philippines - The first staging of the Subic-Olongapo Open Pool Championship on April 18-23 has drawn the participation of 12 Asian players this early.

Seven players from Indonesia, two each from Japan and Malaysia, and one from Thailand became the first foreigners to sign up for the prestigious ten-ball event organized by Raya Sports and sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiards Union (APBU).

The players are Ricky Yang, S. Bewi, M. Sulfikri, Jimmy Jusman, William Ipaenem, Rudi Susanto and Imran Ibrahim (Indonesia), Kenji Taguchi and Ryousuke Muruka (Japan), Amir Ibrahim and Benjamin Lee (Malaysia) and Amnuay Porn Chotipong (Thailand).

The first leg of the 2009 Philippine Pool Tour, the Subic-Olongapo Open will be played in two stages. Stage 1, the elimination round, will be played at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City April 18-19. Stage 2, the main tournament, will be held at the Olongapo City Convention Center April 20-23.

Of the 12 foreign bets, seven have qualified for the main tournament on the basis of their national rankings and previous performance in the PPT. They are Yang, Bewi, Sulfikri, Taguchi, Amir, Lee and Chotipong.