MANILA, 17 October 2003 — Former world champion Efren “Bata” Reyes added the 2003 World Classic Billiards Tournament title to his vast collection of achievements at the Fujairah Exhibition Hall in the United Arab Emirates.
The 49-year-old Reyes demolished Francisco “Django” Bustamante in an all-Filipino finale, 13-4, to win the crown in the single-elimination tournament that featured 32 elite players from around the world.
The man known in the billiards circle as “The Magician” netted $12,000 for this win, his fourth of the year after the Mid Atlantic 9-Ball Championship, the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour Manila leg and the Las Vegas 9-Ball Open.
Reyes earlier ousted Earl “The Pearl” Strickland 12-0 in the semifinals to book a finals slot.
Bustamante, the other half of the Philippines’ 1-2 punch in billiards, advanced into the finals after knocking out reigning world pool titlist Thorsten Hohmann of Germany in the other side of the semis.
The UAE event should serve as a good tune-up for Reyes, who is set to defend his World Pool League title on Oct. 24-26. The Filipino superstar is seeking a third straight WPL title against an elite cast that includes Hohmann, European champ Oliver Ortmann of Germany, Hui-kai Hsia of Taiwan and 2003 World Pool Master king Tony Drago of Malta.
Paragua Settles for 2nd in French Tilt
International Master Mark Paragua landed solo second by beating four grandmasters at the Evry International Blitz and Rapid Open in France.
The 1998 World U-14 Rapid Chess titlist extracted a total of 10 out of possible 13 points in the blitz showdown participated in by 86 chessers, finishing just a point behind his ninth-round victim and Blitz champion Grandmaster Igor Miladinovic of Greece.
He also claimed the scalps of GM Abdrei Istratescu of Romania, GM Viktor Moskalenko of Ukraine and GM Bogdan Lalic of Croatia and settled for draws with Russian GM Vladimir Burmakin and Frenchman Samy Shoker.
The 19-year-old Paragua was almost sure of the top spot but succumbed to pressure under the thumbs of Romanian GM Vladislav Nevednichy and Russian GM Andrei Schekachev in the deciding rounds.
Santos ’03 Season MVP for Media
Far Eastern University ace power forward Arwind Santos has been named the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Press Corps regular season and Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The 6-foot-3 Pampanga native lost the MVP award to University of the East swingman James Yap.
Santos, who won Rookie of the Year honors last season, may not be spectacular on offense but his defense as well as his blue-collar job on the rebounding department helped the Tamaraws end the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ one-year reign in the UAAP.
Quirimit, Pals Claim Pangasinan Tour Team Trial
Arnel Quirimit displayed the form that made him the current king of Philippine cycling and towed his Tanduay squad to the team time trial (TTT) victory in the Tour Pilipinas Pangasinan Races.
Quirimit and the Rhum Riders submitted one hour, 49 minutes and 14.64 seconds in the 78-km TTT that started and ended in Alaminos town (turning point Bolinao) to rule the first stage of the two-day event. The Rhum Masters earned the top prize of 35,000 pesos in day one of the event. Quirimit, the 2003 Tour Pilipinas champion from Pozzorubio town in the province dubbed the cradle of Philippine cycling, also paced the race for individual honors with 1:49:14.64. He is in a position to bag the 20,000 pesos top prize if he fares strongly in the 178-km massed start stage that was ran from Alaminos to Mangatarem through 22 Pangasinan cities and municipalities yesterday.
Warren Davadilla and his Intel team finished second in the TTT with 1:51:09.55, followed by the DoTC Postmen with 1:52:14.60, DILG Patrol 117 with 1:52:23.11 and Samsung with 1:53:01.50.
Shooters Expected to Do Better
Former Olympian and incumbent shooting president Art Macapagal has predicted that “Filipino shooters will do better in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games than in the Kuala Lumpur competitions two years ago.”
“We won only one gold and several silver and bronze medals in Kuala Lumpur, but I’m confident that we’d surpass this record,” said Macapagal, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics together with Mariano “Tom” Ong. According to Macapagal, the Philippines has a stronger team in Vietnam. “The shooters are in high spirits and they have trained hard and passed stringent qualifying tests,” he explained.
In fact, the shooters — 22 in all — will have their first big test prior to the Vietnam SEA Games on Oct. 20-27 when they compete in the Bangkok Open which features the best marksmen not only from the region but also from Asia.
Aside from Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla and Rachel Capili, those making the Bangkok trip are Eric Ang, Jethro Dionisio, Jaime Recio, Roberto Bote Jr., Emerito Concepcion, Daryl Sandoval, Gilbert Escobar, Marcelo Gonzales, Carolino Gonzales, Edwin Fernandez, Dennis Hernandez, Eddie Tomas, Darius Hizon, Paul Brian Rosario, Susan Aguado, Therese Cantada, Luz Samaco, Gay Corral, Roselle Santos and Ma. Pilar Tan.
La Salle Spikers Sweep UAAP
De La Salle completed a sweep of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) volleyball titles, beating University of the Philippines in the men’s contest and dethroning Far Eastern U in the women’s side.
Both title victories were also achieved via sweeps of the race-two-two series at the UP Human Kinetics gym in Diliman. The volleyball crowns also hiked to four De La Salle’s championships this season. The Green Archers won the men’s chess title and also ruled women’s swimming late last month.
The Green Archers went an hour and a half against the tournament host UP Maroons, 20-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-14, while the Lady Archers had an easier time disposing of a crippled FEU Lady Tamaraws crew, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17.
De La Salle’s title conquest in both divisions was a fulfillment of a goal it failed to achieve last season. The Taft Avenue-based school finished runner-up to Santo Tomas in the men’s and FEU in the women’s in 2002.
Center-spiker John Lee Patrona and spiker Desiree Hernandez completed De La Salle’s domination of the league’s 66th season by running away with the Most Valuable Trophies in both divisions.
Athletics Chief Eyes 9-14 SEAG Golds
Athletics chief Go Teng Kok has predicted a nine-to-14 gold harvest in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games this December.
Go also bared his 35-man lineup for the regional games. It was the biggest gold-medal projection so far from a national sports association. Athletics also produced the most SEA Games golds for RP two years ago in Kuala Lumpur. The harvest then was 9 golds, 10 silvers and four bronzes. Go stressed that the gold potential of his squad is enhanced by the fact that there are a lot of promising young tracksters in the fold who can pull off surprises despite their lack of credentials.
The team is headed by long-distance ace Eduardo Buenavista, who won two golds (3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m) in Kuala Lumpur. The other SEAG defending champions on the roster are Roy Vence (marathon), John Lozada (800m) Ernie Candelario (400m), Dandy Gallenero (javelin) and Lerma Bulauitan-Gabito (long jump).
Three Filipino Boxers
Bring Home 3 Golds
RP Team Revicon closed out its impressive campaign with three gold medals and finished second behind host Vietnam in the overall battle of the Pre-SEA Games Boxing Championships at the Phan Dinh Phung Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.
Pinweight Juanito Magliquian of the Philippine Navy got things going for RP Team Revicon when he outpointed perennial rival Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand, 12-8. His victory was later on duplicated by bantam Joan Tipon who outpunched Chinese Olympian Deng Xue Long, 14-10, and Maximo Tabangcora III of the Philippine Army who stopped a bloodied Pham Ngoc Hue of Vietnam in just three rounds.
