Solicar-Casimero, Santos-Montanier extend streak in LBC Billiard Challenge

Riyadh: John M. Damaso

After a sorry loss from Leo Taris and Amir Tan in the preliminary round, Richie Solicar and Luigi Casimero drew first blood in the losers’ bracket by clinching three straight wins to stay on track in the LBC 10 balls Billiard Challenge here.
Two more wins will enable them to secure the fourth position, but a loss will end their title hopes. The duo fought a convincing victory against favored rival Alvin Legaspi and Hassim Guaili, 5-2, in the fourth week showdown which ended their fear of losing due to the magic tricks of Guaili. But the magic trick faded against the winners’ strong determination to win.
Solicar opened the first rack with a win through a missed shot from Legaspi but Guaili secured a long open shot in the second rack to tie the score, 1-1. Legaspi seconded the win with a combination shot in the third rack for a 2-1 lead. Casimero responded by closing the fourth rack with a win to level at 2-2. From that moment, the winners regained composure and secured all the remaining three racks to win by 5-2. Casimero was gifted an open shot in the last rack and pocketed the 10th ball as the crowd shouted a big “yes” for the victory. With a 3-1 win-loss record, Solicar-Casimero emerged as the top team from the losers’ bracket.
In another match during the same week, Lito Santos and Mike Montanier extended their winning streak at the expense of Leo Taris and Amir Tan. The winners secured five racks while giving up only three to the losers, 5-3. They are the first team in the winners’ bracket to reach the top post at 4-0 and reserve a waiting seat in the semifinal round. Another win or loss will secure them second or third positions, while Taris and Tan moved to the losers’ bracket and reserved a place for fifth or sixth position.
This event is sponsored by LBC “Hari ng Padala”, headed by Arnold Cereno, the country manager, with full backing of Marketing Brand Head Allan Michael Bautista and Marketing Services Officer Veronica Rey. LBC is a pioneer in air and sea cargo handling and also offers remittance services to Filipino OFWs in the Kingdom. The tournament is organized by the Filipino Expatriates Billiard Association in Riyadh (FEBAR) based in the capital city.
It is hosted by Rick Cabial’s Idol Billiard Center in cooperation with Java City Cafe of Said Rafiq. Secondary sponsors are New Cabalen, Java City, Mama Lulu Fastfood, Shahd Broast, CFC, Kruathai, Link International Travel and Pasalubong Restaurant & Bakery. Games are played in 10 balls doubles based on international standard rules, double elimination format or winners and losers bracket every Thursday and Friday starting from 6 p.m. onwards.