Sunday, November 16, 2008

AMANG PARICA REGAINS HIS OLD DEADLY FORM BY WINNING COMET BILLIARDS

FILIPINO legendary Jose "Amang" Parica flashed his old deadly form by winning the 2008 Joss Northeast 9-ball tour stop at the Comet Billiards in Parsippany, New Jersey.

The West Covina-based Parica, acknowledged as the leader of the Filipino invasion in the US Pool circuit in the mid 80's defeated American Adam Kielar, 9-3, in their rematch in the finals enroute to the coveted plum plus $1,500 champion's purse in this 45 player field double elimination format.

Kielar, on the other hand settled runner-up place and cash worth $1,100. Parica, earlier brought down American Mike Zuglan, 9-6, for the hot-seat match and earned ticket to the race-to-9 finals while Kielar needed to beat Zuglan, 9-5, to arrange a titular showdown with Parica.

contributed by MARLON BERNARDINO, edited by Jovie Sison

Sunday, November 2, 2008

TAIWAN SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND ITS GUINNESS GRAND FINALE CROWN

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

THE Philippines suffered double black eye yesterday when Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo lost their respective semifinal matches finals in the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 Grand Final being held at the the Mal Taman Anggrek in Bali, Indonesia.

Pagulayan bowed to former double world champion Wu Chia-ching, 6-9, in the first semifinals encounter while Orcollo yielded to Yang Ching-shun that led an all Taiwanese-finals.

Despite the setbacks, Pagulayan and Orcollo, both receive $5,400 for reaching the semi-finals of the six-city tour organized of ESPN STAR Sports.

In the 2007 edition, Taiwanese Chang Jung-lin took the crown and top prize $36,000 after beating Filipino Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza in the finals.

Other Filipino saw action were Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica and Joven "The Shark" Bustamante who failed to advance in the knock-out stage.

ORCOLLO, PAGULAYAN ENTERS FINAL FOUR IN GUINNESS GRAND FINALE

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINOS Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo cruised in the semifinals after they finished in the top two of Group A in the preliminary round of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 Grand Final yesterday at the Mal Taman Anggrek in Bali, Indonesia.

Orcollo, the reigning WPA world number one was still playing defending Grand Final champion Chang Jung Lin of Chinese Taipei as of press time, but his three wins on Friday coupled with Pagulayan's wins over Wang Hung Hsiang of Chinese Taipei and Ryu Seung Woo of Korea yesterday, clinched spots in the last four for the two Filipino aces.

Orcollo, who hails from Bislig, Surigao del Sur who won the previous leg in Guangzhou, China, swept all three of his assignments on Friday. Orcollo native opened his bid with a 9 – 7 triumph of Pagulayan then followed it up with demolishing over Wang, 9 – 8, and Ryu, 9 – 5.

Pagulayan, who ruled the Singapore leg, bounced back from his setback against Orcollo with a relatively easy 9 – 5 victory over Chang late Friday evening. The 2004 World Pool champion barged into the semi-finals after edging Wang, 9 – 8, and routing Ryu, 9 - 2. Chang's two losses to Pagulayan and Orcollo eliminated the defending champion.

Eleven players were divided into two groups and players played in a single round robin format. The top two players from each group advanced to the semi-finals with the final two meeting in the final match tomorrow.

The champion will earn the top prize of US$36,000. Orcollo and Pagulayan are already assured of at least $5,400 for reaching the semi-finals of the six-city tour organized by ESPN STAR Sports.

The Top Ten of the Tour's Order of Merit following the first five legs automatically qualified for the Grand Final. An additional wild card spot was awarded to Ricky Yang as he was the host country's top ranked player.

Meanwhile, a third Filipino, Antonio Gabica, also remained in contention for a semi-final spot after staying unbeaten after three matches over in Group B. Gabica outclassed fellow Filipino Joven Bustamante, 9 – 5, on Friday then beat Malaysia's Ibrahim Bin Amir, 9 – 5, and survived Chinese Taipei's Wu Chia Ching, 9 - 7, yesterday.

The former Asian Games gold medalist needed just one more win in his last two assignments yesterday. He was still playing hometown bet Ricky Yang as of press time and was scheduled to meet Yang Ching Shun of Chinese Taipei yesterday evening.

Bustamante, the fourth Filipino in the group, is virtually eliminated from semi-final contention after dropping two of his three matches. The current WPA world number six fell to Gabica, 5 – 9, but nipped Indonesia's Yang, 9 – 8, Friday. Bustamante then bowed down to Yang Ching Shun, 4 – 9.

Up for grabs in the Grand Final is total prize money of US$72,000, with the winner taking home US$36,000. The Guinness 9 Ball Tour remains the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify for the WPA World Pool Championship. The six-city Tour previously had stops in Chinese-Taipei, Penang, Genting Highlands, Singapore, and Guangzhou.

ALCANO SETTLES FOR SECOND PLACE IN US OPEN 9-BALL

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FORMER double world champion (WPA 9-ball and WPA 8-ball) Ronato "Volcano" Alcano yielded to eventual champion Mika "The Iceman" Immonen of Finland, 13-7, in the finals, but still wound up as the best Filipino finisher in the just concluded 33rd Annual US Open 9-Ball Championship being held at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA, over the weekend.

Alcano, who also settled runner-up place in the last year's edition receive 2nd place prize of $20,000 for his effort.

Immonen, meanwhile took the crown and the $40,000 that goes with it after trouncing Alcano in this $250,000 total pot prize tournament which lured by 238 players from around the world.

The 36-year-old Calamba native Alcano, who failed to duplicates Efren "Bata" Reyes (1994) and Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2005) title feat, earlier brought downed Immonen, 11-6, during their hot-seat match in the winner's brackets to advance in the championships' round.

With the loss, Immonen relegated to the one-loss side and beat another Filipino entry Warren "Warrior" Kiamco, 11-9, to forge a rematch with Alcano. Before losing to Immonen, the 36-year-old Pasil, Cebu native Kiamco, playing under the banner of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiard Stable ousted lone American survivor Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer, 11-4.

Kiamco pocketed third place worth of $10,000 while Archer didn't go empty-handed with fourth prize of $8,000.

Other Filipinos who saw action were former world no.1 Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Japan based Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego, Jose "Amang" Parica, Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat, Leonardo "The Rattle Snake" Andam, Joven Alba, Edwin Montal and Danny Petralba.
The Filipinos' performance was a big letdown as they dominated the 2005 edition, with Pagulayan emerging as champion, Parica and Bustamante settled 2nd to 3rd placers, respectively. The weeklong-event is the longest running 9-ball event in the United States.

KIAMCO, ALCANO GAIN US OPEN SEMIFINALS

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

VETERAN Internationalists Warren "Warrior" Kiamco and Ronato "Volcano" Alcano came up with yet another scintillating performance to kept Philippine Flag high in the on-going 33rd US Open 9-ball championships yesterday being held at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA.

The pride of Bugsy Promotion Alcano, who is aiming to surpass his last year's runner-up place finish beat American Rodney "Rocket" Morris, 11-7, to post his seventh straight wins and move into the final four against former World 9-ball champion Mika "The Iceman" Immonen of Finland, who brought downed another host bet Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer, 11-7.

Alcano and Immonen, both undefeated in this double-elimination format which offers $40,000 to the champion in this $250,000 total pot prize event.

The Cebuano native Kiamco, playing under the banner of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiard Stable, on the other hand ousted Morris, 11-10, to extend his winning run in the loser's side with eight straight wins to face Archer in another semifinals pair.

After losing to Immonen in the winner's brackets, Archer eliminated compatriot Corey "The Prince" Deuel, 11-8, to meet Kiamco, the 2008 Villar-Alabang leg champion.

Negros Billiard Stable (NBS) head coach Christopher "Toper" Palses lauded the impressive performance of Alcano and Kiamco."Sana manalo sila sa kani-kanilang final four matches para all Filipino-finals." He added.

On the road's to the final four, Kiamco bested Josh Lewis ,11 – 9, reigning World 9-ball champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain, 11 – 3, fellow NBS stablemate Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, 11 – 10, Morris ,11 – 10, Robb Saez ,11 – 8, Scott Rabon ,11 – 7, Nick Varner ,11 – 10, Imran Majid ,11 – 8, Adam Smith ,11 – 5, Tony Chohan 11 – 3, and Morris, 11-10.

Alcano, meanwhile nipped Mike Brown 11 – 7, Matt Clatterbuck 11 – 4, Mitch Ellerman 11 – 10, Tyler Edey 11 – 8, Corteza 11 – 9, Francisco "Django" Bustamante 11 – 6, and Morris 11 – 7.
The much anticipated final four showdown between Alcano and Immonen and Kiamco opposite with Archer with the top two survival will slug it out for this year's over-all championships' trophy.

Alcano and Kiamco, both member of the star-studded Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) are looking to duplicate's Efren "Bata" Reyes (1994) and Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2005) title-feat.

PARICA BEATS DEFENDING CHAMP VAN BOENING; BUSTAMANTE, ALCANO CONTINUE WINNING RUN IN US OPEN 9-BALL

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

A day after beating reigning World Ten-Ball Champion Darren "Dynamite" Appleton of Great Britain,11-6, Filipino Francisco "Django" Bustamante continued his winning run after crushing Oscar Dominguez of Mexico, 11-1, to score his fifth straight wins in the on-going 33rd US Open 9-Ball at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, yesterday.

However, the sad news is that Bustamante will face last year's runner-up Ronato "Volcano" Alcano, an 11-9 win over compatriot and ex-national champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza.

Sharing the limelight is Jose "Amang" Parica, who edged defending champion Shane "The South Dakota Kid" Van Boening of the United States, 11-10.

The West Covina-based Parica, acknowledge leader of the Filipino invasion in the US pool circuit in mid 80's, will square off with former World Pool Champion Mika "The Iceman" Immonen of Finland, who brought downed American Shawn Putnam, 11-1.

Also in the winning column were reigning World 9-ball Champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain, former world 9-ball champions Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the United States and Thorsten "The Hitman" Hohmann of Germany.

Peach waylaid UK's Raj Hundal, 11-8, Archer stuns Brandon Shuff, 11-5, and Hohmann nipped Finnish Petri Makkonen, 11-2.

American Rodney "Rocket" Morris, who teaming up to Van Boening to win the over-all championships' trophy in the recent World Cup of Pool also remain unbeaten in this $250,000 total pot prize event with the champion getting the lion share of $40,000. He beat Adam Smith, 11-4. In the sixth round, Archer goes up against Peach, Morris opposite Hohmann.

In the loser's side, Cebuano ace Warren "Warrior" Kiamco ousted Indian Imran Majid, 11-8, to remain in contention.

However other Filipino suffered their second loses to kiss goodbye in the longest running 9-ball tournament in the United States.

Japan based Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego bowed to American Larry Nevel, 11-8, Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat yielded to American Dan Louie, 11-10, Danny Petralba lost to American Dustin Morris, 11-8, OFW Joven Alba was booted out by American Tim Hall, 11-6 and Fil-Canadian Edwin Montal lost to American Mike Davis, 11-7.

DJANGO, THREE OTHER REMAINS UNBEATEN IN US OPEN 9-BALL

Francisco "Django" Bustamante turned back reigning world ten-ball champion Darren "Dynamite" Appleton of Great Britain, 11-6, to joined three other Filipino in the winning column in the fourth round of 33rd US Open 9-ball yesterday at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA.

Bustamante, the former world no.1 will face Mexican Oscar Dominguez in the next round. Dominguez beat Josh Lewis, 11-10.

Last year's runner-up Ronato "Volcano" Alcano, ex-national champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza and Jose "Amang" Parica also kept the Philippine flag high after trouncing their respective rivals.

Alcano beat Canadian Tyley Edey, 11-8, while Corteza crushed American Shannon Daulton, 11-9, and Parica nipped Swedish Marcus Chamat, 11-9. However, Alcano and Corteza will clash each other in the fifth round while Parica will go up against defending champion and American Shane "The South Dakota Kid" van boening, winner over compatriot Charlie "The Korean Dragon" Williams, 11-6.

The $250,000 total pot prize event is applying a double elimination format with the champion getting the lion share of $40,000.

MARLON BERNARDINO

LIMEN TO PLAY IN ASIA 10-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

TWO MONTHS after taking Davao billiards scene by storm, Jech Limen is now lined up for his second international tournament dubbed as 5th Annual Asia 10-Ball Championships to be held on November 10 to 14 at the Hamilton Hotel in Seoul, Korea.

The Pasig City based Limen, who hails from Davao City topped the 2008 Mati 9-Ball Open Tournament in Mati, Davao. Limen made his name big in international competitions after beating former double world champion (WPA 9-ball and WPA 8-ball) Wu Chia-ching of Chinese-Taipei during the 2007 Negros Oriental International 9-Ball Championships was held in Dumaguete City enable him to finish in the top 12.

"Hindi ko po sasayangin ang binigay na pagkakataon ni Sir Jo (Jonathan Sy), kaya gagawin ko ang aking best sa Asian 10-Ball Championships na maging maganda ang performance natin," said Limen, also the 2004 Davao 9-Ball Open Champion and 2007 Winner Take-All third placer in Bowling Inn, Taft Avenue, Manila.

Sportsman/ Businessman Jonathan Sy, president of the rising Negros Billiard Stable and co-founder of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) yesterday said that Limen received an invitation from Dragon Promotions, promoter of 5th Annual Asia 10-Ball Championships and obtain his visa last Thursday.
""While fate and destiny seems to be on our side the Korean Consul approved the visas of Jech (Limen)"said Sy, also the manager of former national champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, Villar Cup Alabang leg champion Warren "Warrior" Kiamco, Japan based Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego and 2008 Dubai Champion Ricky "Bai" Zerna.

"We (NBS) hope Jech (Limen) will perform well in the Asia 10-Ball Championships," added Sy, also the organizer in the forthcoming Villiards: International Invitational 9-Ball Open on November 12 in Bacolod City.

NBS head coach Christopher "Toper" Palses commented: "Hinog na si Jech (Limen) sa malakihang torneo at naniniwala ako na ipakikita niya ang kanyang husay sa Asian 10-Ball Championships."

According to Cindy Lee, president of Dragon Promotions, the 5th Annual Asia 10-Ball Championships offers $10,000 to the champion. The runner-up pockets $5,000 while 3rd and 4th received $2,500.Fifth to 8th placers received $1,250 each while 9th to 16th placers will bring home $600 each.

Top names in the field so far include Mika "The Iceman" Immonen of Finland, who is fresh from winning the 2008 US Open 9-Ball Championships, Thorsten "The Hitman" Hohmann of Germany, Raj Hundal of India, Lee Chenman of Hongkong and Young Hwa Jeong of the host country. The event will be broadcasted on XTM and XPORTS, two of the top channels in South Korea.

contributed by MARLON BERNARDINO.