Mga sikat at bigating cue artists sa mundo nagtitipun-tipon

Magtitipon sa Quezon City ang mga sikat na bilyarista hindi lamang dito sa bansa kundi sa buong mundo sa pag­tatanghal ng lunsod ng Q.C. Invasion: Quezon City-Philippines vs the World Grand VILLARDS Showdown sa December 2-4 sa magarang Trinoma Mall.

Walo sa mahuhusay na Filipino cue artists, sa pangunguna ni sport’s living legend Efren “Bata” Reyes, ang kakatawan ng bansa sa event na ito na hatid ng Senator Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, at ng Quezon City government sa pamumuno ni Mayor Sonny Belmonte.

“We are very proud and honored to host this exciting showdown between the best Filipino billiards players and their topnotch foreign counterparts,” sabi ni Quezon City Council Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton, sa press conference kahapon sa Quezon City Hall.

“This big event, which we plan to hold yearly, aims not only to showcase the skills and talents of our own talented players against the world’s best but also to promote Quezon City as one of the country’s leading sports-tourism destinations,” dagdag ni Inton na sinamahan nina Senator Villar, Mayor Belmonte at Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) president Atty. Vic Rodriguez sa pagpapakilala ng mga participants.

“We want Quezon City to be known in the world of sports and this tournament is just the start of our campaign to host more international sports events,” ani Mayor Belmonte.

Naghihintay ang $40,000 (P2-million) sa winning team ng kompetisyong ito na iniisponsoran ng Camella Communities at suportado ng Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) at Quezon City Tourism Council habang media partners naman ang Solar Sports, RPN-9, the Philippine Star at Business Mirror.

Makakasama ni Reyes ang kanyang kapwa former world champions na sina Alex Pagulayan at Ronnie Alcano, current world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Roberto Gomez, Lee Van Cor­teza at Warren Kiamco at si Senator Villar ang chief backer ng team.

“I’m supporting the whole event as part of my commitment to help further develop billiards in our country. But in particular, I’m with our own team, especially na itong mga players natin, sa dalas ng aming pagsasama-sama, ay barkada na ang aming turingan,” sabi ni Villar na siyang pangunahing supporter ng billiard.

Ang Team World ay binubuo nina former world champions Mika Immonen ng Finland, Thorsten Hohmann ng Germany, Wu Chia-ching ng Chinese-Taipei, Rodney Morris at Charlie Williams ng United States, Yang Ching-shun ng Chinese-Taipei, Raj Hundal ng England at Fu Jianbo ng China.

Maglalaban ang dalawang team sa singles, doubles at team events katulad sa sikat na Mosconi Cup.