Django clinches 9-ball title

Francisco "Django" Bustamante, one of the top moneymakers in the US billiards circuit, hit pay dirt at home as he pulled off a gripping 15-11 win over Antonio "Nickoy" Lining in the finals of the P4.2 million Motolite international 9-ball billiards championship at the Makati Coliseum last night.

Continuing to brandish magical, if not masterful, strokes of his own, Bustamante beat Lining in a tough duel to bag the championship and the top purse of $30,000 in the rich event which featured the best of the American billiards artists and their counterpart in this part of the world.

Home-grown bets cornered the top four spots, with Bustamante finishing on top as he made a superb show of shotmaking on all four days of the Motolite-sponsored event.

Lining, the pride of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, earned $12,000 for his second-place finish.

With tremendous power and great accuracy on his shots, Bustamante seized the initiative at the start but slowed down later and had to pound a sorry miscue by Lining in the 15th game to regain the momentum.

Bustamante racked up five straight games to surge ahead, 11-8, after a crucial miss by Lining in the 15th left the 9-ball on the mouth of the corner pocket.

Bustamante yielded only three games to Lining from there as he pressed his bid, winning back-to-back games from the 23rd off the break and ending the match in the 26th on a runout following a bad break by his rival.

Sinking the last ball on a short straight shot in a corner pocket, Bustamante left his cue stick to the table, clenched his right fist and threw a punch to the air in celebration of his sweet win -- his first major in the country.

He then approached his backers, brothers Aristeo and Popit Puyat, in the VIP section of the venue, thanking them for their support.

"Wala na sa isip ko ang pera, talagang gustong-gusto ko lang manalo dito sa atin," said Bustamante, who reached the finals with victories over Tom Kennedy, Ramil Gallego and Rodolfo Luat.

"Magaling din si Nickoy at halos pareho lang kami ng tira. Nagkaroon lang siya ng mga crucial na sablay at lumakas ang fighting spirit ko doon," he added. -