Bata, RP cue masters off to big start in world tiff

CARDIFF, Wales – Efren "Bata" Reyes started his bid to recapture the the crown in the World Pool Championship with aplomb, winning his first two games in Day One of the elimination round.

And compatriots Django Bustamante and Leonardo Andam would not be outdone as they also won their opening games in their respective groups, giving the crack Philippine contingent a flying start in the rich event featuring the cream of pool masters around the globe.

Reyes, the 1999 champion who was dethroned by Chinese Taipei’s Chao Fong-pang last year, took the early lead in Group 8 with four points following a 5-4 squeaker over Japanese Hishashi Yamamoto and a 5-0 sweep of local bet Rob McKenna.

Andam likewise won his first two games, toppling Namibia’s Arnold Van Staden, 5-0, and Canada’s Paul Potier, 5-3, in Group 12 while Bustamante gained his first two points by defeating American Troy Frank, 5-2, in Group 13.

The 144-man field was divided into 16 groups with the top four in each group after the one-round-robin eliminations advancing to the match play proper of the tournament.

Ramil Gallego (Group 1) and Antonio Lining (Group 14) split their first two games while Rodolfo Luat (Group 6) and Warren Kiamco (Group 7) lost their opening matches. Alex Pagulayan (Group 3), a Filipino playing for Canada, also split his first two matches.

Gallego routed Sweden’s Tom Storm, 5-1, but bowed to England’s Chris Melling, 4-5, while Lining topped Australia’s Warren King, 5-2, but lost to Germany’s Thomas Engert, 1-5.

Luat suffered sorry losses at the hands of Finland’s Mika Immonen and Indonesia’s Alwi while Kiamco couldn’t handle Alex Lely of Holland and Alain Martel of Canada.

Chao, the defending champion, was also off to a good start, winning his opening match over Greece’s Apostolis Alexandris, 5-3, in Group 1. Quinten Hann of Australia and Melling paced the group with two wins apiece.

Among the fancied foreign bets who also had an impressive start were Johnny Archer and Earl Strickland of the United States and Ralf Souquet of Germany.

Archer rolled over Italy’s Fabio Petroni, 5-1, and Holland’s Niels Feijen, 5-4, in Group 11; Strickland tripped Germany’s Christian Reimering, 5-3, in Group 2; and Souquet surged past Belgium’s Jan Dulst, 5-3, and the United States’ Allen Hopkins, 5-1, in Group 10.

Among the other Day One results: (Group 1) Quinten Hann (Aus) over A. Alexandris (Gre), 5-0; C. Melling (Eng) over A. Battams (Eng), 5-1, T. Storm (Swe) over F. Luersen (Bra), 5-4, Q. Hann (Aus) over A. Battams (Eng), 5-1; (Group 2) A. Ginn (Eng) over T. Drago (Mal), 5-4, T. Drago (Mal) over I. Putnik (Cro), 5-4, C. Reimering (Ger) over I. Putnik (Cro), 5-3, A. Ginn (Eng) over SP Pan (Tai), 5-2, V. Kristiansen (Nor) over SP Pan (Tai), 5-3, J. De Souza (Bra) over V. Kristiansen (Nor), 5-4; (Group 3) C. Williams (US) over A. Richardson (Eng), 5-0, M. Chamat (Swe) over Pa. Ooi (Mal), 5-4, C. Williams (US) over V. Vettas (Gre), 5-3, P. Ooi (Mal) over L. Condo (Aus), 5-3, M. Chamat (Swe) over V. Vettas (Gre), 5-3, A. Roschowsky (Ger) over A. Pagulayan (Can), 5-2, A. Pagulayan (Can) over A. Richardson (Eng), 5-2.