Billiards king not ready to abdicate

KUALA LUMPUR (Via Globe Telecoms) - Though he has yet to brandish the old magic that has cast a spell not only on the field but the rest of pool aficionados in the region, Filipino billiards king Efren "Bata" Reyes remains confident he could nail one as the Games draws to a close this weekend.

One could feel he’s ready to deliver as he flashes that toothless smile that seems to accompany every triumph.

" I haven’t won any gold but it’s okay because we have realized our forecast that we will meet in the finals of events we are strong in, " said Reyes in Tagalog.

The Philippine team had lived up to that promise in the billiards 8-ball event where Reyes and Lee Vann Corteza squared up in the finals Tuesday. The 21-year-old Corteza beat the highly-fancied Reyes, 5-4, in a classic duel to grab the gold medal.

On Thursday, Reyes played his second event but went down in defeat in an earlier round as, together with Marlon Manalo and Reynaldo Grandea, they lost their English Billiards semifinal match with eventual gold medalist Thailand.

Reyes bowed to C. Praprut, Manalo proved no match to Tawat Sujaritturakarn and Grandea dropped his match against Ratrunakarn Saparn.

Reyes took those defeats in stride. He said: "It’s alright in the 8-ball because the gold went to a Filipino and we’re okay in the English Billiards because that was not our event. In fact our names we’re just inserted in the lineup"

But the former world 9-ball champion from Pampanga stressed that he wanted to beat Corteza not just for the gold medal and the incentive promised at home but for something personal being the No. 1 cue artist of Puyat Sports. Corteza is playing under a different stable.

Not a few here thought Reyes took a dive, deliberately yielding the gold to Corteza.

"Yun nga ang mabigat sa akin dito. I have nothing to gain, but everything to lose. Everybody thought I have a big edge but they didn’t realize we have a lot of good Filipino players in these events," said Reyes.

He added that the race-to-five format is like a Russian Roulette because anybody can pull a reversal. "Kung mahaba ang laban, lamang ako at pwede kong ipangako ang ginto."

If he had not made a commitment with the national team, Reyes said he would be in the United States, campaigning in the rich US Open in Norfolk, Virginia where Edgar Acaba and Amang Parica are now in strong contention for the title.

"Tatlong tournaments ang mami-miss ko sa US circuit. Malaki rin ang mawawala sa akin," he added.

At presstime, he’s playing his last event, vying for the billiards 15-ball gold medal together with compatriot Warren Kiamco. "Kami-kami rin ang nagkikita sa finals," he said.