Amit on cue for second gold

Rubilen Amit repeated over Singapore’s Hoe Shu Wah, 11-3, to assure the Philippines of a silver in women’s 9-ball pool singles in the penultimate day of the billiards and snooker competitions of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games last night at the Makati Coliseum.

The 24-year old Amit, who won the 8-ball pool singles gold medal the other day at the expense of Hoe, will gun for the gold at 1 p.m. against Malaysia’s Suhana Dewi Sablu, who defeated Thailand’s Santhinee Jaisuekul, 11-7, in the other half of semis.

The Philippines slowed down in its sterling campaign that so far netted seven gold medals, as the opposition made huge strides on various fronts with the Filipinos taking the bronze in all-Pinoy contest in men’s one cushion carom-singles.

Francisco Dela Cruz and Reynaldo Grandea stayed with the tough opposition in carom but eventually dropped their matches in the semifinals to two Vietnamese opponents.

Dela Cruz lost to Nguyen Thanh Sinh, 124-200, while Grandea was just no match to Le Phuoc Loi, 125-200, paving the way for an all-Vietnamese final which was to be played late last night.

Dela Cruz and Grandea were thus relegated to a battle for bronze, which the latter took via 200-145 score.

Foreign cue masters also dominated the men’s snooker-singles as Thailand’s Issara Kachaiwong blanked Malaysia’s Moh Keen Hoo, 4-0, to set up a finals confrontation with compatriot Nitiwat Kanjanasri, who nosed out Singapore’s Keith Boon Aun, 4-3. — Arman Carandang