Asiad gold to complete RP billiards banner season

DOHA — Having dominated the inaugural World Cup, the IPT world 8-ball and the World 9-ball championships, the Filipinos should be the most feared players when billiards is played beginning Dec. 4 at the Al-Sadd multi-purpose here.

But it will not be until Dec. 7 when the likes of Leopoldo Andam, Antonio Gabica, Jeff de Luna and Rey Grandea swing into action and strut their sticks in the elims phase of the 8-ball and 9-ball competitions which the Filipinos are favored to win.

Sure, the Philippines’ gold medal bid in one of the most popular sports back home suffered a big blow following the scrapping of the doubles event, which Francisco "Django"Bustamante and Antonio Lining ruled to account for one of RP’s only three gold medals in Busan, Korea in 2002.

Add the fact that Efren "Bata" Reyes and Bustamante, who dominated the inaugural World Cup in Wales, and Ronnie Alcano, who outclassed veteran campaigner Ralf Souquet of Germany to win the World 9-ball title last month, aren’t around to spearhead the team’s gold medal quest.

But the RP bid is in good hands.

"Even without Bata or Django, the team is still formidable kasi pare-pareho na ang galing ng mga yan," said coach Edgard Asonto. "In fact, the recent victory of Lee Van Corteza in the Japan Open only underscored the Filipinos’domination of the sport."

Reyes, whose victory in the world 9-ball in Cardiff brought the sport to a higher level, also ruled the IPT world 8-ball, and is almost a cinch to top the IPT Tournament of Champions originally set next week but was reset for next year.

Rodolfo Luat could’ve actually completed the sweep of the major 8-ball and 9-ball events had he won the US Open. He lost to John Schmidt in the final, 11-6, in Cheesepeake, Virginia.

But while the men’s team is eyeing a two-gold sweep in billiards, Asonto said the women’s squad will have its hands full against a field teeming with talent in the distaff side.

Rubilen Amit, also a double gold medal winner like Andam in the Manila SEA Games, heads the team that includes Iris Ranola and Mary Ann Basas. The other events on tap in billiards are snooker, English billiards and 3-carom cushion.