Pretty Pinay ref does dad proud

A charming Filipina is very much an attraction in the 2007 World Pool Championship outside the players. Cielo Lopez, 28, is one of the two beauteous lady referees, the other being mainstay senior game official Michaela Tabb from England in the tournament. 

Though she’s also into volleyball, badminton and swimming, Lopez said billiards was closest to her heart although she didn’t reach her full potential – her father being opposed to it – so she decided to become a pool ref instead.

“I wasn’t allowed to play the game by my dad and it’s my biggest frustration although he didn’t know I was playing behind his back,” said Lopez, lured into the game while watching Efren “Bata” Reyes win the 1999 WPC in Cardiff, Wales.

Now a full-fledged referee recognized by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, she said she now has the full backing of her dad.

“I’m enjoying it. Some of the players are trying to intimidate me but I can take care of them,” said Lopez, who took up education in UST then communication arts in Holy Spirit and is now doing volunteer job with Our Live Foundation in Philippine General Hospital among others.

England’s Raj Hundal and Malaysia’s Ibrahim Bin Amir had raised protest on the way she set the balls while the two foreign players were up against local bets.

“I’m always neutral. They were just sour-grapes,” she said.

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Thirteen of 15 Filipino bets survived the elimination round while 10 of 13 Taiwanese made it past the elims, promising slam-bang battles between the two nations in the knockout stage.

The United States had a big number of casualties with only Earl Strickland, Corey Deuel, Charles Williams and Shane Van Boening advancing from the starting list of 11 Americans. Strickland later lost in the round of 64.

Germany and England sent four players each to the knockout stage while Serbia had three.     – Nelson Beltran