Five RP bets headline 107 entries in WTBC

A TOTAL of 107 players, including five Filipinos, have booked spots for themselves in the main draw of the 2008 WPA World Ten Ball Championship which opens on September 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila.

The players hail from 40 countries. Of the batch, four are women. Europe leads the field with 47 representatives, followed by Asia with 36, and America (North and South) with 19.

The European contingent is bannered by the three reigning world champions (men's division) in three pool disciplines; 8-ball titlist Ralf Souquet of Germany , 9-ball champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain , and straight pool champion Neils Feijen of the Netherlands . Former World 9-Ball pool champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany was the latest European player to enter the field.

The other reigning world champion in the list is 23-year-old Lin Yuan-Chun of Chinese Taipei, winner last March of the women's World 9-Ball Championship.

Host Philippines has booked five players -- Antonio Gabica, the reigning Asian Games 9-ball gold medalist, Philippine Open champion, and winner of the Mandaluyong Cup (a ten ball event). The other Filipinos who made it to the WTBC are newly-crowned National Open champion Marlon Manalo, Jeffrey de Luna, Elmer Kalaquian and Elvis Calasang. Other Filipinos are also likely to be named on the basis of their rankings in the ongoing Philippine Pool Tour.

Possession of a world title, however, is no guarantee or even an advantage in the WTBC. Ten Ball is a new pool discipline with its own challenges and tests for players. Under the new rules set by the World Pool-Billiard Association, it is a call-shot game. Luck as a factor has been reduced to a minimum.

The challengers from America and Asia will be formidable.

From America , the top bets are Shane Van Boening, winner of several ten ball tournaments in the US , Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer and Jeremy Jones. Two top US players – Tony Chohan and Stevie Moore -- will also be seeing action in Manila for the first time.
And then there is Asia , the new hotbed of international pool.

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KIAMCO OUTS ALCANO; GALLEGO STUNS ASIAN 8-BALL GOLD MEDALLIST

WARREN "Warrior" Kiamco survived a tough stand from compatriot and double world champion Ronato "Volcano" Alcano to win, 11-7, Thursday and advance to the Final 16 of the on-going $150,000 total pot prize Qatar Open 9-Ball tournament at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Al Muntazah Road in Doha, Qatar.

With the tremendous win, the 36-year-old Pasil, Cebu native Kiamco, one of the top players of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiard Stable will meet another Bugsy Promotion bet World No.1 Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, winner over another World 9-ball titlist Oliver "The Machine" Ortmann of Germany, 11-6.

Another NBS stalwart Japan based Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego, meanwhile continues his superb performance here by beating 2006 Doha Asian Games 8-ball gold medallist Satoshi "Dynamite" Kawabata of Japan, 11-7. The Bacolod City pride Gallego, former Asian 9-ball tour champion and five-time Japan Champion will square off countryman Francisco "Django" Bustamante in the next round, who eliminated Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica, 11-2.



The winner of the match between Kiamco versus Orcollo will face the survivor of Gallego versus Bustamante tussle's for the quarter-final round.

But the limelight fell on Jeffrey "The Bull" De Luna, who ousted 2001 World 9-ball champion Mika "The Iceman" Immonen of Finland, 11-7. His next round assignment is Naoyuki Ooi of Japan, who beat reigning national champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, 11-9.

Joining them in the "Sweet 16" were 2004 World 9-ball kingpin Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan, and 2007 World 9-ball finalist Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez who toppled their respective rivals.

Pagulayan bested fellow World 9-ball ruler Wu Chia-ching of Taiwan, 11-10, while Gomez nipped three-time world junior champion Vilmos Foldes of Hungray, 11-3.

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