Pinoy billiards masters aim for first-ever men's 10 Ball world title
Dennis Orcollo. Image copyright Bob Guerrero.
For the first time since 2011 a world championship in 10 Ball will be held. This is a chance for the Philippines to finally claim a men’s world title in the game regarded as the most popular among the world’s top pool pros.
The 2015 MP Cup World 10 Ball Championship lags tomorrow in General Santos City, South Cotabato, with the single elimination race-to-seven stage one qualifiers that will produce sixteen players for the second stage starting Tuesday in SM City Gen San.
Stage two will begin with 128 players in a race-to-nine double elimination phase that will halve the field to 64 shooters. Then the tournament shifts to single elimination, race-to-eleven matches all the way until the last blue-and-white ball drops in the final on Saturday, February 21. All matches will use alternate breaks.
The event is being organized by boxer and congressman Manny Pacquiao, who held a couple of 10 ball events in his hometown last year. The total prize purse is one of the biggest in the pocket billiards world, US$200,000, with $40,000 going to the champion. Official sponsors Aramith will supply the balls while fellow Belgian brand Simonis provide the cloth.
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The World Pool-Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pocket billiards, has granted the tournament its sanction, and the WPA’s president, Ian Anderson, will be on hand.
There have been three previous editions of the world 10 ball championship for men, all taking place in Manila, but none featuring a Pinoy winner. Rubilen Amit has been the only Philippine citizen to win a world 10 ball crown, in the women’s category.
In the inaugural event in 2008, England’s Darren Appleton claimed the victory in the Philippine International Convention Center by outplaying Wu Chia Ching of Chinese Taipei, 13-11 in the final. A year later, another European, Mika Immonen, lifted the trophy by disappointing the home crowd in the World Trade Center with a fine 11-6 conquest over Lee Vann Corteza in the title match.
After a hiatus in 2010 the event returned to the Philippines in 2011, with the Netherlands’ Huidji See prevailing over China’s Fu Jian Bo 11-8 in the last match to grab the title in SM Megamall.
In every running of the competition, there has been at least one Filipino semifinalist, with Demosthenes “Plong-plong” Pulpul reaching the last four in 2008 and Carlo Biado repeating the feat in 2011. Antonio Lining also made the final four in 2009.
A lack of sponsorship meant no world 10 ball championship was held for the next three years, so See, a Dutchman of Chinese descent, is still the reigning champ until today.
Ironically, See is the only former champion not coming this week. He says the Dutch pool federation was unwilling to shoulder his expenses for the trip. Apart from plane tickets and accommodation costs, there is a US$300 entry fee for players who wish to enter straight into the second stage.
But aside from See, practically every other name pro will be gunning for the title.
Lee Vann Corteza and Dennis Orcollo lead a contingent of Mindanao-bred players who would love to win a world title on the island of their birth. Former world 9 Ball champs Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes, who took the last Manny Pacquiao-sponsored ten ball event last December, will also be threats. Ronnie Alcano, who has both 8 ball and 9 ball world titles in his CV, is also seeing action along with Pinoy vets Antonio Gabica, Ramil Gallego, Biado, Johann Chua, Raymund Faraon, Elmer Haya, and Derby City titleists Warren Kiamco and Alex Pagulayan, who is also representing Canada.
No doubt many other Pinoy shooters will sneak through the stage one qualifiers to make the main draw, and there is already a host of unheralded but dangerous Filipino talent directly entered into stage two.
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Naturally Pacquiao, a very skilled amateur pool player in his own right, will play as well.
A gauntlet of foreign stars is also prepared to bring the trophy out of the country after the dust settles. Aside from Appleton and Immonen, Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann, the winner of the first MP Cup singles event last year, is a favorite, alongside countryman Ralf Souquet. Both are former world 9 ball champs. Marcus Chamat of Sweden is also in the hunt.
England’s two former world champs Karl Boyes and Daryl Peach are also joining the fray, while Chinese Taipei are led by brothers Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung and seasoned pros Fu Chei Wei, Chang Yu Lung, and Yang Ching Shun.
Rodney Morris of the USA is also listed, but Shane Van Boening, the reigning US Open 9 Ball champ, is not on the list of entrants as of press time.
Wu Chia Ching, whose name is now spelled Wu Jia Qing after he switched citizenship to the People’s Republic of China, is part of a strong Chinese bunch that includes Liu Haitao, Li He Wen and Wang Can.
10 ball is like 9 ball, but with an added ball making the opening pack triangle-shaped. Unlike 9 ball, 10 ball is a call-shot game where flukes do not count and the shooter loses his turn if he pots a ball accidentally.
There are plans to have live video streaming during the tournament for pool fans from all over the world. You can watch the event’s Facebook page for links to videos.
A doubles 10 ball tournament will begin on February 22 and end on February 26. Known as the Manny Pacquiao Cup International 10 Ball Doubles Tournament, this event will hand out US$100,000 in total prize money and will feature many of the top foreign and local players from the 10 ball world tilt.
The Passionate Fan will be in General Santos starting Wednesday night for complete, in-depth coverage of the world championship until the 21st.
Queens Cup II set for Resorts World Manila in April
The women’s team 10 ball event known as the Queens Cup is back in the Philippines.
The event, which features an East team of Asian lady pros against European and American opposition in a West squad, returns to Resorts World Manila this coming April 16 to 18, two years after it was first held there.
In 2013 the East team, composed of Rubilen Amit of the Philippines, Ga Young Kim of Korea, Chen Siming of China, and Penny Tsai of Chinese Taipei walloped Englishwomen Kelly and Allison Fisher, Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan, and American Vivian Villareal by a scoreline of 10 to 4.
The competition will be run by Dragon Promotions and has a new title sponsor, am8.com, one of Asia’s leading online gaming sites.
The final lineup for both teams has yet to be set.
“It’s going to be a competitive match-up,” insists Dragon Promotions’ Charlie Williams.
“The real key is chemistry. That’s something the Asians had last time and something the West will need to bring.”
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.