‘BATA’ WINS ANEW; RULES GALVESTON CLASSIC ONE POCKET TILT

Efren “Bata” Reyes came back from the one-loss side to beat American Shannon Daulton twice in the finals to win the Galveston Classic One Pocket tournament yesterday at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston City, Texas.

It was Reyes’s third consecutive title in less than a month after he ruled The Manny Villar Cup Kadayawan Leg in Davao City and the 2009 World Cup of Pool with bosom buddy Francisco “Django” Bustamante in Quezon City.

The 55-year-old Magician, a member of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines and Senator Manny Villar’s Team Villards, was sent into the losers’ bracket late in the elimination round but bounced back by beating Cliff Joyner to earn the second finals slot against erstwhile undefeated Daulton.

Reyes, who is one of the best One Pocket players in the world, had a tall task of beating the American twice and he did that by winning the first match, 3-1, and then scored a pulsating 3-2 squeaker to rule the inaugural edition of this tournament and pocket the $25,000 top prize.

Reyes is set to take on fellow Asian pool legend Chao Fong-pang in Face Off Series 3 – The Grandmasters slated on October 28 and 29 at the posh Club Capo Exclusive in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

The match, a race-to-50 9-ball affair, is the Face Off Series’ and Club Capo’s next offering the highly-successful showdown between former world no.1 Dennis Orcollo and Taiwanese “Son of Pool” Yang Ching-shun last September 8 and 9 with the former emerging the victor via a 50-45 decision.

The Face Off Series 3 is presented by Club Capo in cooperation with JBET.net, Bugsy Promotions, Puyat Sports and Nuvo City.

The Reyes-Chao match is part of a series of challenge matches Club Capo is putting up.

The exclusive membership club is planning to pit eight to other pairs of world-class cue artists each year.

It has also lined up a match pitting former double world champions Ronnie Alcano and Ralf Souquet of Germany .
The second edition of The Philippines versus the World will be part of the Face-Off Series.
Club Capo Exclusive is also eyeing a match between Francisco “Django” Bustamante against American Rodney Morris and Lee Van Corteza opposite Shane van Boening in November.