BSCP TAPPED BATA REYES AS NATIONAL PLAYING COACH

RP billiards masters Efren “Bata” Reyes has tapped by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) as national playing coach for the RP billiards contingent in the forthcoming 16^th Asian Games slated on November 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, China.

This was revealed yesterday by National pool team coach Edgard “Boyet” Asonto in the SCOOP sa Kamayan Forum at the Kamayan Restaurant in Padre Faura.

“Meron nang sulat si Mr. Ilagan [BSCP president Bong Ilagan] kay chairman Angping [PSC chief Harry Angping] para magamit muli ang billiards center at pag na-aprubahan yun, pwede nang mag-conduct ng tryouts,” said Asonto.

Asonto added that as playing coach, Reyes will help in overseeing the BSCP series of tryouts that will determine the members of the squad to the 16th edition of the Asiad.

Tryouts for the men’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles, carom cushion singles, and snooker singles, and the women’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles, snooker 6 red balls singles, and snooker 6 red balls team will be held as soon as the BSCP’s request for the reopening of the venue inside the Philippine Sports Medicine building is approved.

Reyes, though, has been seeded to the RP men’s English billiards squad, along with Rey Grandea.

“Halos lahat naman ng mga players natin ngayon, magagaling na kaya in fairness sa kanila, kailangang mag-tryout. Pati nga ako magta-tryout sa ibang event maliban sa English billiards,” said the local pool legend who was guest at the forum along with national training pool members Iris Ranola and Mary Ann Basas.

A total of seven slots will be at stake in the men’s squad and six in the women’s side.

Reyes said both the men’s and women’s teams are capable of bringing home gold medals, although he offered that competitions in the women’s side will be tougher than the men’s play because of the presence of equally-talented campaigners from Korea, China, Taipei and Japan, among others.

“Medyo mabigat ang laban ng mga babae natin, pero ang mga lalake, mas madali kasi Taipei lang ang dapat bantayan,” Reyes, who will be flying to Japan next week for a three-week playing and teaching stints before going to the United States for this year’s World Pool Master in Las Vegas.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO