CORTEZA, DE LUNA READY FOR ACTION; PREDATOR WORLD TOUR EVENT RESET TODAY DUE TO STORMY WEATHER

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Two Filipino representatives Lee Vann Corteza and Jeffrey de Luna, return to action when the Predator World Tour resume today, at the Lloret de Mar in Girona, Spain.

“Bagama’t na postponed ang Predator World Tour, ok na din sa atin y’un para makapag pahinga sina Van-Van (Corteza) at Jeff (de Luna) at maka familiarize na din sa weather doon,”said Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) head coach Christopher Palses in a long distance interview yesterday.

“Tournament direction decided to stop the action after the stormy weather affected the playing conditions to a unacceptable level. Play will resume Friday (Saturday in Manila),” posted yesterday in the official website www.predator10ball.com.

The Davao City native Corteza, top player of sportsman/ businessman Jonathan Sy of the rising Negros Billiards Stable is bracketed in Group B is fresh from winning the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) 4th National Pool Championship last December.

De Luna, on the other hand, who is best to remember winning the silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games (9-ball) is bracket in Group E together with Niels Feijen and Nick van den berg of the Netherlands.

Joining Corteza in Group B is the hometown crowd favorite David Alcaide of Spain, whom he defeated in the semi-finals, 9-7, of 2009 World Ten Ball Championships last November in Manila.

Alcaide, the no.1 player in his country, nicknamed “El Matador” won the 2009 Predator World Tour in Anadia, Portugal last September 12, beating Feijen, 8-2, in the finals.

WORLD CHAMPS APPLETON AND PEACH FAILED TO PARTICIPATE

TWO world champions—Darren Appleton (2008 World Ten Ball champion) and Daryl Peach (2007 World Pool champion) of Great Britain failed to compete in the Predator World Tour in Lloret del Mar, Spain Spain as most airports in Great Britain have been closed due to the heaviest snow fall in 30 years.

Other British players affected by what is becoming known as “the big freeze” include Imran Majid, Chris Melling, Scott Higgins, former IPT Player Mick Hill, 9 Ball Bronze Medalist in 2008 Karl Boyes, and a host of others were devastated after waiting several hours at the airport only to eventually be told that there would be no resumption of flights that day according to Euro billiards reporter/ columnist Big Dave Knight in an email to this writer yesterday. Appleton, who beat Taiwanese Wu Chiang-ching for the World Ten Ball crown two years ago in Manila said, “it’s one of those things, you can’t beat nature!”

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.