Bata, Django regain crown

MANILA, Philippines - Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Filipino pool idols with established legacies, added another chapter in their storied careers as they ruled the 2009 PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool at The Annex of SM North Edsa Mall in Quezon City last night.

Reyes and Bustamante, rulers of the initial World Cup in 2006, recaptured the coveted title by repelling the Chinese invasion in the semifinals and stopping the German blitzkrieg in the finale.

The celebrated Reyes-Bustamante pair survived nerve-wracking matches over China’s Fu Jian-bo and Li He-wen andGermany’s Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann for the precious championship that sent the hometown crowd in great jubilation.

Reyes and Busmante beat out Fu and Li in a hill-hill battle, 9-8, then came from behind to stun Souquet and Hohmann, 11-9, for the latest exploit of conquering Filipino masters in the world of pool.

It could have been an all-Filipino finale if not for Ronnie Alcano’s meltdown resulting in a 6-9 defeat in his partnership with Dennis Orcollo to Souquet and Hohmann in the other semis match.

Reyes and Bustamante, however, saved the day for the Filipinos as they dug deep into their bag of tricks and showed poise under tremendous pressure to upend the Germans.

The triumphant Filipino pair won the $60,000 top prize from the total cash pot of $250,000 in the tourney presented by Matchroom Sport in cooperation with local partner Solar Sports.

Reyes and Bustamante overcame a 7-9 deficit as they outplayed the Germans at crunch time.

Hohmann and Souquet foiled the looming all-Filipino final as they pounced on crucial misses by Alcano in the critical moment of their semifinal match.

The second-seeded RP-A had just drawn level with Germany at 6-6 when Alcano committed key miscues allowing the Germans to regain momentum and go on to win the match watched by a big crowd, including Filipino world boxing champion Brian Viloria.

Alcano and Orcollo, among the younger stars in the deep pool of Filipino billiards talents, settled for a semis finish worth $16,000.

Reyes and Bustamante clinched the first finals seat after prevailing over the Chinese in a drama-fraught battle.

Rallying at the finish, the Chinese put the Filipino pair and their fans on the edge of their seats only to blink in the most crucial moment of the epic match.

At 8-8, Fu missed a 1-2 carom to yield the table to the Filipinos.

Reyes and Bustamante seized the great opportunity, clearing the table to the delight of the crowd.