BILLIARDS aces from around the world will compete for fame and fortune in the cash-rich 46th All Japan Championship which gets underway on Nov. 12-18 at the Hotel New Archaic Hall in Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo, Japan.
As expected Filipino billiards masters Efren 鈥淏ata鈥� Reyes, Francisco 鈥淒jango鈥� Bustamante, Alex 鈥淭he Lion鈥� Pagulayan, Dennis 鈥淩obocop鈥� Orcollo, Ronato 鈥淰olcano鈥� Alcano, Carlo 鈥淭he Black Tiger鈥� Biado and Lee Vann 鈥淭he Slayer鈥� Corteza will spearhead the Philippine campaign.
Other notable cue masters seeing action in said tourney are Ramil 鈥淏ebeng鈥� Gallego, Antonio 鈥淣ickoy鈥� Lining, Jonas James Reyes, Warren 鈥淲arrior鈥� Kiamco, Jundel 鈥淛ano鈥� Mazon, Rodrigo 鈥淓dgie Marilao鈥� Geronimo, Johann 鈥淏ubwit鈥� Chua, Val Pajuay, Roel Esquillo and Jerome Andrino.
鈥淢abigat po y鈥檜ng All Japan Championship pero tinitiyak namin na lalaban kami ng husto,鈥� said the 28-year-old Jonas James Reyes, who ruled the monthly Tiger Cup 10-ball tournament at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City last June.
鈥淕agawin po namin yung aming makakaya para sa bayan,鈥� added Reyes who is a distant relative of Efren 鈥淏ata鈥� Reyes. He also finished fourth in the 2013 POC-PSC Philippine National Games last May.
The tournament will feature defending champion Jung-Lin Chang of Taiwan, Kunihiko Takahashi of Japan, Mika Immonen of Finland, Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohman of Germany and Johnny Archer of the United States, among others.
Chang, a player from Bugsy International Promotions, cemented his status as the world鈥檚 topranked player after beating countryman Yang Ching-shun of Chinese-Taipei in the finals of the last year鈥檚 edition to secure the top prize of $28,600. Yang pocketed $14,300. /Correspondent Marlon Bernardino