8-ball, 9-ball champs secure spots in world 10-ball affair

Two reigning world champions lead a stellar cast of cue artists in the World 10-ball Championships scheduled in September.

Daryl Peach of England, the current world 9-ball king, and Ralf Souquet of Germany, the world 8-ball titlist, are expected to participate in the tournament that will be held in Manila.

Joining Peach and Souquet are previous qualifiers Wu Chia-Ching of Chinese-Taipei and Antonio Gabica of the Philippines.

Wu and Gabica won the WTBC qualifying events through the Philippine Pool Tour.

Wu, a double world champion in 8-ball and 9-ball in 2005, won the Puerto Princesa Mayor’s Cup of the PPT last June in Puerto Princesa City.

Gabica, the reigning Philippine Open and Asian Games champion, won the Mandaluyong Mayor’s Cup of the PPT last May in Mandaluyong City.

Europe’s no.1 lady player Jasmin Ouschan of Austria will also see action in the top-tier event.

Wu Chia-Ching entered on Four slots in World 10-Ball

Four slots in the inaugural World Ten-Ball tournament on September will be up for grabs in the 3rd Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) National Pool Championship.

Eliminations for the event will be held at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City while the finals shall take place from August 26-31 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila.

Filipino Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica and Taiwanese Wu Chia-Ching already won slots in the World Ten-Ball tournament after successful stints in the Philippine Pool Tour legs in Mandaluyong and Puerto Princesa, respectively.

Gabica will see action with Marlon Manalo, the 2005 World Pool Championship 3rd placer; Jeffrey de Luna, the 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball champion; and the young Jericho Bañares, the reigning Philippine Junior Champion as they chase the P400,000 winner's purse.

Prize money down to the 32nd placer will be given. The event is open to all Filipino players.

Other notable players who will be vying for the national title are: Leonardo Andam, Fidel Punzalan, Leonardo Didal, Edgar Acaba, Mario Tolentino, Elvis Calasang, Luis Saberdo, James Al Ortega, Alex Nobleza, Raymond Faraon and 14-year-old Jonas Magpantay, among others.

RP 10-ball qualifiers set in August

The Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) will stage the qualifying tournament for the September World 10-Ball Championship.

The BSCP Nationals will be played August 26 to 31 at the Rizal Billiards Hall.

The top-four finishers in the five-day tournament will get slots in the World meet. The prize money offered in the Nationals totals P400,000.

Dubbed the third BSCP National Pool Championships, the qualifiers will push through despite the hard-line stance of a rival billiards group that said it would boycott the 10-Ball Worlds.

Already assured of berths in the World 10-ball tilt are Antonio Gabica of the Philippines and Wu Chia-ching of Chinese-Taipei, who qualified after winning the Mandaluyong and the Puerto Princesa legs of the Philippine Pool Tour respectively.