2nd Philippine Junior Pool Championship slated

There would be no cash prizes, but a national title and two spots in the World Junior Pool Championships are at stakes in the 2nd Philippine Junior Pool Championship when it unfolds on March 13-16 at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City. The country's large crop of young players, 19 years old and under, will take the center stage to bid for honor and glory, the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines said on Thursday. The world junior championship is slated later this year in the United States. Last year, Mark Mendoza, the stocky teen-aged pool sensation from Mandaluyong City, won the Philippine junior title when he bested Jordan Legaspi in the thrilling finals at the Rizal Memorial Billiards Center. Mendoza is set to defend his title in the junior pool tourney that is open to Filipino players 19 years old and under. It will be hosted for the first time by longtime billiards patron Sebastian Chua at his world-class billiards facility. For this year's event, the BSCP has adopted the Ten Ball format in a bid to bring out the best of young cue artists in the country. "We need to match up better against young players in Taiwan and Europe," said tournament director Sol Gueco. "Ten Ball will help." Two-time world junior championship contender Renemar David believes the new format will give better chances to better players. "Bihira ang tsamba sa Ten Ball (Luck is rare in Ten Ball)," David said. "Puspusan ang ginagawa kong paghahanda rito. Maraming magagaling na mas bata pa sa akin kaya walang nakakasiguro rito (I'm preparing hard for this coming tournament. There are many good players younger than me, so there's no sure thing here)." Entry is free in the event, which the BSCP is staging in cooperation with Raya Sports, Star Billiards Center and the Philippine Billiards Development Foundation (PBDF). In addition to trophies, prizes in kind will be awarded to top placers in the tournament. Among these are a scooter, appliances and gift certificates. Qualified players should register at the Raya Sports office, Star Billiards Center or the Rizal Memorial Billiards Center. For details, call or text 0910-8875216 or 0928-7441740. - GMANews.TV