SATOSHI Kawabata, Japan's No. 1 player and current Asian Games 8-Ball champion, led three other Japanese players in registering for the Mandaluyong Mayor's Cup slated to start on Tuesday, May 6, at the Mandaluyong Atrium and Kaban ng Hiyas Auditorium.
With San Miguel Beer as major sponsor, the inaugural tournament of the Philippine Pool Tour has already drawn entries from various regions of the world.
The other Japanese entries are Tomoo Takano, Kenji Taguchi and Mori Manabu. Kawabata and Takano played in the 2007 World Pool Championship last November.
Chang Chien-Te of Chinese Taipei also filed his entry yesterday. He is the first of a handful of Taiwanese players who will be joining the tournament according to the Asian Pocket Billiards Union (APBU).
Not to be outdone, players from Europe and North America have registered for the Mandaluyong Cup. The latest are Jan Berille of France and Gerry Watson of Canada.
Earlier, former world champions Thorsten Hohmann of Germany and Johnny Archer of the United States confirmed their attendance by email.
The foreign pros will pit their skills against a score of notable Filipino players who have already signed up. They include Marlon Manalo, a Mandaluyong native with a string of international titles to his name; Antonio Gabica, reigning Philippine Open champion and Asian gold medalist; and Jeffrey de Luna, winner of the Manny Pacquiao International Pool Championship last November.
Making his debut in international competition is Jericho Banares, the newly crowned 2008 Philippine Junior Pool Champion. "Jericho is ready for the big time," says Sol Gueco, PPT tour director.
Other Filipino cue artists contending for the $30,000 in prize money are: Elvis Calasang, Leonardo Andam, Leonardo Didal, Fidel Punzalan, James Al Ortega.
From Cebu, Mike Hilton fielded yesterday seven players who are figure to create some surprises in the tournament. Billing themselves as "Team Hilton", they are: Noel Causing, Marvin Gentapa, John Albert Refulle, Oliver Yap, Mellari Baguio, Antonio Cosi, and Florencio Banar (playing coach of the group).
The Mandaluyong Mayor's Cup is a joint project of the Mandaluyong City government led by Mayor Benhur Abalos and the Billiards & Snooker Congress of the Philippines.
contributed by MARLON BERNARDINO, edited by jovie sison
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