Bata-Django pair bombs out of SEAG medal play

VIENTIANE – Even the presence of highly-touted world champions in the roster doesn’t necessarily translate into a gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games. Efren “Bata" Reyes and Francisco “Django" Bustamante yielded a 4-7 setback to Thailand Thursday that all but thwarted their bid for the gold in the billiards 9-ball double event of the 25th SEA Games here. A favorite to top the event where they emerged triumphant two months ago during the World Cup of Pool in Manila, the two didn’t really get on track when they stared at a 0-3 deficit against Nitiwat Kanjanasri and Surathep Phoochalam in their quarterfinal match at the Covention Hall of the Don Chan Palace. The Filipino duo managed to rally back to make it a 4-4 contest, but never scored again as the Thais swept the last three racks, including a spectacular shot at the 9-ball for the game-clinching win. “Naunahan kami," explained Reyes, considered as perhaps the greatest pool player ever. The setback was a big blow to the campaign of the fearsome Filipino cue artists, who are tipped to win as many as five mints in this year’s edition of the biennial meet. The loss of Reyes, the former world 9-ball champion, and Bustamante, once ranked no. 1 in the world, left former world titlists Ronnie Alcano and Alex Pagulayan and reigning world 10-ball queen Rubilen Amit to carry the cudgels for the RP pool team. Also losing their quarterfinal match Thursday was the duo of Reynaldo Grandea and Warren Kiamco, who bowed to Thailand’s Praprut Chaithanasakun and Thawat Sujaritthurakan in the English billiard double event, 0-3, to also bomb out of the medal rounds. - GMANews.TV