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Philippines, 18 May 2024 |
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POOL COMES TO THE HOME OF THE ?THRILLA? By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Sat, 03 Nov 2007  When Efren ?Bata? Reyes saunters to the main TV table to open the 2007 World Pool Championship against Japanese qualifier Kenichi Nokigaki millions of people in the Philippines and all across the world will be watching intently. Those who have spanned the years with a passion for sports are bound to recognize the venue ? the Araneta Coliseum ? scene of the famed ?Thrilla in Manila? ? regarded as the most memorable heavyweight championship bout of all-time between ?The Greatest? Muhammad Ali and ?Smokin Joe? Frazier. When the World Pool Championship came to Manila for the first time last year it was billed as the ?Thrilla in Manila II? following the October 1, 1975 classic between Ali and Frazier. This time around, beginning today all the way to November 11, 128 of the finest pool players in the world will showcase their skills in the original home of the ?Thrilla? and are bound to draw on that emotional and dramatic contest to write a chapter of their own at the ?Mecca? of Philippine sports and entertainment. As it was during the 1975l ?Thrilla in Manila? the attention of the world is bound to be riveted to the Philippines. Available data from the Social Weather Station survey last year indicated that the World Pool Championship had a national audience of some 22 million while internationally, there were an estimated 200 million people who followed the event over ESPN Star Sports recognized as the ?worldwide leader in sports.? Kerry Davis, a top executive of ESPN Star Sports says that while last year?s coverage was ?tremendous? he?s confident that the WPC can ?only grow bigger and better.? The ESPN Star Sports coverage is Pan-regional, throughout all the Asian markets and is also syndicated globally. Davis said ?its live in Europe including Germany and Britain as well as Australia and across different networks around the world.? This provides tremendous value for the government?s aggressive tourism marketing effort which has certainly been reaping dividends this past year as well as to other sponsors such as a national flagship corporation ? San Miguel. Its this kind of institutional support from both the government and the private sector and the presence of a wealth of talented pool players that makes the Philippines a natural center for the sport. Raya Sports which originally planned to telecast the World Pool Championships over ABC 5 decided to switch to Studio 23 of the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN to avail of the tremendous cross-promotions of the network and its substantial reach compared to ABC 5 which is an added boost to sponsors. The remarkable success of Raya Sports CEO Yen Makabenta in staging an event of the magnitude of the World Pool Championship last year was a testament to man who had the guts and the vision to dream to achieve what many thought was impossible. In recognition of that indisputable fact the promotions and marketing genius of Matchroom Sport?s Barry Hearn who turned pool from a game in pubs to a television spectacle said he simply had to come back ? and very possibly come back again next year. Hearn said after last year, ?what else could we do. It was marvelous. The organization was superb, the people turned out, the crowds were there and everybody enjoyed it.? In paying tribute to Makabenta and his people, Hearn said ?they got the job done and we had so much fun.? If he didn?t come back the Matchroom main man confessed ?my people would have killed me.? It was a given that the players loved it. The frequent flyers like Mika Immonen and Marcus Chamat and individuals like Johnny Archer who has visited Manila regularly for the past 15 years all had a wonderful time. Hearn?s best friend for 30 years, snooker legend Steve Davis told him ?whatever you do, get me back to the Philippines.? It was clear the players loved the interaction with the fans and the atmosphere at the venue was compelling. It embraced the players and brought them ever so much closer to the fans which is the essence of the interaction in sports. As Hearn so aptly stated. ?The players realized this was the pool event of the century and this is the biggest pool event in the world. It belongs in the home of pool and that?s why we are coming back.? Six time world snooker champion Steve Davis who, with a little bit of good fortune in his round of 32 game against young and promising Filipino Jharome Pena which he won 10-8 to enter the round of 16, mirrored what his longtime friend Hearn had said. ?Its great to come here for the first time and experience great crowds ? enthusiastic and such nice people. We were delighted and everything about the tournament has been well run. Conditions are superb and even the humidity levels haven?t been a problem. There was nothing to complain about.? To Davis, the Philippines is ?the spiritual home of pool.? While the game started in the US, the Americans struggled last year and none of the nine that were in the main draw reached the round of 32. ?Like some fine wines they don?t travel as well? was how Davis explained the Americans debacle. However, he was quick to point out that they have some great players. This time around the US contingent appears to be banking on the ?South Dakota Kid? Steve van Boening who has had an amazing run this year and has emerged as the heir-apparent to such greats as Earl ?The Pearl? Strickland, Johnny ?The Scorpion? Archer, Rodney ?The Rocket? Morris and a number of other outstanding players. Van Boening stamped his worthiness as a real force to reckon with in the World Pool Championships when he beat last year?s winner Ronnie Alcano twice in the recent US Open Championships to pocket the top prize of $50,000. The 24 year old whose family?s pool lineage is unquestioned also won the Predator World Open 10-Ball Championship and finished second to Dennis ?The Menace? Orcollo in the EnjoyPool.com 9-Ball Championship. In fact early this year Makabenta predicted that Shane was the player to watch on the US squad. To Davis as to many others, it?s the Taiwanese players who pose the biggest threat. ?They are very strong? said the snooker wizard and are ?sort of machine-like.? Clearly the Taiwanese are disciplined individuals who hardly show any traces of emotion. They are calculating executioners of every shot but somehow this detracts from the charisma or the flair one sees in many of the other competitors. The Filipinos provide a variety of emotions and styles at the table and their charisma is unquestioned. While Efren Reyes is ?The Magician? who can play shots that others don?t even dream of, there are a host of young players who provide what Davis refers to as ?strength in depth.? In fact he says there are ?probably lots more players coming through and on the way.? He believes a tournament such as the World Pool Championship can only help them improve because ?the experience of even coming along and watching or even the excitement of watching on television helps them know that perhaps in 5 to 10 years they could be playing in the World Pool Championship.? Paying tribute to Reyes and his bosom buddy Francisco ?Django? Bustamante, the two legends of Philippine pool, Davis noted ?they are inspirational. They treat the game with respect and are good role models.? To Luke Riches, the obvious workhorse of Matchroom Sport whose quiet contribution to the success of the World Pool Championship through the years has been truly remarkable said last year?s event made him understand that ?Efren is the god of pool and it opened our eyes to what a figure he is in the Philippines and how he is revered by most people in the country.? Among the youngsters, Riches said he was ?really excited? by players like Jeffrey De Luna. He feels De Luna ?could be a big star in this game in a couple of years. He?s got a lot of charisma and he can play.? Riches was impressed by the way he ?composes himself when he?s under pressure? and although he concedes that De Luna can appear cocky at times he adds, ?his cockiness is part of his attraction.? The one person whose presence last year and then again this year adds a royal touch to the proceedings is Prince Haji Al Muthadee-Billah of Brunei whom we refer to as the ? Crown Prince of Pool.? Although he failed to go beyond the Group stage last year, all eyes were on the Prince as he played Bustamante on television and showed he can play. As Riches remarked, ?its great for the event.? To Davis, the Crown Prince playing pool is easily explained. ?If you fall in love with the game, you are drawn to it. It doesn?t matter if you are male, female, prince or pauper. Whatever. The Prince loves playing. He loves the game. Its fantastic that he can play in this tournament. He obviously has problems with the restrictions in his life that must be hard to bear, so this must be a fantastic experience for him.? Discussing his game, Davis said he can play and notes that with the experience he gained last year ?perhaps he can improve his positional play which, at this level, is what the game is all about. He can knock the balls in. What he needs is some help in his map around the table sometimes.? The Prince faces a formidable task in his opening match when he faces 2007 World Pool Masters champion Thomas Engert of Germany. Typical of a fine English gentleman-sportsman, Davis believes that all those who play pool or snooker are very lucky for the simple reason that ?it?s a hobby and we fall in love with the game as a young player and it becomes our profession. You cannot get better than to have your hobby become your job. So we are lucky.? Even though he contends that sometimes there is a lot of pressure he exhorts players ? never lose sight of the fact that what a great life it is?to play, its so exciting. Even if it goes disastrously wrong and the wheel completely falls off, you can be disappointed but you mustn?t be disappointed for very long because tomorrow you have another game.? Its admitted that 9-Ball has an element of luck. But while there is a bit of luck attached to those who go far in the tournament, it?s the players who are potting the balls well during one whole week that do the damage. Like any sport there are hard-luck stories along the way. To Davis the approach is simple. ?Play one match at a time and hope that the result goes your way and if you don?t look too far into the future, forget about the past and just play in the present and enjoy the day, then you never know what?s possible.? Indeed, sport can bring people together. ?People can lose their divisions over sport and cheer for the same guy especially if he is a national hero and that can only be good? says Riches. When Reyes won the 1999 World Pool Championships in Cardiff in the first year that Barry Hearn and Matchroom Sport took over the event, millions of Filipinos stayed up all night to watch Reyes in action. Indeed, Makabenta and journalist Ted Lerner who played a significant role in helping bring the World Pool Championships to Manila watched Reyes and deep down in their hearts were convinced the WPC had to come to the Philippines? the home of Efren Reyes, the heart and soul of pool. And it has, thanks to their efforts and to the support from both the government and the private sector. The one outstanding feature of the World Pool Championships that made a major impact in the mind of Barry Hearn was when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo whose late father President Diosdado Macapagal loved pool and was an accomplished player, spent time to witness the signing of an agreement to bring the event to Manila once again this year. To Hearn who has traveled far and wide and met with government leaders of all hues , the signing at Malacanang was ?an amazing recognition of where pool sits in the cultural status of the Philippines. If the President can spend her time to witness the signature of ESPN Star Sports and Raya Sports to show the Philippines is going to host he biggest championship, that says it all. It is a statement of how important this event is to this country.? Hearn went on ?I?ve been around the world. I?ve been to governments and seen people just accept the winners of sport. They don?t realize that these people are leaders of your country. These are people that youngsters will look up to, which could set the trend. Its fantastic that the President can set this example to her people. That these people are worthy of her support.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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