A treat for billiard fans as for the first time ever, Efren “Bata” Reyes and Team Asia will go up against Team Europe for the inaugural Reyes Cup on October 15 to 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Reyes, Team Asia’s captain, will compete alongside Filipino standout Johann Chua and Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi. Chua only recently won the Hanoi Cup on Sunday, and Pin Yi advanced to the tournament’s finals.
“Lahat sila magagaling,” stated “The Magician” during a press conference on Monday.
“It’s team Asia versus team Europe. You’ve been asking for it; we have delivered,” Matchroom CEO Emily Frazer said.
“This is going to be phenomenal -fast, exciting, dynamic, you can not miss it,” she added.
The Asian group will face team Europe, which is led by England’s Karl Boyes and includes Mosconi Cup champions Jayson Shaw representing the United Kingdom and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain.
“The pressure’s on,” Shaw expressed. “When you step out there into the arena, there’s so much pressure, but we will be ready by tomorrow.”
Chua, on the other side, expects to be headed by his “Tatay Efren” when competing against Europe.
“Actually, to be able na mabuhay sa mundo na naabutan ko pa si Sir Efren, is isang bagay na hindi ko makakalimutan sa buong buhay ko,” he shared.
The Reyes Cup will consist of 21 matches, both singles and doubles. Every match will be a race to five, with the first team to 11 points claiming victory.