SPORTS PATRON. Marboys Billiards Club, headed by JR Velasco (far right), is funding the participation of four players at the Peri 9-Ball Open and Hanoi Open Pool Championship slated to be held on Oct. 5-9 and Oct. 10-15, respectively in Vietnam. With Velasco in this undated photo are (from left) member Marvin Paringit and cue players Marvin Asis, Bernie Regalario, and Jefrey Roda. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Four players from the Marboys Billiards Club will leave on October 1 to participate in two tournaments in Vietnam.
Jefrey Roda, Bernie "Li'l Prince" Regalario, Marvin "Shadow Assassin'' Asis, and James "Dodong Diamond" Aranas will compete in the Peri 9-Ball Open, a world 9-Ball Tour ranking event scheduled at the Peri Pool Arena on Oct. 5-9, and the Hanoi Open Pool Championship to be held at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium on Oct. 10-15.
A total of 256 players, led by reigning world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain, will see action in the Hanoi Open, which offers a total of USD200,000 in cash prizes.
"Time and time again, our cue athletes have proven their excellence and ability to win medals in cue sports, like in the recent World Cup of Pool in Europe. We want to build on that momentum and further strengthen men’s participation through this event,” Marboys Billiards Club head JR Velasco said on Thursday night.
"We are happy to inform you that we were able to secure a three-year professional contract from Peri Cues for Bernie Regalario, while Marvin Asis and James Aranas signed with Cueless and Omin Cues for five years."
Roda, 23, hails from Lianga, Surigao del Sur, and was a silver medalist at the 2014 World Junior of Pool in Shanghai, China. He won the gold medal at the 2015 Asian Junior of Pool in Chinese Taipei.
He also captured the silver medal at the 2019 International Billiards & Snooker Federation World Men’s Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
In the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, he got the bronze medal in Manila (2019) and the silver in Vietnam (2022).
The 18-year-old Regalario from Parañaque City topped the 2020 Predator-Volturi 9-Ball Cup at the AMF-Puyat Makati Cinema Square.
Asis, the 23-year-old pride of Imus, Cavite, has won over former world 8-ball and 9-ball champion Efren "Bata" Reyes in a series of events.
Aranas, 31, from General Trias City in Cavite, ruled the World Cup of Pool title with Johann Chua in Lugo, Spain in July.
They scored an 11-7 victory over Germans Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen in the finals.
Roda, Regalario, and Asis will also compete at the TE Capital 9-Ball Open slated to be held at the Aspire Recreation Center in Singapore from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4.
World champions Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit, and SEA Games gold medalist Chezka Centeno are also members of the Parañaque City-based Marboys Billiards Club. (PNA)
