Team Asia thumps Team World for Reyes Cup crown; Manas named MVP

MANILA, Philippines, October 20 ------ Not a few raised their eyebrows on the selection of teenager AJ Manas to the star-studded Team Asia side ahead of its title defense against the equally talented Team Rest of the World (ROW). “Hayaan ko na lang sila, basta ako gagawin ko na lang ‘yong best para ma-prove na karapatdapat ako rito,” the 19-year-old Manas confidently said last Wednesday.

True to his words, Manas anchored the Asian bets with a dominating 11-3 win over ROW to hoist their second straight Reyes Cup crown at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila Sunday, Oct. 19. Manas closed out his splendid appearance in Match Fourteen where he and veteran Carlo Biado notched a 5-2 win against world No. 1 American Fedor Gorst and German Moritz Neuhausen.

The Filipino duo started with a 2-0 lead, but Gorst and Neuhausen crawled back to cut the deficit to just one, 2-3. However, Team Asia had so much momentum to fend off their foreign rivals when they took the next two racks to seal the victory.

It was the culmination of Team Asia's efforts to ultimately deny Team World's comeback attempt and complemented Singapore's Aloysius Yapp's 5-1 beating of Jayson Shaw earlier. Shaw and Skyler Woodward outclassed Yapp and Vietnamese Dương Quốc Hoàng, 5-2, while Spaniard Francisco Sanchez Ruiz escaped past Johann Chua, 5-3.

With his spectacular debut, Manas, who shone bright throughout the four-day meet, he was named this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) – a feat that Yapp copped at the inaugural edition. For Manas, it was a dream come true and underscored that he was just trying to honor the trust that his teammates and non-playing captain Francisco “Django” Bustamante had given to him.

“Being crowned MVP feels unreal, it’s honestly a dream come true. I’m so proud to have helped Team Asia defend the Reyes Cup,” said Manas. “None of this would’ve been possible without my teammates and Captain Django believing in me. I just wanted to prove I belong here and that I can compete with the best. This week, I did that,” he added.

All of it was happening in front of no less than billiards icon Efren “Bata” Reyes, the inspiration of the tournament, who later joined Team Asia to celebrate. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team. Every player gave their heart, and AJ proved he was the right choice,” said Bustamante. “The kid is something special. We showed the world that Asia can’t be stopped. Carrying on Efren’s legacy with another win here in Manila means everything to me and the team,” he added.

Source: mb.com.ph