Amit battles the big boys
in QC 9-ball tilt

RUBILEN Amit, the country’s top player, will be out to prove that women players have what it takes to shine against male players when she compete in the San Miguel Beer-Quezon City 9-Ball Championship starting on March 17 at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

Amit, 25, last year’s runner-up in the world pool tourney, has been given an outright slot to the 32-player main draw of $25,000 event sponsored by San Miguel Beer.

"I’m very thankful to the organizers for including me in this tournament, and I promise I will give my best to show that we, women players, can also make it big, given the chance," said Amit, who is preparing for the 2008 World Women’s 9-Ball Championship next month in Chinese-Taipei.

"This SMB-QC 9-Ball is a great venue for me to train for the world championship and I will make the most out of it," added the many-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.

Amit is one of the 13 seeded players in the event, the first major billiards event in the country this year, a project of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines organized by Bugsy Promotions, Puyat Sports and Negros Billiards Stable, and sponsored by Pagcor, Trinoma, Philippine Star, Ayala Malls and Philippine Poker Tour.

Also seeded to the main draw are former world champions Efren "Bata" Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, current world No.1 Dennis Orcollo, 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, reigning national champion Lee Van Corteza, former Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle, veteran internationalists Rodolfo Luat, Warren Kiamco and Ramil Gallego and rising star Joven Bustamante.

They will be joined by regional qualifiers Aram Serquiano (Northern Luzon), Romar Villones and William Chua (Visayas) and Romeo Timcang (Mindanao), as well as the players who will emerge from the three qualifying tournaments starting tomorrow at the Paeng’s Bowling and Billiards Center in Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas, Quezon City.

Open to all, including female and foreign players, the SMB-QC 9-Ball tilt, offers a top purse of $10,000. The tournament will be shown live on ABC 5 from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.