INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—Two more bets from Taiwan topped separate qualifying legs, raising the number of the country’s entries to 12 in the main draw of the World Ten Ball Championship slated to start Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Lai Chia-hsiung and Fu Che-wei made the $400,000 tournament proper after rulling qualifying stages four and five against Japan’s Kazuo Furuta, 9-3, and Taiwanese Lu Hui-chan, 9-5, respectively.

They thus joined fellow qualifiers Pei Wei-chang, Chang Yu-lung and Wang Kuo-pin in the main draw, which seeded former world 9-ball champion Wu Chia-ching, Guinness 9-ball king Chang Jun-lin and world junior champ Ko Pin-yi, among others.

Taiwan and the United States have the biggest number of representatives with 12, with the Americans to be bannered by another former world champ in Johnny Archer and the in-form Shane Van Boening.

The Philippines will be spearheaded by reigning Asian Games champion Antonio Gabica and the veteran Marlon Manalo. The flamboyant Jeffrey de Luna is also included.

Absent are the likes of Efren Reyes, Ronnie Alcano and Alex Pagulayan, former world 9-ball titlists all, who have elected to sit it out because of differences with organizers.

Daryl Peach of England, who won the WPC 9-Ball last year at the Araneta Coliseum, will banner the European charge, which also has Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany and Mika Immonen of Finland.