Teenage sensation Jonas Magpantay of Oriental Mindoro is the 2011 Philippine junior pool champion, the Billiards & Snooker Congress of the Philippines has announced.
Magpantay, 17, took the crown Saturday night after beating Paul Kenneth Arpilleda (18) of Negros Occidental by the score of 9-4 in the finals of the tournament at Star Billiards Center in Quezon City .
In the match for third place, Hushley Jusayan of Bulacan (18) beat Rodlin John Bautista of Quezon City , 9-4.
The official tournament was jointly organized by the BSCP, Raya Sports and Star Billiards.
The junior competition took place over the span of two days (August 5-6).
The separate championship for girls under 18 was postponed because of an insufficient number of entries. BSCP officials decided to stage instead an exhibition match between Reggie Ann Biagcong (18) of Davao City and Chezka Centeno (12) of Zamboanga City , who had come all the way from Mindanao to join the competition..
Centeno surprised spectators and officials of the tournament by beating Biagcong, 9-5. The 12-year-old showed unusual skill and flair at the billiard table that mark her a future standout in Philippine pool
Both Centeno andf Biagcong will be taking part in the 2011 BSCP National Pool Championship for men and women that is set in September, also at Star Billiards Center ..
For winning the tournament, Magpantay will represent the Philippines in the WPA World Juniors Championship scheduled in Poland on August 31-Sept 3.
Raya Sports, promoter of the WPA World Ten Ball Championship and the Philippine Open Pool Championship, donated the prizes in the juniors competition. It will also shoulder the travel of Magpantay to Poland .
Magpantay, Arpilleda, Jusayan and Bautista will all be registered free of charge in the forthcoming BSCP National Championship.
Magpantay is 2011 Philippine Junior Pool Champion
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