If you’re Efren Reyes, the greatest pool player ever, what else can you accomplish? Getting a tournament named after you, of course.
When Efren Reyes was taking the American pool circuit by storm in the mid-1990s, he would watch with great interest the Mosconi Cup, an annual dual meet between the best pool players from Europe and the United States named after the legendary American pool player Willie Mosconi.
He wondered why there was no similar competition for Asians, particularly Filipinos, who at the time were beginning to make inroads overseas and more than holding their own against Western competition.
Now, he no longer has to wonder. Next month, the first-ever Reyes Cup, a tournament patterned after the Mosconi Cup but featuring teams from Asia and Europe, will be held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Reyes said he is thrilled and honored that organizers Matchroom Pool named the event after him, even as he regrets that at 70 he is no longer able to play. Instead, he will act as captain of Team Asia opposite Karl Boyes of England.
“Itong tournament na ito, matagal ko nang hinihintay ito, noong nagkaroon ng Mosconi Cup,” he told the media during the formal launching of the event. “Kaya lang ang nangyari ngayon, hindi na ako puede dahil matanda na ako ngayon.”
The significance of naming this groundbreaking event after the player many of his peers consider the greatest of all time, and holding it in Manila, is not lost on Boyes.
“But, you know, it’s important for the (World Nine Ball Tour) to be in the Philippines, because obviously, you’ve got a legend like Sir Efren Reyes, you know, who’s so famous in this country.
“I remember coming in 2007 and some of the pool players were saying, ‘Oh, Efren’s, you know, really famous in the Philippines.’ And I was like, ‘No, he’s not. No pool players are famous anywhere.’
“I didn’t believe it. And when I arrived, I was asking the taxi driver, the person behind the bar, you know, the waitresses. And everybody knew who ‘Bata’ Reyes was, and they still do.”
“So, obviously to be here and ready for the inaugural Reyes Cup is very exciting. You know, I’m very proud to walk the five guys down the stairs. And obviously, you know, they will be excited to get their cues together and battle it out. And they know they’ve got a tough match. So yeah, I just can’t wait.”
The undisputed GOAT
The Reyes Cup will feature a five-on-five format, with the top five Asian players facing off against the top five European players in a race-to-11 over four playing days from Oct. 17 to 20. Five matches of the nine ball variety will be played each day, and the first side to win 11 matches wins the trophy.
So far, Johann Chua of the Philippines, Aloysius Yapp of Singapore and Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei have qualified for Team Asia, while Eklent Kaci of Albania, Mickey Krause of Denmark, and Joshua Filler of Germany have made it for Team Europe. The two captains will soon pick two wildcard players to complete their teams.
The event will be aired in the Philippines on One Sports and streamed on Pilipinas Live.
Boyes said naming such a big event after Efren Reyes is fitting, because the sport of pool owes a lot to The Magician.
“Without Efren Reyes, pool wouldn’t be where it is today,” Boyes said. “There’s no doubt about it. He’s the GOAT (greatest of all time) of our sport. All the top players say it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Filipino, American or European. Everybody knows how good Efren played the game.
“And he still does. His good friend, (Django) Bustamante, still plays good. I was with him last night in the pool room. I had him a few racks. He whooped my ass as well. But obviously, he’s a legend.
“I’ve played Efren a few times. We played at the World Championships a few years ago. And he played the sickest kick safe on me I’ve ever seen. It’s all over YouTube. He’s probably forgot it because he’s done that many times. But, you know, it’s just the way he plays the game.”
That it is Matchroom Sports organizing this historic event is also fitting, as Reyes first burst onto the international scene when he won the 1999 World Nine Ball Championship in Cardiff.
“It’s a very opportune time to hold this event in honor of Efren because he is an idol of all billiards-loving fans,” said Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, president of Puyat Sports which is co-organizing the event. “And it’s just proper and appropriate that he is honored because of the international promoter of event, Matchroom. There is no other fitting honor that we can give to such a guy who has really uplifted the sports to where it is today. Thanks to the original showing of Matchroom when the World Championship was launched and shown on international TV, which Efren won. That really started his career.”
Emily Frazier, CEO of Matchroom Multi Sport, believes the Reyes Cup will rival and possibly surpass the popularity of the Mosconi Cup.
“This is going to just be phenomenal. The Mosconi Cup has been running for 30 years now and we sell out a 2,500 seat arena. Imagine where we will be with the Reyes Cup in just four weeks. I cannot wait to see all the seats filled up here at the Ninoy Aquino National Stadium in Manila. It’s about creating history, and what better way to do it than under the iconic Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes.”
Banner Image from Cignal TV.