Monday, December 13, 2004
Big Blunders
By Mike T. Limpag
* Uneralded Haya capitalizes on Corteza miscues, wins Superbalita 9-ball championship, 15-12
* LEE Van Corteza made two errors and the unheralded Richard Haya made him pay to win the Superbalita 9-ball Challenge Class A crown and P75,000 yesterday at the Robinson’s Place.
Haya scored a 15-12 victory in the race-to-15 championship after earlier trailing, 9-11. Corteza, who won the first rack, kept a distance from Haya before collapsing starting on the 21st rack.
In Class B, Bebien Jabien took the P20,000 prize with a 9-1 win over Ernesto Rosco, while Keith Manayon won the Elementary crown with a 6-4 win over Marciano Bacalso. John Ferrule took the High School crown with a 7-4 win over Mark Gestopa.
Corteza squandered his 11-9 lead after losing the next three racks to trail, 11-12. Haya, who is based in Butuan City, came up with a dry break and the World Pool Championship veteran Corteza evened the count as he cleaned up the rack.
However, Corteza also went dry on his break allowing Haya back on the table for a 13-12 score line. It was a similar story on Haya’s break as he didn’t sink any ball with the four-ball flirting at the bottom corner to give the table back to Corteza.
After sinking the one and the two in one shot, Corteza’s path to the three was blocked forcing him to play defense. But he got unlucky as the five dropped to the middle after it got hit by the three ball, forcing Corteza to make another shot.
Corteza failed to hit the three and Haya cleaned up the rack to get on the hill, 14-12.
A poor break gave Corteza a chance but a wrong play off the eight stopped his momentum. Corteza dropped the eight but the cue-ball stuck to the nine, forcing him to play safety.
Corteza got another chance after Haya missed his bank but again fumbled as he failed to drop the nine in the top corner and Haya gamely sank the nine to pocket the top prize, while Corteza settled for 35,000.
(December 13, 2004 issue)
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