Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Zacarias, Dingson complete semis cast
EVEN if he is only eight and despite his lean frame, Martin Oliver Zacarias showed a lot of promise as a billiard master in the making as he moved to the Final Four of the elementary division of the 2007 Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge at the Gaisano Bowlingplex Billiards Hall last Sunday.
The Grade 3 pupil of the University of San Carlos-North Campus also has luck to thank when his opponent, Rusty Abing, scratched both the nine and cue balls in the last frame, allowing Zacarias for an easy end in his 5-4 battle.
In the other match, the 11-year-old John Mark Dingson of City Central School, showed steady hands to make it to the July 28 and 29 matches with his equally pulsating 5-3 win over the 11-year-old Khen Aquino of Asian College of Technology.
Neither Zacarias nor Abing were able to dictate control as the racks went back and forth before the 9-year-old Abing, a Grade 3 pupil of Mission School in Suba-Pasil, got to the hill, 4-3 lead after his diminutive opponent scratched the cue ball in an effort to pocket the four using the three.
Abing wiped out the remaining balls and was on the verge of winning the match but bungled an eight-nine combination. Zacarias got the rack after sinking the same combo shot.
Zacarias then sank the three on his break and the 1-ball on the bank shot but missed his try on the two.
Abing then cleaned the next four balls before missing a difficult cut on the eight, gifting Zacarias again with an easy lay.
However, his approach on the nine was out of line, forcing him to play safe. His shot though went a bit off, giving Abing a tough cut for the 9 to the top right corner pocket, forcing the costly scratch as both the nine and the cue ball seemed to race to find a pocket to sink in.
Dingson, on the other hand, was down 0-2 when Aquino had a golden break on the first rack and then cleaned up the second rack for an early lead.
Aquino was on his way to win the third rack when he scratched the cue after sinking the 8-ball.
With that mistake, Dingson cleaned up the next four racks for a 4-2 lead. (RCM)
