Kuching quartet out to make S’wak proud at World Heyball Masters in China

SIBU: Four Sarawakian cueists are determined to make an impression at the 12th edition of Joy Cup World Heyball Masters grand finals, now taking place at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Centre in Hebei Province, China, until this March 22.

Edmund Bong, Vincent Loh, Rocky Bong and Jacob Wong, all from Kuching, are among the 24 players from Malaysia taking part in the international event offering a grand prize money of US$700,000.

Moreover, those placing second to fifth will pocket US$210,000, US$84,000, S$42,000 and US$28,000, respectively.

It is reported that the Joy Cup World Heyball Masters are hosting more than 400 players representing 75 countries.

Edmund, the leader of the Sarawak pack, said their modest target would be to qualify for the last 128.

“All of us are making our first appearance in the championship; it would be a good achievement if we could qualify for the last 128,” he said.

More notable names representing Malaysia include Moh Keen Ho and Muhammad Rizal.

It is also informed that there are cash prizes for those placing sixth down to the 128th.

“Just by qualifying for the last 128 would grant a collection of US$1,400, while the highest clearance award is offering an additional US$1,400.

“We would be out more to gain exposure and experience in playing the sport.

“Hopefully, we could also introduce to the sport to the local market since a few of our snooker centres already have the facilities,” added Edmund.

‘Heyball’, or the Chinese eightball, is currently one of the four most widely played cue sports in the world, having been included in the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

It differs from the traditional snooker, in that the former only features 15 coloured balls compared to the 21 balls in the latter, and the player who pots the last black is the winner.

The length of the snooker table is 12 feet, while for heyball, it is only nine feet in length.

In Malaysia, heyball is still considered new although in China, it has been played over the past 20 years.

(From left) Edmund, Rocky, Wong and Loh want to go all out in the Hebei outing.