Star Raga brightens

Cebu City’s top bet Anthony Raga shows topnotch cue skill in first round of 2015 World 10-Ball

TEAM Cebu City Billiard star Anthony Raga was all business in the first round in the main draw of the 2015 World 10-Ball Billiard Championships in SM City Activity Center in General Santos City.

Yesterday, Raga defeated compatriot Renemar David with a 9-3 bashing to jumpstart his campaign in Group 2, which includes Filipinos Raymund Faraon and Antonio Lining, Wang Can of China, Chien Chieh Liu of Chinese-Taipei, Kamal Chawla of India and Ibrahim Amir of Malaysia.

Today, Raga will play the 16th seed Can, who towed Lining to the one-loss bracket after Round 1. Can defeated Lin- ing via a hard-earned 9-8 decision.

Unfortunately, the other Cebuano bet, Boots Augusto, found his first assignment too tough to handle as he lost a hardnosed game, 9-7, to Petri Makonnen of Finland in the Group 1 action.

The loss relegated Augusto to the loser’s bracket and will need extra games to work his way back to main draw.

Up ahead

Augusto will play David Alcaide of Spain from the one-loss bracket, following the latter’s loss to top seed Yu Lung Chang of Chinese-Taipei, 9-6.

The other players in Group 1 were Pahdahsong Shognosh of Canada, Christian Gariando of the Philippines, Piotr Kudlik of Poland and Aloysius Yapp of Singapore.

The other member of Team Cebu City Ruben Cuña will see action today against Ricky Zerna in the Group 16 action.

Raga’s entry was very dramatic as he needed to play the wild card game to make the 128-man main draw.

The 17-year-old Cebuano fast shooter failed twice in the Manila Qualifying tournament last Jan. 30 and 31, then failed again three times in the General Santos City Qualifying.

However, Raga got a lease in life when the tournament organizers had to give away extra slots after some of the seeded players, including American Shane Van Boening and former champion Mika Imonen of Finland, did not participate.

Chance

On Monday night, the organizers gave Raga a chance to make the main draw when he was pitted against Richer Francoeur of Canada.

Raga did not waste the golden opportunity as he booted Francoeur following a 7-4 victory to take a spot into the main draw that started yesterday.