Entertaining Pagulayan beats Tony in exhibition match
Entertaining Pagulayan beats Tony in exhibition match
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post/Bali
World 9-ball pool champion Alex Pagulayan put on an entertaining display of his skills to beat National Games gold medalist Tony Cahaya Putra in one stop on his exhibition match tour here on Sunday.
Pagulayan, who clinched the world championship title in Taiwan in July, beat Tony 3-2 at the Paradiso Bowling and Billiard Center in Kuta, one of the tourist hub's on the island.
The 26-year-old Canadian trailed 2-1 in the first three frames after Tony managed to pocket the 9-ball halfway through the third frame.
The next frames testified to Pagulayan's enthralling skill to leave Tony stuck to his chair. He coolly made a jump shot in the fourth frame to the cheers and claps from scores of spectators before going on to a rout in the fifth to seal victory.
"Sorry, man," Pagulayan quipped at Tony, who broke into a grin, at the end of the game.
Tony praised his opponent. "He has a great deal of confidence when playing," said Tony, who was picked to replace Yudharman, his partner in winning the gold medal in the 9-ball event at the recent National Games in Palembang, South Sumatra.
Yudharman, according to the organizing committee, had not been able to attend due to a family emergency.
The Bali match was Pagulayan's third stop since Thursday after Jakarta and Bandung.
He played three times in Jakarta. He defeated Adam Abdurrahim, also a gold medalist in Palembang, with a crushing 5-0 win. He lost to Jimmy Jusman 3-2 before taking a 4-1 win over Edy Hartono.
He faced tough opposition in Bandung and escaped with a 7-6 win over Siaw Wieto.
"Apart from his remarkable confidence, Pagulayan has an outstanding fighting spirit and a quality of play that not many people possess," said Edy.
"His strokes are just outstanding, and he plays pool to entertain people," he said.
Pagulayan's tour is expected to provide extra motivation to local Indonesian players ahead of the upcoming A Mild Cup grand final, scheduled for Sept. 25-26 in Jakarta.
"With a world caliber player like Pagulayan, we are hoping to encourage the development of Indonesian pool," said Mohammad Mirza, a member of the organizing committee.
Pagulayan will make his last stop in Yogyakarta on Monday, where he will not only take on a local amateur but also hold a coaching clinic.